Set up Open Bidding Direct Pay (Beta)

Only available in Google Ad Manager 360.

Publishers can accept updated billing and payment terms starting August 13, 2026. The media fee applies on the first day of the month following acceptance. The hard transition to net-bidding auction mechanics will be completed by November 1, 2026.

With Open Bidding Direct Pay, publishers can choose to receive payment directly from sell-side platforms (SSPs) participating in Open Bidding. 

Open Bidding Direct Pay is a transaction type that lets publishers control how they receive payment for inventory sold through third-party SSPs in Open Bidding. With direct payments, the publisher inventory is represented as PUBLISHER in the SSP’s sellers.json file, as opposed to the current representation of INTERMEDIARY when sold through Open Bidding. 

SSPs that become direct payers will need to update their inventory classification in the sellers.json file to indicate the change to a direct relationship and comply with the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and SupplyChain object specifications.

Open Bidding Direct Pay is available for Ad Manager 360 publishers and participating Open Bidding SSP buyers.

Jump to a section of the article:

• Billing and payment
• How it works
• Step 1: Enable Direct Pay for your network
• Step 2: Enable Direct Pay for an Open Bidding partner
• SSP bidders available for Open Bidding Direct Pay
• Third-party deals with Open Bidding Direct Pay
• FAQ

Billing and payment

To understand billing and payment, review the following details:

• Direct payment: Publishers are paid directly by the SSP. Payment terms are governed by a direct contract between the publisher and the participating SSP.
• %-media fee: Google bills the publisher a %-media fee for all Open Bidding Direct Pay impressions.
• Net bids: Bids compete on a net basis to ensure the highest yield for the publisher (commencing no later than November 1, 2026).
• Transparency: This shift aligns Open Bidding Direct Pay with standard Open Bidding mechanics and SPO transparency requirements.
• Fees: The %-media fee is billed monthly with your ad serving invoice.

How it works

1. A publisher enables the direct payments option for SSPs.
2. The publisher sends a request to the SSP, asking to change the payment relationship to direct payments.
   In addition to the UI request, it is strongly advised that publishers coordinate offline with the SSP when requesting a direct pay relationship.
3. The SSP receives the request in their bidder UI and either approves or declines the request. 
   • If the SSP approves the request, the relationship immediately switches to direct payments, which includes billing changes.
   • If the SSP declines the request, the existing Open Bidding relationship continues uninterrupted.
4. Google indicates to the SSP (via dedicated bit in OpenRTB and change in the SupplyChain object) on the bid request the nature of the relationship. Since the publisher is paid directly by the SSP, Google does not collect or disburse the bid amount. The publisher assumes full responsibility for collecting payment directly from the SSP for any impressions served under the arrangement.
5. Google facilitates the auction using net-bidding mechanics (completed by November 1, 2026). Google doesn’t act as a clearinghouse and isn’t involved in the transfer of media funds. The publisher assumes full responsibility for collecting gross payments directly from the SSP. Google bills publishers a %-media fee in addition to applicable rate card ad serving fees on the monthly invoice.

Note: Either party can revert to Google payment at any time with immediate effect.

Step 1: Enable Direct Pay for your network

You only need to perform this step once. Enabling Open Bidding Direct Pay at the network level requires the Administrator or Legal manager user role, or the "Sign and accept contracts" permission.

1. Sign in to Google Ad Manager.
2. Click Admin and then Advanced features.
3. Under "Feature," locate "Open Bidding direct pay."
   You can review associated costs for the feature under "Costs."
4. Starting August 13, 2026, administrators must review and accept the updated terms and conditions regarding the %-media fee.
5. Under "Status," turn the switch on . 
6. Review and accept the terms to prevent the automatic reversion of connections to standard Open Bidding on October 1, 2026.

Step 2: Enable Direct Pay for an Open Bidding partner

After enabling Direct Pay in Advanced features, you can begin enabling Direct Pay for individual Open Bidding partners. When you enable Direct Pay for a partner, a request is sent to change to a direct payment relationship, which they can accept or reject. Direct Pay is only enabled for partners that accept your request. 

