Collections and installments

AdCP collections and installments — model podcast, CTV, and streaming content as dimensions on media products. Enables collection-level targeting and installment-specific ad placement.

A product describes inventory along three independent axes:

• Publisher properties — WHERE the ad runs (youtube.com, spotify.com)
• Collections / installments — WHAT CONTENT the ad runs in or around (a specific series and its installments)
• Placements — WHAT POSITION the ad appears in (pre-roll, mid-roll, host read)

Collections and placements are parallel dimensions, not hierarchical. “Pre-roll” is a position. “Pinnacle Challenge” is content. A product combines them: “pre-roll on Pinnacle Challenge on Acme Streaming.”

Channel mapping

The collection/installment model maps to familiar concepts across media channels:

Channel	Collection =	Installment =	Example
Podcast	Program	Episode	”Serial” → “Chapter 1”
Linear TV / CTV	Series	Episode / Airing	”Monday Night Football” → “Week 12”
Print / Magazine	Publication	Issue	”Vogue Germany” → “May 2026”
Newsletter	Publication	Edition	”Money Stuff” → “Tuesday March 24”
YouTube / Social	Series	Video / Post	”Hot Ones” → “Gordon Ramsay”
DOOH	Network / Loop	Rotation	”Times Square Loop” → “March Rotation”
Influencer	Campaign	Post / Drop	”Spring Collection” → “Launch Post”
Cinema	Run	Screening	”Summer Blockbuster Run” → “Opening Weekend”
Radio	Program	Broadcast	”Morning Drive” → “March 24 Broadcast”

The kind field on each collection indicates how to interpret it and its installments.

The collection object

A collection is a persistent content program that produces installments over time. Collections work like properties — publishers declare them in their adagents.json, and products reference them via collections selectors with publisher_domain and collection_ids.

Field	Type	Required	Description
collection_id	string	Yes	Publisher-assigned identifier. Declared in the publisher’s adagents.json. Products reference collections via collections selectors. Use distribution identifiers for cross-seller matching.
kind	string	No	What kind of content program: series (TV/podcast), publication (print issues), event_series (live events), rotation (DOOH). Defaults to series.
name	string	Yes	Human-readable collection name
description	string	No	What the collection is about
genre	string[]	No	Genre tags. When genre_taxonomy is present, values are taxonomy IDs (e.g., IAB Content Taxonomy 3.0). Otherwise free-form.
genre_taxonomy	string	No	Taxonomy system for genre values (e.g., iab_content_3.0). Recommended for machine-readable brand safety.
language	string	No	Primary language (BCP 47)
content_rating	object	No	Baseline rating: system + rating. Systems: tv_parental, mpaa, podcast, esrb, bbfc, fsk, acb, custom. Episodes can override.
cadence	string	No	daily, weekly, seasonal, event, irregular
season	string	No	Current or most recent season identifier (e.g., "3", "2026")
status	string	No	active, hiatus, ended, upcoming
production_quality	string	No	professional, prosumer, ugc. Seller-declared. Maps to OpenRTB content.prodq.
talent	array	No	Hosts, recurring cast, creators. Each entry has role, name, and optional brand_url linking to brand.json.
special	object	No	When present, this collection is a special — content anchored to a real-world event or occasion. See specials and limited series.
limited_series	object	No	When present, this collection is a limited series — a bounded run with a defined arc and end date. See specials and limited series.
distribution	array	No	Where this collection is distributed, with platform-specific identifiers per publisher.
deadline_policy	object	No	Default deadline rules for installments. Agents compute absolute deadlines from scheduled_at minus lead_days. Episodes with explicit deadlines override. See deadline policy.
related_collections	array	No	Relationships to other collections: spinoff, companion, sequel, prequel, crossover. Each entry has collection_id + relationship. References are scoped to the same publisher’s adagents.json. Symmetric types (companion, crossover) do not require both collections to declare.

{
  "$schema": "https://adcontextprotocol.org/schemas/latest/core/collection.json",
  "collection_id": "pinnacle_challenge",
  "name": "The Pinnacle Challenge",
  "description": "Competition reality collection with extreme physical and mental challenges",
  "genre": ["IAB1", "IAB1-6"],
  "genre_taxonomy": "iab_content_3.0",
  "language": "en",
  "content_rating": {
    "system": "tv_parental",
    "rating": "TV-PG"
  },
  "cadence": "weekly",
  "season": "1",
  "status": "active",
  "production_quality": "professional",
  "talent": [
    {
      "role": "host",
      "name": "Jordan Vega",
      "brand_url": "https://jordanvega.example.com/brand.json"
    }
  ],
  "distribution": [
    {
      "publisher_domain": "youtube.com",
      "identifiers": [
        { "type": "youtube_channel_id", "value": "UCexample123456" }
      ]
    },
    {
      "publisher_domain": "acmestreaming.example.com",
      "identifiers": [
        { "type": "imdb_id", "value": "tt9876543" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

The installment object

An installment is a specific installment of a collection. Not all installments will be known in advance — a weekly podcast may only have next week’s installment scheduled, and some installments may be tentative (a playoff Game 7 depends on Game 6).

