The landlord. Partners move their code into the host's building, follow the host's rules, and get only the data the host chooses to share. Holding the keys is a big deal. Expect every major SSP and DSP to want this role.
Ad tech glossary
Host Platform
Technical definition
In ARTF, the SSP, DSP or exchange that runs third-party agent containers inside its own infrastructure, calls them during the auction and decides which proposed changes to apply.
The ADLINGO translation
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Related terms
- A2A (Agent2Agent Protocol)
- AAMP (Agentic Advertising Management Protocols)
- adagents.json
- AdCP (Ad Context Protocol)
- Agent Manifest
- Agentic Advertising
- Agentic Audiences
- Agentic Commerce
- Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)
- Agentic Marketplace
- AgenticAdvertising.org
- Answer-Based Ads
Where this shows up
AI: What we owe the team
I'm clocking two kinds of advertising executives right now: Ones who treat AI like a procurement decision, and the ones treating it like a leadership test. One buys tools. The other builds teams that know how to use them.
The skills that survive
You cannot automate a decade of being trustworthy. You can't prompt your way to someone wanting to work with you for the next year.
The RFP Oracle
The ad tech sales season is wrapping up for 2026. AI dominated everything the market responded to this year, and it was the most predictable trend ever. All we had to do was pay attention to what the agencies were asking.