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    Header Bidding

    Header Bidding

    programmatic

    A programmatic technique where publishers offer inventory to multiple SSPs and exchanges simultaneously before calling their ad server — increasing yield and competition.

    What is header bidding?

    Header bidding (also called advance bidding or pre-bidding) lets publishers solicit bids from multiple demand sources in parallel before the ad server makes its decision. It replaced the inefficient waterfall model where exchanges were called sequentially.

    Implementation

    • Client-side: Prebid.js running in the browser
    • Server-side: Prebid Server, Amazon TAM — lower latency, better cookie matching
    • Hybrid: combined client + server-side wrappers

    Header bidding typically lifts publisher CPMs 10–40% by ensuring every impression is competitively priced. C Wire integrates as a demand source through Prebid and direct SSP integrations.