Viant Expands Direct Access to Support Deal-Based Buying across the Largest Publishers in CTV

Buyers and sellers face no fee to set up or execute deals through Direct Access.

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Advertisers can now execute direct deals and open-market buys through a fee-free path

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Viant Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: DSP), a leader in CTV and AI-powered programmatic advertising, today announced an expansion of Direct Access, its flagship Supply Path Optimization (SPO) product that connects advertisers to premium CTV inventory through more direct and cost-efficient paths. The expansion is now live across the industry’s largest publishers, representing 94% of programmatic demand, according to Jounce Media. It adds support for deal-based buying, giving advertisers the ability to execute programmatic guaranteed and private marketplace deals in addition to open market buys, so Direct Access can now cater to any campaign need.

The expansion comes as CTV continues to close the gap with linear television. eMarketer's forecast projects US CTV upfront ad spending will exceed primetime linear TV upfront ad spending in 2026 for the first time. That shift matters beyond media budgets alone. As performance channels get harder and more expensive to mine for existing demand, brands are increasingly looking to CTV as the primary vehicle for creating new demand, reaching the next customer rather than re-targeting the last one. Viant has built its platform around that core belief, and unlocking that potential starts with Direct Access.

“Premium content deserves a supply path built for its value. Direct Access with Viant has given us a more efficient path to advertiser demand and real transparency into how our inventory performs. Extending that model to deals lets us bring those same benefits to more advertisers, at scale, without adding friction," said Amy Leifer, Chief Advertising Sales Officer, DIRECTV Advertising.

Direct Access has long enabled advertisers to buy open market CTV inventory through a direct, fee-free supply path. Now, Viant is extending that same cost-efficient path to private marketplace and programmatic guaranteed deals, with support now live across FreeWheel, Magnite’s SpringServe, Publica and custom oRTB integrations. Unlike buying through an exchange, Direct Access carries no fee to set up or execute a deal for either buyer or seller, meaning more of every dollar advertisers spend goes toward working media instead of transaction costs.

“As a performance-driven brand, every dollar we spend on CTV needs to work harder. Direct Access has let us put more of our budget into working media instead of transaction fees, and the transparency into where our inventory comes from has made it easier to see which impressions are actually driving results. That combination, efficiency and transparency, is exactly what we look for in a media partner," said Courtney Manning, Senior Manager, Brand Media at WHOOP.

Direct Access is one of four core products within Viant Publisher Solutions, alongside SupplyIQ, Household ID, and the IRIS Content ID, which together provide publishers greater transparency into supply quality and monetization, while giving advertisers access to higher-quality, better-addressable inventory. When paired with attention signals, this same set of capabilities allows advertisers to move beyond understanding who was exposed to an ad and begin evaluating the quality of that exposure. Viant's supply quality scoring, verified by Jounce Media, gives advertisers a clearer view of where their media dollars go and how that inventory performs.

"Every direct connection between an advertiser and a publisher strengthens the signal quality that drives the entire performance flywheel," said Richie Hyden, SVP, Supply & CTV, Viant Technology. "By extending Direct Access to support deals, we're closing the gap for how advertisers actually transact CTV, via deals. Publishers receive increased yield from their direct buys, advertisers see an increase in working media and delivered outcomes, and that shared value is exactly what Viant Publisher Solutions was built to create."

The Direct Access expansion is the second in a series of announcements from Viant tied to its Publisher Solutions program. Viant Publisher Solutions is available to Viant's partners now at no cost. For more information, visit viantinc.com/solutions/publisher.

About Viant

Viant Technology (NASDAQ: DSP) is an exclusively buy-side, AI-powered advertising platform purpose-built for CTV. Viant uniquely combines proprietary content intelligence, household-level identity resolution, and person-level attention signals to connect advertisers with real customers and drive measurable outcomes across the open internet. Through its award-winning AI solutions, Viant is building the future of autonomous advertising, where AI doesn't just assist the campaign, it delivers real results. Learn more at viantinc.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260924512386/en/

Media Contact:
Marielle Lyon
press@viantinc.com

Source: Viant Technology Inc.

Key Terms

supply path optimization technical

Supply path optimization is the process of reviewing and simplifying the chain of middlemen between a buyer and a supplier so goods, services or ad inventory flow through fewer, clearer steps. For investors it matters because a shorter, more transparent path can lower costs, reduce fraud or compliance risk, and improve margins and reliability—similar to buying directly from a farmer instead of through several distributors.

programmatic guaranteed technical

Programmatic guaranteed is a digital advertising sales method where a publisher and an advertiser agree in advance to buy and sell a specific amount of ad inventory at an agreed price, but the transaction is executed automatically through software rather than by manual paperwork. Think of it like reserving seats for an event online: the seats, price, and quantity are locked in, but the booking and delivery happen through an automated system. For investors, it matters because it creates predictable, contracted revenue and can reduce selling costs while preserving automated reporting and targeting.

private marketplace technical

A private marketplace is a trading venue where ownership stakes, loans or securities are bought and sold directly between accredited investors, companies and intermediaries rather than on public stock exchanges. Think of it like a private farmers’ market: fewer sellers and buyers, less public pricing information, and transactions tailored to specific needs. For investors, private marketplaces matter because they can offer access to deals, potential higher returns or discounts, but with less liquidity and more uncertainty about value.