OTT (Over-the-Top) refers to television content delivered over an internet connection. For this guide, OTT specifically refers to streaming TV content delivered on Mobile Phones, Tablets, and Desktop/Personal Computers, excluding Connected TV (CTV) devices.

Pontiac supports two methods for accessing OTT inventory:

• Deals (Recommended): Target Public or Negotiated Deals offering OTT or OTT/CTV inventory. This provides greater control over the streaming publishers and environments where your ads appear.
• Open Exchange: Access eligible OTT inventory through supported Exchanges. Additional App targeting is strongly recommended to restrict delivery to streaming TV applications rather than general mobile or desktop inventory.

When setting up an OTT Campaign, ensure that your Creatives, targeted inventory, Device Types, and Video targeting settings are compatible with OTT. All other Campaign and Line settings, including budgets, bidding, pacing, geographic targeting, and conversion tracking, remain customizable based on your Campaign goals.

1. Upload OTT Creatives

1. Navigate to your Advertiser, or create a new Advertiser if needed.
2. Upload one or more Video Creatives that meet the Creative Specs.
3. Allow up to 24 hours for the Pontiac Creative Audit to complete.

Note: Some publishers and Exchanges may require additional creative approval before your Creatives are eligible to serve.

2. Create Your Campaign and Lines

Under your Advertiser, create a Campaign and one or more Lines.

OTT Inventory and Targeting Recommendations

When configuring your Campaign and Line targeting, consider the following recommendations to ensure your settings are compatible with OTT inventory.

• Inventory Type: We recommend Combined for the broadest scale, as OTT inventory can be available across both Web and In App environments. Select Web or In App when targeting a specific environment.
• Deals and Deal Lists: Target Deals offering OTT or OTT/CTV inventory. Confirm that the selected Deals support Video Creatives and provide inventory on Mobile, Tablet, or Desktop devices. Deals exclusively offering Connected TV inventory will not be eligible under the recommended OTT Device Type targeting.
• Device Types: Select Phone, Tablet, and Personal Computer. Avoid targeting Connected TV and Set Top Box devices, as this guide focuses on OTT delivery outside the CTV environment.
• Sites and Apps: For Open Exchange delivery, use Site, Site List, App Name, App Bundle, or App List targeting to identify streaming TV publishers and applications. Without these restrictions, delivery may extend to other video-enabled websites or applications that are not OTT streaming services.
• Frequency Capping: Select No Cap. OTT publishers may not consistently provide usable device or user identifiers, making frequency capping less reliable and potentially restricting delivery.
• Audience Targeting: We recommend using audiences from TruAudience (TransUnion) for OTT Campaigns, as these segments are designed for OTT environments. Alternatively, ART Audiences can be used to target ZIP codes that over-index for your desired audience. Keep in mind that audience targeting may reduce available inventory and limit delivery scale.
• Video Playback Targeting: We recommend leaving Video Playback Type and Video Player Size unrestricted for OTT Campaigns, particularly when using OTT-specific Deals. Applying additional restrictions may limit eligible inventory.
• Bid Price: For PMP Deals, use the Deal floors as guidance and consider starting approximately 40–50% above the floor, adjusting based on bidding performance and delivery.

Important: Campaign and Line targeting are evaluated together. Conflicting targeting requirements or settings that do not align with OTT inventory can prevent delivery, even when the Campaign and Line are otherwise configured correctly.

Other targeting options, including geographic targeting, Browser, Operating Systems, and advanced settings, can be customized based on your Campaign goals. Highly restrictive targeting may reduce eligible OTT inventory.

For additional information, see the Targeting Methods Documentation.

3. Select Your OTT Inventory Setup

Option A: OTT Campaigns Using Deals (Recommended)

We recommend using Public or Negotiated OTT Deals to access streaming TV inventory with greater control over publishers and supply sources.

How to Target OTT Deals

1. Navigate to Inventory to explore available Public or Negotiated Deals.
2. Identify Deals offering OTT or OTT/CTV inventory.
3. Confirm that the Deals support Video Creatives and provide inventory on Mobile, Tablet, or Desktop devices.
4. Open your Campaign or Line in Edit Mode.
5. Navigate to Edit Targeting > Inventory > Deals.
6. Select the applicable OTT Deals.
7. Leave Exchange targeting unselected to avoid excluding Exchanges associated with your selected Deals.
8. Save your targeting settings.

Note: Not all OTT/CTV Deals provide inventory across every device category. Review the available Device Types for each Deal to confirm that it supports OTT delivery.

For more information, see the Deals Documentation.

Option B: OTT Campaigns Using Open Exchange

OTT Campaigns can also run through eligible Open Exchange inventory. However, additional App targeting is strongly recommended to ensure delivery is restricted to streaming TV applications.

Without App targeting, a Line may serve across other applications offering video placements, including mobile games, news applications, and other non-OTT environments.

How to Configure Open Exchange OTT Inventory

1. Open your Campaign or Line in Edit Mode.
2. Navigate to Edit Targeting > Inventory > Exchanges.
3. Select the Exchanges through which you want to purchase OTT inventory.
4. Under Inventory targeting, apply a Site, Site List, App Name, App Bundle, or App List Allow List containing your desired streaming TV publishers or applications. Ensure these settings align with your selected Inventory Type.
5. Confirm that Device Type targeting includes Phone, Tablet, and/or Personal Computer.
6. Save your targeting settings.

Important: Open Exchange inventory is not automatically restricted to OTT streaming TV content. Targeting appropriate streaming TV applications is recommended to avoid delivery across other video environments.

4. Review OTT Inventory Compatibility

Before launching, confirm that:

• Your Lines have approved Video Creatives that meet the applicable OTT/CTV specifications.
• Your targeted Deals or Exchanges provide OTT streaming TV inventory.
• Inventory Type and Device Type targeting align with the intended OTT environments (Mobile, Tablet, and Desktop).
• Frequency Capping is set to No Cap.
• Video Playback Type and Video Player Size are left unrestricted unless specifically required.
• If using Audience Targeting, the selected segments are appropriate for OTT inventory.
• For Open Exchange delivery, Site or App Allow Lists are configured to target the intended streaming TV publishers or applications.
• Any required publisher or Exchange creative approvals have been completed.

Note: A Line may save successfully even when its targeting configuration does not align with the intended OTT inventory. Always verify inventory compatibility before launching to avoid delivery issues.

Once your Campaign is active, monitor delivery and bidding performance under the Performance tab at both the Campaign and Line levels.

For additional Campaign setup and targeting guidance, refer to the relevant Pontiac Wiki articles or contact the Help Center.