Field	Type	Required	Description
installment_id	string	Yes	Unique identifier within the collection
collection_id	string	When needed	Parent collection. Required when the product spans multiple collections.
name	string	No	Episode title
season	string	No	Season identifier (e.g., "1", "2026")
installment_number	string	No	Episode number within the season
scheduled_at	datetime	No	When the installment airs or publishes
status	string	No	scheduled, tentative, live, postponed, cancelled, aired, published
duration_seconds	integer	No	Expected duration
flexible_end	boolean	No	Whether end time is approximate (live events)
valid_until	datetime	No	When this data expires. Agents should re-query before committing budget to tentative installments.
content_rating	object	No	Overrides the collection’s baseline when present
topics	string[]	No	Installment-level content topics for brand safety. Uses collection’s genre_taxonomy when present.
special	object	No	Installment-specific event context. When present, this installment is anchored to a real-world event. Overrides the collection-level special.
guest_talent	array	No	Installment-specific guests. Additive to the collection’s recurring talent.
ad_inventory	object	No	Break-based ad inventory configuration
deadlines	object	No	Booking, cancellation, and material submission deadlines for this installment. See installment deadlines.
derivative_of	object	No	When this installment is a clip, highlight, or recap derived from a full installment. Has installment_id + type (clip, highlight, recap, trailer, bonus). Source installment_id must be in the same response.

Episode status lifecycle

Status	Meaning
scheduled	Confirmed, will happen
tentative	May not happen (depends on external conditions)
live	Currently airing or streaming right now
postponed	Was scheduled but delayed to a future date
cancelled	Will not happen
aired	Already broadcast — for back-catalog and replay inventory
published	Already released — for on-demand catch-up inventory

Expected transitions: scheduled or tentative → live → aired or published. A scheduled installment may become postponed (delayed) or cancelled. A postponed installment returns to scheduled when rescheduled. A tentative installment resolves to scheduled, cancelled, or postponed.

Inheritance from collections

Episodes inherit collection-level fields they do not override:

• content_rating: Episode value overrides collection baseline. When absent, the collection’s rating applies.
• special: Episode value overrides collection-level special. When absent, the collection’s special applies. A regular collection can have event-anchored installments (e.g., a daily news collection with an election night special).
• guest_talent: Additive to the collection’s recurring talent — does not replace it.
• topics: Additive context for brand safety, not a replacement for the collection’s genre.

Buyer agents evaluate both levels: the collection baseline provides the default safety profile, and installment fields refine it for specific installments.

{
  "$schema": "https://adcontextprotocol.org/schemas/latest/core/installment.json",
  "installment_id": "s1e03_the_wall",
  "collection_id": "pinnacle_challenge",
  "name": "The Wall",
  "season": "1",
  "installment_number": "3",
  "scheduled_at": "2026-04-07T20:00:00Z",
  "status": "scheduled",
  "duration_seconds": 3600,
  "valid_until": "2026-04-06T20:00:00Z",
  "content_rating": {
    "system": "tv_parental",
    "rating": "TV-14"
  },
  "topics": ["IAB17-18"],
  "guest_talent": [
    {
      "role": "guest",
      "name": "Samira Okafor",
      "brand_url": "https://samiraokafor.example.com/brand.json"
    }
  ],
  "ad_inventory": {
    "expected_breaks": 4,
    "total_ad_seconds": 480,
    "max_ad_duration_seconds": 120,
    "unplanned_breaks": false,
    "supported_formats": ["video", "audio"]
  }
}

Installment deadlines

Episodes can carry booking, cancellation, and material submission deadlines. These apply to any channel where inventory is tied to a scheduled unit — print issues, podcast installments, influencer posts, linear TV airings, DOOH rotations.

Field	Type	Description
booking_deadline	datetime	Last date/time to book a placement in this installment
cancellation_deadline	datetime	Last date/time to cancel without penalty
material_deadlines	array	Ordered stages for creative material submission

Deadlines MUST be chronologically ordered: booking_deadline ≤ cancellation_deadline ≤ each material_deadlines[n].due_at (ascending by array index) ≤ the installment’s scheduled_at. Buyer agents SHOULD reject installments where deadlines violate this ordering.

