OpenRTB started with block lists

OpenRTB did not start with bidding. It started with block lists.

In November 2010, three DSPs and three SSPs ran a pilot to standardise how they exchange block lists. Mobile came in February 2011, video followed, and OpenRTB 2.0 in June 2011 put it all in one standard. The IAB adopted it in January 2012.

Today an SSP turns a page load into one BidRequest: Imp, Site or App, Device, User. Buyers answer with a BidResponse and a Bid with a price.

Everyone speaks one language, so the plumbing is shared. Your data and your decisions are the special sauce.