Note: Before you can start using direct payments, a regular Open Bidding relationship must be in place. 

To enable direct payments for an Open Bidding partner:

1. Sign in to Google Ad Manager.
2. Click Delivery, then Bidders, and then Go to Open Bidding.
3. Click a bidder’s name.
4. Under "Payment options:"
   1. If Direct Pay terms haven't been signed, click View terms to review and accept the terms. 
   2. Next to "Enable Direct Pay," turn the switch on .

Until the partner takes action, the status shows as "Pending." If your partner accepts the request, the status switches to "Enabled." If your partner rejects the request, the status shows "Rejected."

To revert to Google payments for your relationship with the partner, turn off the switch for Direct Pay. 

SSP bidders available for Open Bidding Direct Pay

To ensure smooth payments and reporting, publishers should consult their paying SSP about any preferred switching timeframe to direct payments before making the change. This allows both parties to coordinate a mutually agreeable schedule and understand payment terms and arrangements.

Bidder	Website & contact	SSP instructions & recommendations
Adagio	https://adagio.io [e-mail]	Once you add Adagio as a Direct Pay bidder in Google Ad Manager, Adagio accepts or rejects your connection request within days. Email [e-mail] to request a verification or follow-up on your activation status. Learn more about Adagio Direct Pay..
Bidease	https://bidease.com/ [e-mail]	Please contact [e-mail] or your dedicated Bidease account manager before enabling or disabling Direct Pay. The following prerequisites must be met prior to activation: An active Open Bidding connection with Bidease is in place. A valid supply agreement is signed, or the existing agreement has been amended to cover Open Bidding Direct Pay. Your app-ads.txt file includes the Bidease entries provided by your account manager. The switch to Direct Pay requires one week of advance notice and a prior written confirmation from both parties acknowledging the change. This ensures that Bidease, the publisher, and all relevant internal teams are aligned on the new payment relationship before it takes effect. The same notice period and written confirmation apply when reverting from Direct Pay back to Google payments.
Criteo	https://www.criteo.com/ [e-mail]	Please reach out to your Criteo representative or email [e-mail] discuss the following onboarding requirements: A signed agreement with Criteo. A DIRECT Criteo entry in your ads.txt or app-ads.txt file. Completion of the required internal operational setup within Criteo's platform. Note: we are currently in a testing phase for Direct Pay. We recommend consulting your Criteo contact before enabling or disabling the feature to avoid any unexpected issues.
Equativ	https://equativ.com/ [e-mail]	Reach out to [e-mail] or your usual point of contact at Equativ to discuss this further and review the following prerequisites: Active Open Bidding connection with Equativ (formerly Smart Adserver) Signed RTB contract agreement with Equativ DIRECT line for Equativ in your ads/app-ads.txt file
Index Exchange	https://www.indexexchange.com/ [e-mail]	Reach out to your Index Exchange account representative before activating Direct Pay to ensure the appropriate contract amendment is in place and to align on activation timelines. Direct Pay can be enabled at any time. However, it’s important to notify your Index Exchange representative in advance, as the change requires internal processing that may take up to one week. Coordinating in advance helps ensure a seamless transition. We are currently in the testing phase of the Direct Pay functionality. To help ensure a smooth experience and avoid any unexpected issues, we kindly ask that you consult your Index account representative before enabling or disabling Direct Pay.
Magnite DV+	https://www.magnite.com/ [e-mail]	-
Magnite Streaming	https://www.magnite.com/ [e-mail]	Reach out to your Magnite account team to coordinate changes and align on timing.
Media.net	https://www.media.net/ [e-mail]	Publishers should connect with their designated Media.net representatives prior to activating Direct Pay. This will help facilitate operational setup, align on timelines, and ensure contractual clarity.
Ogury	ogury.com [e-mail]	Publishers should contact their dedicated Ogury account representative to ensure proper change coordination and timing alignment for the switch to Direct Pay.
OneTag	https://www.onetag.com/ [e-mail]	Initiate contact with OneTag: Either reach out to your Account Manager (AM) directly or email [e-mail]. Review your service agreement: Confirm with your AM whether a service agreement is already in place or if one needs to be established. Await approval from OneTag: After that, your Onetag AM will guide you through the next steps and support you throughout the account creation on Onetag platform and onboarding process.
OpenX	https://www.openx.com/ [e-mail]	Prior to activating Open Bidding Direct Pay, please reach out to your AM and/or BD contacts in order to ensure that it is covered by your existing supply agreement. Additionally, there are steps that OpenX will need to take to update your integration's mapping before we can begin monetizing via Direct Pay. Please work with your account team to ensure everything is set up prior to activation.
Pubmatic	https://pubmatic.com/ [e-mail]	We recommend providing 1-week notice to the Pubmatic Account Manager (and the Ad Manager account team) and changing on the 1st of the following month.
Tappx	[e-mail]	Contact your account team - Reach out to your dedicated Account Manager or Business Development contact prior to initiating the activation in Google Ad Manager. If you do not have a dedicated contact, email [e-mail] to begin the process. This allows our teams to coordinate the transition and align on setup timelines. Review your supply agreement - Ensure that your existing commercial agreement with us covers direct payments and Open Bidding Direct Pay operations. If needed, your account team will assist in executing any necessary contract amendments. Integration & mapping setup - Our technical team will update your integration mapping and account configurations to prepare your account for direct buyer payments. Request activation in Google Ad Manager - Once confirmed by your account team, submit the Direct Pay request within Google Ad Manager. Upon approval, monetization with Tappx under the Direct Pay structure will begin.
Triplelift	https://triplelift.com [e-mail]	Contact your TripleLift account representative before activating Direct Pay to confirm the necessary paperwork and agree on activation timing. Providing advance notice is important, as internal processing may take up to one week. Co-ordinating with your representative will help ensure a seamless transition.
YieldMo	https://yieldmo.com/ [e-mail]	Instructions for setting up a Direct Pay connection with Yieldmo: Initiate Contact: The publisher must reach out to Yieldmo to begin coordination of the new Direct Pay connection. Review of Service Agreement: If the publisher is not currently partnered with Yieldmo outside of Open Bidding, an updated or new service agreement may be required. Approval Process: Note that all new Direct Pay connections are subject to Yieldmo approval.