Each material deadline has:

Field	Type	Required	Description
stage	string	Yes	Stage identifier (draft, final, or seller-defined)
due_at	datetime	Yes	When materials for this stage are due
label	string	No	What the seller needs (e.g., “Talking points”, “Press-ready PDF with bleed”)

The two-stage pattern — draft then final — covers a wide range of channels:

Channel	Draft stage	Final stage
Print	Raw artwork for review	Press-ready PDF with bleed
Podcast (host read)	Talking points and brief	Approved script
Influencer	Brand guidelines and key messages	Approved post content
Linear TV	Rough cut	Encoded broadcast spot
DOOH	Draft creative for review	Final assets per screen specs

Podcast with deadlines

{
  "installment_id": "ep47",
  "name": "The future of autonomous supply chains",
  "scheduled_at": "2026-04-07T10:00:00Z",
  "status": "scheduled",
  "guest_talent": [
    { "role": "guest", "name": "Kai Tanaka" }
  ],
  "deadlines": {
    "booking_deadline": "2026-03-28T17:00:00Z",
    "cancellation_deadline": "2026-03-31T17:00:00Z",
    "material_deadlines": [
      {
        "stage": "draft",
        "due_at": "2026-04-01T17:00:00Z",
        "label": "Talking points and brand guidelines for host read"
      },
      {
        "stage": "final",
        "due_at": "2026-04-04T17:00:00Z",
        "label": "Approved script"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Print issue with deadlines

{
  "installment_id": "2026-05",
  "name": "Mai 2026",
  "season": "2026",
  "installment_number": "5",
  "scheduled_at": "2026-05-01T00:00:00+02:00",
  "status": "scheduled",
  "deadlines": {
    "booking_deadline": "2026-03-15T17:00:00+01:00",
    "cancellation_deadline": "2026-03-22T17:00:00+01:00",
    "material_deadlines": [
      {
        "stage": "draft",
        "due_at": "2026-03-29T17:00:00+01:00",
        "label": "Raw artwork for review and color proofing"
      },
      {
        "stage": "final",
        "due_at": "2026-04-05T17:00:00+02:00",
        "label": "Press-ready PDF/X-4, CMYK, 300 DPI, 3mm bleed"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Influencer post with deadlines

{
  "installment_id": "post_2026_04_10",
  "name": "Spring campaign post",
  "scheduled_at": "2026-04-10T12:00:00Z",
  "status": "scheduled",
  "deadlines": {
    "cancellation_deadline": "2026-04-03T17:00:00Z",
    "material_deadlines": [
      {
        "stage": "draft",
        "due_at": "2026-04-05T17:00:00Z",
        "label": "Key messages, product images, and brand guidelines"
      },
      {
        "stage": "final",
        "due_at": "2026-04-08T17:00:00Z",
        "label": "Approved post content and caption"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Deadlines are optional. Run-of-collection digital products typically omit them. The pattern is most valuable for guaranteed inventory with advance material requirements.

Deadline policy

High-frequency collections (daily newspapers, weekly podcasts) would generate large payloads if every installment carried explicit deadlines. The deadline_policy on a collection declares lead-time rules that agents use to compute deadlines from each installment’s scheduled_at.

Field	Type	Description
booking_lead_days	integer	Days before scheduled_at by which the placement must be booked
cancellation_lead_days	integer	Days before scheduled_at by which cancellation is penalty-free
material_stages	array	Default material submission stages with stage, lead_days, and optional label
business_days_only	boolean	When true, lead_days counts Mon-Fri only. Defaults to false.

Daily newspaper with policy

Instead of enumerating deadlines for every issue, the collection declares the rule once:

{
  "collection_id": "bergedorfer_zeitung",
  "name": "Bergedorfer Zeitung",
  "kind": "publication",
  "cadence": "daily",
  "status": "active",
  "deadline_policy": {
    "booking_lead_days": 4,
    "cancellation_lead_days": 3,
    "material_stages": [
      { "stage": "final", "lead_days": 2, "label": "Druckfertige PDF" }
    ],
    "business_days_only": true
  }
}

For the April 1 issue (scheduled_at: "2026-04-01"), an agent computes:

• Booking deadline: 4 business days before = March 26
• Cancellation deadline: 3 business days before = March 27
• Material due: 2 business days before = March 28

Episodes with explicit deadlines override the policy. A special edition with tighter turnaround declares its own deadlines; regular issues inherit from the policy.

Weekly podcast with policy

{
  "collection_id": "wonderstruck_weekly",
  "name": "Wonderstruck Weekly",
  "kind": "series",
  "cadence": "weekly",
  "deadline_policy": {
    "booking_lead_days": 10,
    "cancellation_lead_days": 7,
    "material_stages": [
      { "stage": "draft", "lead_days": 5, "label": "Talking points and brand guidelines" },
      { "stage": "final", "lead_days": 3, "label": "Approved script for host read" }
    ]
  }
}

Policy vs explicit deadlines

Scenario	Use
Daily newspaper, consistent deadlines	deadline_policy on collection
Weekly podcast, consistent deadlines	deadline_policy on collection
Monthly magazine, varying lead times per issue	Explicit deadlines on each installment
One-off special with tight turnaround	Explicit deadlines on that installment, policy covers the rest

When both are present, explicit installment deadlines take precedence. An agent SHOULD NOT compute deadlines from the policy for installments that have their own.

