The IAB Technology Laboratory announced on February 19, 2026 that it is seeking public feedback on a draft specification called the Live Event Ad Playbook (LEAP) Forecasting API. The draft, positioned as the second phase of the LEAP initiative, proposes a uniform way for broadcasters, rights holders, and other content owners to expose upcoming live‑event metadata—such as program line‑ups, anticipated ad‑break windows, and projected audience reach—to ad‑tech platforms and demand‑side partners.
The move comes at a time when programmatic buying of premium live content—sports, concerts, award shows, and breaking news—remains hampered by fragmented data flows and a lack of forward‑looking inventory signals. By codifying how that information is exchanged, the IAB hopes to give advertisers the confidence to plan and reserve spots well ahead of the actual broadcast, while giving publishers a more predictable path to monetize high‑value moments.
The lingering gap in programmatic live‑event buying
Programmatic ecosystems have matured around real‑time bidding for display, video, and audio inventory that is already scheduled or immediately available. However, when it comes to live events that draw massive, time‑sensitive audiences, the tools have lagged. Buyers typically discover a live event only after it has been announced publicly, and the details of when ad breaks will occur are often communicated through manual outreach or proprietary feeds. This ad‑hoc approach forces agencies to rely on guesswork, leading to missed opportunities or over‑booking.
The new Forecasting API is designed to bridge that gap. It specifies a JSON‑based schema that can be pushed from a content owner’s content management system to an exchange or demand‑side platform (DSP) well before the event airs. The schema includes fields for the event’s start time, expected duration, a list of potential ad‑break timestamps, and an estimate of viewership for each break. By aligning the data model with existing OpenRTB and AdCOM standards, the API aims to minimize integration friction for partners already familiar with those protocols.
Building on the foundation of existing IAB standards
The Forecasting API does not exist in a vacuum. It extends the functionality introduced by the Concurrent Streams API, which was released earlier to give buyers a snapshot of how many live streams are concurrently available at any given moment. While Concurrent Streams helps participants gauge real‑time capacity, the Forecasting API pushes the timeline further upstream, allowing market participants to plan deals days or weeks in advance.
In addition, the specification references the Deals API, another IAB standard that facilitates automated negotiation and contract creation between buyers and sellers. By feeding forecast data into the Deals workflow, advertisers can generate programmatic guaranteed deals that lock in inventory for a specific live event, reducing the need for manual insertion orders. This integration represents a step toward a more end‑to‑end automated marketplace for premium live inventory.
Industry voices weigh in
“Live events continue to be one of the most valuable and technically complex areas of digital advertising,” said Anthony Katsur, chief executive officer of IAB Tech Lab. “This proposal moves the industry earlier in the process by making future live inventory visible and actionable. It is about giving buyers and sellers the tools they need to plan ahead with confidence and scale those workflows through shared standards.”
Alex Combs, vice president of ad product for Disney Entertainment & ESPN, echoed the sentiment from the supply side: “For years, Disney has been committed to modern and sophisticated forecasting capabilities to demonstrate the value of our premium Sports, Entertainment and News inventory. As programmatic growth accelerates, standardized interoperability is no longer optional; it is the foundational infrastructure required to eliminate friction in buying. This is especially true for live events and programming, where timing is crucial. Our active participation in the Forecasting and Concurrent Streams IAB Tech Lab initiative reflects our commitment to making automated buying as easy, efficient, and data driven as possible – delivering measurably better outcomes for our clients and creating an engaging experience for viewers.”
From the demand side, Daniel Perry‑Zucker, senior product manager at The Trade Desk, highlighted the buyer’s perspective: “As live and tentpole programming continues to grow across digital and streaming platforms, buyers and sellers need better ways to plan and coordinate around moments of peak viewer engagement. By standardizing how the industry communicates about upcoming inventory, the Forecasting API helps improve monetization and consumer experiences alike—bringing greater speed, predictability, and scale to live advertising across the ecosystem, and we’re excited to help put these standards into practice.”
Why the timing matters
The push for a forecasting standard arrives as several market forces converge. First, the proliferation of over‑the‑top (OTT) and connected‑TV services has expanded the inventory pool for live events, but also fragmented the audience across more platforms. Second, advertisers are increasingly allocating budget to “premium live” categories, betting on the higher engagement rates that real‑time moments generate. Finally, regulatory scrutiny around transparency and data usage has nudged the industry toward more open, auditable data exchanges.
By providing a shared language for upcoming inventory, the Forecasting API could reduce reliance on bilateral data sharing agreements, streamline compliance checks, and enable third‑party verification of inventory promises. For advertisers, the ability to lock in a specific break during a high‑stakes sports game or award ceremony could translate into more efficient media planning and better ROI measurement. For publishers, the standard offers a path to monetize inventory that might otherwise sit unsold due to uncertainty about demand.
Practical steps for developers and vendors
The draft specification is publicly available at https://iabtechlab.com/standards/leap/. It outlines required and optional fields, authentication methods, and error handling conventions. Developers are encouraged to review the JSON schema, test against the provided example payloads, and assess how the API could be incorporated into existing supply‑side platforms (SSPs) or ad‑exchange workflows.
The IAB Tech Lab has also released an implementation guide that walks through typical integration scenarios—such as a broadcaster publishing a season‑long schedule of marquee events, or a rights holder updating break‑time estimates in real time as a live feed progresses. While the guide stops short of providing full code samples, it offers best‑practice recommendations for versioning, data validation, and backward compatibility.
The public comment period
Stakeholders have until March 20, 2026 to submit feedback on the draft. Comments can be filed through the IAB Tech Lab’s online portal, where participants can suggest clarifications, propose additional fields, or raise concerns about privacy and data security. The lab has pledged to incorporate community input before finalizing the specification, a process that mirrors its handling of prior standards such as OpenRTB and ads.txt.
Looking ahead
If adopted widely, the Forecasting API could become the de‑facto conduit for pre‑sale data in the live‑event ad market. Its success will hinge on the willingness of major broadcasters, rights holders, and platform operators to adopt the standard and on the ability of DSPs to consume the data at scale. The forthcoming public comment window offers a critical juncture for the ecosystem to shape the final shape of the spec, ensuring it meets the practical needs of both supply and demand sides.
For now, the announcement signals a clear intent from the IAB Tech Lab to move beyond the reactive, post‑event ad‑tech landscape and toward a more proactive, data‑driven approach to premium live inventory. As the industry continues to grapple with the challenges of fragmented viewing habits and the growing importance of live content, a shared forecasting framework could prove to be a pivotal piece of the modernization puzzle.
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