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Meaning & use

RTB

abbreviation·Advancedcomputingbusiness

Last updated

UK/ˌɑː tiː ˈbiː/
US/ˌɑːr tiː ˈbiː/

Meanings

  1. abbreviationcomputingbusiness

    Real-time bidding: a way of selling online ad space where advertisers bid automatically for each ad view as a page loads.

    Grammar: Used like a noun: talk about RTB, or use it before another noun as in 'RTB auction'.

    Patterns

    • RTB auction
    • RTB platform
    • use RTB for something

    The publisher switched to RTB and now sells most of its ad space automatically.

    In an RTB auction, bids are sent and answered in the few milliseconds before a page appears.

    Her job is to explain RTB to clients who still buy ads the old way.

  2. abbreviationmilitary

    Return to base: used in radio messages, especially by military or emergency crews, to tell someone to come back.

    Grammar: Usually stands alone as an instruction, often written on its own: 'RTB.'

    Patterns

    • RTB, over
    • order someone to RTB

    The pilot radioed 'RTB' after the fuel warning light came on.

    Command told the crew to RTB before the storm reached the coast.

Common combinations

RTB auction
The team built a small RTB auction to test how fast bids arrive.
RTB platform
Smaller sites often rent an RTB platform instead of building one.
RTB inventory
Unsold RTB inventory can still earn money through other ad networks.
return to base
The controller's last words were 'return to base'.

Synonyms and how they differ

programmatic advertising
A broader term for automated ad buying; RTB is one method within it, so use the wider term when the bidding is not necessarily per impression.
real-time bidding
The full form of RTB; spell it out in formal writing or when your reader may not know the abbreviation.

Word family

real-time bidding noun
The full phrase that RTB stands for.

Commonly confused: RTB or RFP? RTB or ROI?

RTB vs RFP

An RFP is a 'request for proposal', a document asking suppliers to bid for a contract; RTB is about automatic ad auctions, not contracts.

RTB vs ROI

ROI means 'return on investment', a measure of profit; it sounds similar in business talk but has nothing to do with bidding.

Practice

A website wants to sell each ad impression to the highest bidder in the moment the page loads. Which term fits best?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “RTB”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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