Specials and limited series

Collections can carry optional annotations that signal their nature to buyer agents. These are composable — a collection can be both a special and a limited series (e.g., a 4-installment Olympics documentary).

Specials

A special is content anchored to a real-world event or occasion. The special object can appear on both collections and installments. On a collection, it means the entire collection is event-anchored. On an installment, it means that specific installment is event-anchored (and overrides the collection-level special when present, following the same inheritance pattern as content_rating).

Field	Type	Required	Description
name	string	Yes	Name of the event (e.g., “Olympics 2028”, “Super Bowl LXI”)
category	string	No	awards, championship, concert, conference, election, festival, gala, holiday, premiere, product_launch, reunion, tribute
starts	datetime	No	When the event starts
ends	datetime	No	When the event ends. Omit for single-day events.

{
  "$schema": "https://adcontextprotocol.org/schemas/latest/core/collection.json",
  "collection_id": "apex_finals_2026",
  "name": "Apex Championship Finals 2026",
  "genre": ["IAB17", "IAB17-12"],
  "genre_taxonomy": "iab_content_3.0",
  "cadence": "event",
  "status": "upcoming",
  "special": {
    "name": "Apex Championship Finals 2026",
    "category": "championship",
    "starts": "2026-05-18T19:00:00Z",
    "ends": "2026-05-25T23:00:00Z"
  },
  "talent": [
    { "role": "host", "name": "Deshawn Moreaux" }
  ]
}

The special field is distinct from cadence. Cadence describes release frequency (event = one-time or occasional). The special object describes what real-world event anchors the content and when it happens — information a buyer agent needs to evaluate timing relevance and premium pricing.

Limited series

A limited series is a bounded content run with a defined arc. Unlike ongoing series, limited series have a planned end.

Field	Type	Required	Description
total_installments	integer	No	Planned number of installments
starts	datetime	No	When the series begins
ends	datetime	No	When the series ends

{
  "$schema": "https://adcontextprotocol.org/schemas/latest/core/collection.json",
  "collection_id": "ember_s3",
  "name": "The Ember",
  "description": "Award-winning drama following a chef navigating the pressure of running a top restaurant",
  "genre": ["IAB1", "IAB1-7"],
  "genre_taxonomy": "iab_content_3.0",
  "cadence": "weekly",
  "status": "active",
  "limited_series": {
    "total_installments": 8,
    "starts": "2026-02-28T21:00:00Z",
    "ends": "2026-04-18T21:00:00Z"
  }
}

This tells buyer agents that The Ember is a finite opportunity — 8 installments over 7 weeks. The limited_series field is distinct from season: a collection can have seasons without being limited (ongoing series have seasons too), and a limited series is a structural commitment that the collection has a planned end.

How products reference collections

Products reference collections via collections — an array of {publisher_domain, collection_ids} selectors that point to collections declared in the publisher’s adagents.json. This is the same pattern as publisher_properties. Buyers resolve full collection objects from the publisher’s adagents.json. Episodes are listed per-product in the installments array, since different products may scope different installments of the same collection.

Run-of-collection (no specific installments)

A product can reference a collection without listing installments. This means “inventory across this collection, whatever installments air during the flight dates”:

{
  "product_id": "pinnacle_run_of_collection",
  "name": "Pinnacle Challenge Run of Show",
  "collections": [{ "publisher_domain": "acmestreaming.example.com", "collection_ids": ["pinnacle_challenge"] }],
  "placements": [
    { "placement_id": "pre_roll", "name": "Pre-roll" }
  ],
  "delivery_type": "non_guaranteed",
  "pricing_options": [
    { "pricing_option_id": "cpm", "pricing_model": "cpm", "floor_price": 25.00, "currency": "USD" }
  ]
}

Specific installments

For premium or guaranteed buys, the seller scopes to specific installments:

{
  "product_id": "pinnacle_finale",
  "name": "Pinnacle Challenge Season Finale Sponsorship",
  "collections": [{ "publisher_domain": "acmestreaming.example.com", "collection_ids": ["pinnacle_challenge"] }],
  "installments": [
    {
      "installment_id": "s1e10_finale",
      "name": "The Grand Finale",
      "scheduled_at": "2026-06-02T20:00:00Z",
      "status": "scheduled",
      "ad_inventory": {
        "expected_breaks": 6,
        "total_ad_seconds": 720,
        "unplanned_breaks": false
      }
    }
  ],
  "delivery_type": "guaranteed",
  "pricing_options": [
    { "pricing_option_id": "flat", "pricing_model": "flat_rate", "fixed_price": 2000000, "currency": "USD" }
  ]
}

get_products response structure

Products reference collections via collections selectors — the same pattern as publisher_properties. Each selector has a publisher_domain and collection_ids array pointing to collections declared in that publisher’s adagents.json. Buyers resolve full collection objects from adagents.json.