Third-party deals with Open Bidding Direct Pay

Publishers can allow their Open Bidding partners to submit bids specific to deals. By enabling deals in Open Bidding, bids containing deal IDs automatically compete with higher priority than other Open Auction bids.

Publishers can activate third-party deals through Open Bidding on a per-SSP basis. When a direct payment relationship is established between the publisher and a supported SSP, Google still only bills the publisher the same contracted %-media fee for impressions sold through Open Bidding Direct Pay, whether or not the bid competes at Open Auction or at Preferred Deal and Private Auction priority.

When you enable deals in Open Bidding for a specific SSP, we recommend you let them know in order to ensure they are set up to send bid responses with the relevant deal IDs from their side.

The currently supported list of SSPs for deals in Open Bidding includes:

• Equativ
• IndexExchange
• Magnite DV+
• Magnite Streaming
• Media.net
• MobileFuse
• Ogury
• OneTag
• OpenX
• Pubmatic
• Sonobi
• Triplelift

To get started, learn more about third-party deals in Open Bidding.

FAQ

What is the %-media fee?

This is a technical service fee that replaced the beta period flat CPM fee. It is billed as a line item on your monthly Google Ad Manager ad serving invoice.

What is the transition timeline?

Terms must be accepted by October 1, 2026. Connections that have not accepted the new terms by this date will automatically revert to standard Open Bidding.

Can I use both revenue share and direct payments with a selected SSP?

No. All bid requests between a specific publisher and SSP will follow the same payment structure—either standard Open Bidding with revenue share or Open Bidding Direct Pay with %-media fee. Due to the dependency on the inventory classification included in the buyer’s sellers.json file, there's no option for a hybrid model where some transactions are revenue share and others are direct payments.