Google Display & Video 360 (DV360): how it works, how it is billed, and alternatives

DV360 is the tool Google sells to agencies and large advertisers who want to run trading themselves. Google describes DV360 as "five integrated modules": Campaigns, Audiences, Creatives, Inventory and Insights (DV360 Help).

YouTube buying is built in. Reservation buys, Masthead placements and Demand Gen line items all sit in the same seat as open-exchange display and CTV. In 2026 Google added Walmart Connect audiences and closed-loop sales measurement, starting with YouTube campaigns (Google, 11 June 2026). See the Walmart Connect profile for the retailer side.

Google also builds AI into the workflow. Ask Advisor is a chat assistant inside DV360 that explains creative rejections, finds why a line item is not spending, pulls reports and checks campaign setup (DV360 Help, accessed 9 November 2026). Google warns that it "may not generate responses that are accurate or relevant", so users must check its suggestions.

Accounts follow a fixed hierarchy: partner, advertiser, campaign, insertion order and line item. Google is simplifying that tree. From the first quarter of 2026, targeting and inventory source settings can only be applied at partner and line-item level (DV360 announcements).

Inventory comes in three forms. Marketplace and guaranteed deals cover direct and programmatic guaranteed buys. Non-guaranteed buys run through Google's own exchange and a list of supported third-party exchanges. Google's product page says buyers can "bid on or exclude impressions from dozens of third-party exchanges" (Google product page).

Bidding is automated, with custom bidding scripts for buyers who want their own logic. A Q3 2026 notice says advertisers will soon be able to use Adelaide's attention unit as a custom bidding signal (DV360 announcements). Audiences mix first-party lists, Google data, third-party data and commerce audiences from retailers.

Several changes this year affect day-to-day trading:

Google does not publish DV360 rates, but its billing help page lists every line that can appear on an invoice (DV360 Help, accessed 9 November 2026):

Admins can see their contract rates under Partner settings, in the "Display & Video 360 Fee" section. Google split the old "Other Fees" line into add-on and third-party fees on invoices issued from October 2024 (same source). Invoices arrive monthly; Google takes wire, check or bank transfer, and "invoices can't be paid by credit card" (DV360 Help).

Data is a separate cost. Google puts third-party list fees at "$0.50 to more than $2 CPM" (DV360 Help, accessed 9 November 2026). Commerce audiences are charged "as a percent of media cost", sometimes with a CPM cap (DV360 Help). The only public estimate of the platform fee is old: the UK CMA put the DV360 take rate at 5% to 15% plus third-party fees, using 2019 data (CMA, Appendix R, 1 July 2020). Each line is unpacked in DV360 fees explained, and the comparison with other DSPs is in DSP pricing explained.

Strengths

• YouTube and open web in one seat. Reservation, Demand Gen and exchange buying share reporting and frequency controls.
• Clear invoice structure. Google documents each fee type and shows the contract rates inside the tool (DV360 Help).
• Retail data inside Google's stack. Walmart Connect audiences and commerce audiences reach YouTube without a second DSP.
• Measurement close at hand. Campaign Manager 360 and Analytics 360 connect natively (Google product page), and Google Ads Data Hub offers a clean room for deeper analysis.

Limits

• No public rates or self-sign-up. New accounts start with a call to Google's sales team, and the fee is whatever the contract says.
• Regulatory questions over self-preferencing. On 5 September 2025 the European Commission found Google dominant in ad buying tools through Google Ads and DV360, and said both "primarily directed bids to AdX" (PPC Land, 5 September 2025). Google appealed in November 2025 (Alphabet 10-Q, Q3 2026).
• Some inventory moves out of the seat. US advertisers must now book YouTube audio ads directly through SiriusXM Media (DV360 announcements).
• Frequent workflow changes. Line-item types, targeting levels and brand-safety screens all changed within 2026, so traders need to track the announcements page.

• Any current DV360 platform-fee rate. Google publishes the structure but not the percentage, and the CMA range uses 2019 data.
• The prices of the Advanced Creative, Seller ID Blocklist and App Mediation Partners add-on fees.
• A minimum spend or minimum contract term for a direct DV360 contract.
• The current number of supported third-party exchanges, and the OpenRTB version the bidder uses.

1. Google, Display & Video 360 Help, "Fees and billable cost" (accessed 9 November 2026). https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/16272705?hl=en
2. Google, Display & Video 360 Help, "How Display & Video 360 billing works" (accessed 9 November 2026). https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/14985229?hl=en
3. Google, Display & Video 360 Help, "Display & Video 360 overview" (accessed 9 November 2026). https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/9059464?hl=en
4. Google, Display & Video 360 Help, "Ask Advisor in Display & Video 360" (accessed 9 November 2026). https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/17122188?hl=en
5. Google, "Display & Video 360 announcements" (last updated 16 October 2026). https://support.google.com/displayvideo/announcements/9210754?hl=en
6. Google, Display & Video 360 Help, "Tips for using third-party audience lists" (accessed 9 November 2026). https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/6212219?hl=en
7. Google, Display & Video 360 Help, "About commerce audiences" (accessed 9 November 2026). https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/16640028?hl=en
8. Google, "Introducing Google Marketing Platform" (27 June 2018). https://blog.google/products/marketingplatform/360/introducing-google-marketing-platform/
9. Google, "Google Display & Video 360 and Walmart Connect team up" (11 June 2026). https://blog.google/products/marketingplatform/360/walmart-connect/
10. Google Marketing Platform, Display & Video 360 product page (accessed 9 November 2026). https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/display-video-360/