{
  "products": [
    {
      "product_id": "pinnacle_april_bundle",
      "name": "Pinnacle Challenge April Sponsorship",
      "collections": [{ "publisher_domain": "acmestreaming.example.com", "collection_ids": ["pinnacle_challenge"] }],
      "installments": [
        {
          "installment_id": "s1e03",
          "name": "The Wall",
          "scheduled_at": "2026-04-07T20:00:00Z",
          "status": "scheduled",
          "content_rating": { "system": "tv_parental", "rating": "TV-14" },
          "guest_talent": [{ "role": "guest", "name": "Samira Okafor" }],
          "valid_until": "2026-04-06T20:00:00Z"
        },
        {
          "installment_id": "s1e04",
          "name": "TBD",
          "scheduled_at": "2026-04-14T20:00:00Z",
          "status": "tentative",
          "valid_until": "2026-04-07T20:00:00Z"
        }
      ],
      "placements": [
        { "placement_id": "pre_roll", "name": "Pre-roll" },
        { "placement_id": "mid_roll", "name": "Mid-roll" }
      ],
      "delivery_type": "guaranteed",
      "pricing_options": [
        { "pricing_option_id": "flat", "pricing_model": "flat_rate", "fixed_price": 500000, "currency": "USD" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Canonical collection identity

A collection’s identity is {publisher_domain, collection_id} — scoped to the publisher that declares it in their adagents.json. This means any collection creator can serve as their own canonical registry.

Creator as canonical publisher

A creator like MrBeast declares collections in mrbeast.com/adagents.json. Any seller packaging that creator’s inventory — a YouTube sales house, a CTV distributor, the creator’s own team — references the same canonical source:

{
  "products": [
    {
      "product_id": "beast_games_youtube",
      "name": "Beast Games - YouTube Pre-roll",
      "collections": [
        { "publisher_domain": "mrbeast.com", "collection_ids": ["beast_games"] }
      ],
      "publisher_properties": [
        { "publisher_domain": "youtube.com", "property_ids": ["UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA"] }
      ],
      "delivery_type": "non_guaranteed",
      "pricing_options": [
        { "pricing_option_id": "cpm", "pricing_model": "cpm", "floor_price": 18.00, "currency": "USD" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

The buyer sees mrbeast.com + beast_games regardless of which seller or platform the inventory comes from. No cross-referencing of IMDb IDs or distribution identifiers needed — the creator’s domain is the registry.

When creators don’t publish adagents.json

Not every collection has a creator-owned domain. A streaming platform’s original series may only exist in that platform’s adagents.json. In that case, the platform is the canonical publisher and collections points to their domain. Distribution identifiers on the collection object handle cross-seller matching when the same collection appears on multiple platforms without a single canonical source.

Identity resolution priority

Buyer agents should resolve collection identity in this order:

1. Canonical publisher — publisher_domain + collection_id from the creator’s own adagents.json. Strongest signal.
2. Platform-independent identifiers — imdb_id, gracenote_id, eidr_id from the collection’s distribution array. Reliable cross-reference when no canonical publisher exists.
3. Platform-specific identifiers — Spotify, Apple, YouTube IDs. Useful within a platform but not universal.

Discovery examples

CTV collection with installments

A streaming platform selling sponsorships against a known collection with upcoming installments:

{
  "products": [
    {
      "product_id": "nova_kitchen_april",
      "name": "Nova Kitchen - April Episodes",
      "collections": [{ "publisher_domain": "novastreaming.example.com", "collection_ids": ["nova_kitchen"] }],
      "publisher_properties": [{
        "publisher_domain": "novastreaming.example.com",
        "selection_type": "all"
      }],
      "installments": [
        {
          "installment_id": "s3e09",
          "name": "Fire and Ice",
          "scheduled_at": "2026-04-05T21:00:00Z",
          "status": "scheduled",
          "duration_seconds": 2700,
          "ad_inventory": {
            "expected_breaks": 3,
            "total_ad_seconds": 360,
            "max_ad_duration_seconds": 30,
            "unplanned_breaks": false,
            "supported_formats": ["video"]
          }
        },
        {
          "installment_id": "s3e10",
          "scheduled_at": "2026-04-12T21:00:00Z",
          "status": "tentative",
          "valid_until": "2026-04-06T00:00:00Z"
        }
      ],
      "placements": [
        { "placement_id": "pre_roll", "name": "Pre-roll (15s)" },
        { "placement_id": "mid_roll", "name": "Mid-roll (30s)" }
      ],
      "delivery_type": "guaranteed",
      "pricing_options": [
        { "pricing_option_id": "cpm_fixed", "pricing_model": "cpm", "fixed_price": 38.00, "currency": "USD" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Related collections and derivative content

