Display & Video 360 - the practical guide.

Display & Video 360 (DV360) is Google's enterprise demand-side platform, part of the Google Marketing Platform. It lets agencies and brands buy display, video, CTV, audio and native programmatically across the open exchange and reserved YouTube inventory in one interface. Compared to Google Ads, DV360 offers deeper inventory access, more granular controls and better tools for managing complex programmatic campaigns at scale.

Enterprise brands and agencies running programmatic media at meaningful scale, particularly those already invested in the Google Marketing Platform (GA4 360, Campaign Manager 360, Search Ads 360). Strong for advertisers wanting unified planning across YouTube reserved buys and the open programmatic market. Not a fit for SMBs or anyone whose needs are met by Google Ads.

Sold through Google's enterprise sales or a Google sales partner. Platform fees are typically a percentage of media spend (commonly mid-single-digits), on top of inventory, data and verification costs. Realistic minimums sit around $25,000-$50,000 per month for the platform to make sense. No public pricing or self-serve sign-up.

Right when you need programmatic at scale with deep YouTube integration, you're already in the Google Marketing Platform suite, or you want to consolidate buying across reserved YouTube and the open web. Wrong fit if you'd rather avoid lock-in to Google's ecosystem (consider The Trade Desk), or if your budget can't justify the platform overhead.

Workflow is significantly more complex than Google Ads - expect a steep learning curve and dedicated trader resource. Deep integration with Google's ecosystem can become a switching cost. Cross-DSP measurement is awkward - if you also use TTD, you'll need a third-party ad server. Pricing and partner discounts are highly negotiable - never accept the first quote.