A streaming platform offering a main collection and its companion after-collection, plus highlight clips:

{
  "products": [
    {
      "product_id": "nova_highlights",
      "name": "Nova Kitchen Highlights Package",
      "collections": [{ "publisher_domain": "novastreaming.example.com", "collection_ids": ["nova_kitchen"] }],
      "installments": [
        {
          "installment_id": "s3e09",
          "name": "Fire and Ice",
          "status": "aired",
          "duration_seconds": 2700
        },
        {
          "installment_id": "s3e09_highlights",
          "name": "Fire and Ice - Best Moments",
          "status": "published",
          "duration_seconds": 180,
          "derivative_of": {
            "installment_id": "s3e09",
            "type": "highlight"
          }
        }
      ],
      "placements": [
        { "placement_id": "pre_roll", "name": "Pre-roll (15s)" }
      ],
      "delivery_type": "non_guaranteed",
      "pricing_options": [
        { "pricing_option_id": "cpm", "pricing_model": "cpm", "floor_price": 12.00, "currency": "USD" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

The highlight clip references its source installment via derivative_of. The companion after-collection is linked via related_collections on the main collection — buyers targeting Nova Kitchen can discover the after-collection as an additional reach opportunity.

Podcast with distribution

A podcast network selling across multiple distribution platforms. The collection’s distribution array in adagents.json captures the full distribution footprint; buyers use distribution identifiers for cross-seller matching:

{
  "products": [
    {
      "product_id": "wonderstruck_april",
      "name": "Wonderstruck Weekly - April Episodes",
      "collections": [{ "publisher_domain": "wonderstruck.example.com", "collection_ids": ["wonderstruck_weekly"] }],
      "installments": [
        {
          "installment_id": "ep47",
          "name": "The future of autonomous supply chains",
          "scheduled_at": "2026-04-07T10:00:00Z",
          "status": "scheduled",
          "guest_talent": [
            { "role": "guest", "name": "Kai Tanaka", "brand_url": "https://kaitanaka.example.com/brand.json" }
          ]
        },
        {
          "installment_id": "ep48",
          "scheduled_at": "2026-04-14T10:00:00Z",
          "status": "tentative"
        },
        {
          "installment_id": "ep49",
          "scheduled_at": "2026-04-21T10:00:00Z",
          "status": "tentative"
        }
      ],
      "placements": [
        { "placement_id": "pre_roll", "name": "Pre-roll (30s)" },
        { "placement_id": "mid_roll", "name": "Mid-roll host read (60s)" }
      ],
      "delivery_type": "guaranteed",
      "pricing_options": [
        { "pricing_option_id": "flat_monthly", "pricing_model": "flat_rate", "fixed_price": 15000, "currency": "USD" },
        { "pricing_option_id": "per_episode", "pricing_model": "flat_rate", "fixed_price": 5000, "currency": "USD" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Tentative installments (ep48, ep49) have no names or guest info — they have not been produced yet. The buyer evaluates based on the collection’s baseline profile and the known details of ep47.

Live event with tentative installments

A sports league selling sponsorships against a live event series. Live broadcasts use flexible_end because game duration is unpredictable, and unplanned_breaks because ad breaks follow game flow (timeouts, period breaks) rather than a fixed schedule. The tentative Game 5 depends on the series outcome — it only happens if neither team wins in four games.

{
  "products": [
    {
      "product_id": "apex_finals_sponsorship",
      "name": "Apex Championship Finals — Category Sponsorship",
      "collections": [{ "publisher_domain": "apexleague.example.com", "collection_ids": ["apex_championship_2026"] }],
      "installments": [
        {
          "installment_id": "finals_game4",
          "name": "Game 4: Titan City vs Coastal FC",
          "scheduled_at": "2026-05-18T19:00:00Z",
          "status": "scheduled",
          "flexible_end": true,
          "ad_inventory": {
            "expected_breaks": 8,
            "total_ad_seconds": 960,
            "max_ad_duration_seconds": 30,
            "unplanned_breaks": true,
            "supported_formats": ["video"]
          }
        },
        {
          "installment_id": "finals_game5",
          "name": "Game 5 — If necessary",
          "scheduled_at": "2026-05-21T19:00:00Z",
          "status": "tentative",
          "flexible_end": true,
          "valid_until": "2026-05-19T06:00:00Z",
          "ad_inventory": {
            "expected_breaks": 8,
            "total_ad_seconds": 960,
            "max_ad_duration_seconds": 30,
            "unplanned_breaks": true,
            "supported_formats": ["video"]
          }
        }
      ],
      "placements": [
        { "placement_id": "in_game_overlay", "name": "In-game overlay (10s)" },
        { "placement_id": "halftime", "name": "Halftime feature (60s)" }
      ],
      "delivery_type": "guaranteed",
      "exclusivity": "category",
      "pricing_options": [
        { "pricing_option_id": "per_game", "pricing_model": "flat_rate", "fixed_price": 750000, "currency": "USD" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

This pattern combines several features designed for live inventory: cadence: "event" signals a non-recurring series, flexible_end tells buyers the broadcast length is approximate, and unplanned_breaks: true indicates ad breaks follow game flow rather than a predetermined schedule. The tentative Game 5 includes valid_until so buyer agents know when to re-query — if the series ends in four games, that installment will resolve to cancelled. Buyers should always check valid_until on tentative installments before committing budget.

Discovering collections

Buyers discover collections through the standard get_products workflow. Natural language briefs drive collection selection:

{
  "buying_mode": "brief",
  "brief": "Podcast sponsorships for technology collections reaching startup founders in April",
  "filters": {
    "channels": ["podcast"],
    "start_date": "2026-04-01",
    "end_date": "2026-04-30"
  }
}

The seller returns products with collections selectors. The buyer resolves full collection objects from each publisher’s adagents.json. There is no separate collection discovery endpoint — collections surface through product discovery and adagents.json crawling.

Brand safety

Collections provide a two-level brand safety model: a collection baseline and per-installment overrides.

Collection baseline

A collection’s default brand safety profile comes from:

• content_rating — the collection’s declared rating system and value
• genre — content categories (ideally using genre_taxonomy for machine-readable evaluation)
• talent — hosts and recurring cast, with optional brand.json references for deeper evaluation

This is what buyers evaluate when individual installment content is not yet known.

Installment overrides

When installment details are available, they can shift the safety profile:

• A content_rating that differs from the collection baseline (this week is TV-14 instead of TV-PG)
• guest_talent that changes the talent profile (a controversial guest)
• topics that add installment-specific content signals

What is not modeled

AdCP does not predict content safety for unknown future installments. A buyer who commits to “all April installments” buys based on the collection’s baseline profile, accepting variation. The seller’s content standards and the collection’s track record are the buyer’s basis for that decision.

Distribution identifiers

Each collection’s distribution array maps it to specific publisher platforms with platform-specific identifiers. This enables cross-seller matching: when two different sellers both offer products for the same collection, a buyer agent can match them via shared identifiers.

Cross-seller matching

Platform-independent identifiers are the most reliable for deduplication:

Type	Example	Notes
imdb_id	tt1234567	Universal cross-platform reference
gracenote_id	EP012345678	Industry standard for TV metadata
eidr_id	10.5240/XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-C	ISO 10528 for audiovisual content

Shows SHOULD include at least one platform-independent identifier when available.

Platform-specific identifiers

Podcast

{
  "distribution": [
    {
      "publisher_domain": "spotify.com",
      "identifiers": [{ "type": "spotify_collection_id", "value": "4rOoJ6Egrf8K2IrywzwOMk" }]
    },
    {
      "publisher_domain": "apple.com",
      "identifiers": [{ "type": "apple_podcast_id", "value": "1234567890" }]
    },
    {
      "publisher_domain": "feeds.example.com",
      "identifiers": [{ "type": "rss_url", "value": "https://feeds.example.com/collection.xml" }]
    }
  ]
}

Available podcast types: apple_podcast_id, spotify_collection_id, rss_url, podcast_guid, amazon_music_id, iheart_id, podcast_index_id. Available video/CTV types: youtube_channel_id, youtube_playlist_id, amazon_title_id, roku_channel_id, pluto_channel_id, tubi_id, peacock_id, tiktok_id, twitch_channel. Other: domain, substack_id.

Ad inventory

Episodes declare break-based ad inventory in the ad_inventory object:

Field	Type	Description
expected_breaks	integer	Number of planned ad breaks
total_ad_seconds	integer	Total seconds of ad time across all breaks
max_ad_duration_seconds	integer	Maximum duration for a single ad within a break
unplanned_breaks	boolean	false: all breaks pre-defined. true: breaks driven by live conditions (sports timeouts, live news).
supported_formats	string[]	Format types supported in breaks (e.g., "video", "audio")

For non-break ad formats like host reads, custom integrations, or sponsorships, use product placements instead. A podcast product might have a placement for “mid-roll host read (60s)” — that is a placement on the product, not part of ad_inventory.

Relationship to LEAP

The installment model aligns with IAB Tech Lab’s LEAP Forecasting API for live streaming events:

LEAP concept	AdCP equivalent
UpcomingEvent	Episode (scheduled_at + status)
Content (AdCOM 1.0)	Show metadata (genre, content_rating, talent)
AdInventoryConfiguration	Episode ad_inventory + product placements
Event status	Episode status (scheduled, tentative, cancelled)
Unplanned breaks	ad_inventory.unplanned_breaks
Flexible end time	Episode flexible_end

LEAP targets SSP-to-DSP plumbing. AdCP operates at the agent-to-agent negotiation layer where buying decisions happen.

Collection targeting

Products with multiple collections default to bundles — the buyer gets all listed collections. Sellers can set collection_targeting_allowed: true to let buyers target a subset, the same pattern as property_targeting_allowed for properties.

collection_targeting_allowed	Meaning
false (default)	Bundle — buyer gets all collections
true	Buyer can select specific collections in the media buy

Multi-collection bundles

A single product can span multiple collections by listing multiple collection IDs in collections. When a product has multiple collections, each installment MUST include collection_id so the buyer agent knows which collection each installment belongs to.

{
  "products": [
    {
      "product_id": "technet_april_bundle",
      "name": "TechNet Podcast Bundle - April",
      "collections": [{ "publisher_domain": "technet.example.com", "collection_ids": ["tech_weekly", "startup_hour"] }],
      "installments": [
        { "installment_id": "tw_ep12", "collection_id": "tech_weekly", "scheduled_at": "2026-04-07T10:00:00Z", "status": "scheduled" },
        { "installment_id": "tw_ep13", "collection_id": "tech_weekly", "scheduled_at": "2026-04-14T10:00:00Z", "status": "tentative" },
        { "installment_id": "sh_ep30", "collection_id": "startup_hour", "scheduled_at": "2026-04-09T14:00:00Z", "status": "scheduled" },
        { "installment_id": "sh_ep31", "collection_id": "startup_hour", "scheduled_at": "2026-04-16T14:00:00Z", "status": "tentative" }
      ],
      "delivery_type": "guaranteed",
      "pricing_options": [
        { "pricing_option_id": "bundle", "pricing_model": "flat_rate", "fixed_price": 25000, "currency": "USD" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Print publication with issues

A magazine publisher selling display ads across upcoming issues. Each issue is an installment with deadlines for booking, cancellation, and material delivery:

{
  "products": [
    {
      "product_id": "vogue_de_display_q2",
      "name": "Vogue Germany — Display Ads, Q2 2026",
      "channels": ["print"],
      "collections": [{ "publisher_domain": "vogue.de", "collection_ids": ["vogue_de"] }],
      "installments": [
        {
          "installment_id": "2026-04",
          "name": "April 2026",
          "season": "2026",
          "installment_number": "4",
          "scheduled_at": "2026-04-01T00:00:00+02:00",
          "status": "scheduled",
          "deadlines": {
            "booking_deadline": "2026-02-15T17:00:00+01:00",
            "cancellation_deadline": "2026-02-22T17:00:00+01:00",
            "material_deadlines": [
              { "stage": "draft", "due_at": "2026-03-01T17:00:00+01:00", "label": "Artwork for color proofing" },
              { "stage": "final", "due_at": "2026-03-08T17:00:00+01:00", "label": "Press-ready PDF/X-4, CMYK, 300 DPI" }
            ]
          }
        },
        {
          "installment_id": "2026-05",
          "name": "Mai 2026",
          "season": "2026",
          "installment_number": "5",
          "scheduled_at": "2026-05-01T00:00:00+02:00",
          "status": "scheduled",
          "deadlines": {
            "booking_deadline": "2026-03-15T17:00:00+01:00",
            "cancellation_deadline": "2026-03-22T17:00:00+01:00",
            "material_deadlines": [
              { "stage": "draft", "due_at": "2026-03-29T17:00:00+01:00", "label": "Artwork for color proofing" },
              { "stage": "final", "due_at": "2026-04-05T17:00:00+02:00", "label": "Press-ready PDF/X-4, CMYK, 300 DPI" }
            ]
          }
        }
      ],
      "placements": [
        { "placement_id": "full_page", "name": "Full Page" },
        { "placement_id": "dps", "name": "Double Page Spread" },
        { "placement_id": "ifc", "name": "Inside Front Cover" }
      ],
      "delivery_type": "guaranteed",
      "delivery_measurement": {
        "provider": "IVW",
        "notes": "Verified circulation, updated quarterly"
      },
      "pricing_options": [
        { "pricing_option_id": "full_page", "pricing_model": "flat_rate", "fixed_price": 28000, "currency": "EUR" },
        { "pricing_option_id": "dps", "pricing_model": "flat_rate", "fixed_price": 48000, "currency": "EUR" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

The collection/installment model works identically for print publications and audio/video content. The installment’s deadlines object replaces what the German OBS system handles through separate message exchanges — booking, cancellation, and material delivery are all visible upfront.

See also

• Media products — the full product model
• Print ads — print-specific creative formats, physical dimensions, bleed, and DPI
• brand.json — talent identity and brand safety evaluation
• Product discovery — how buyers discover inventory via get_products