Publish your app-ads.txt line
Publish the one line that lets buyers and LtvAdx confirm you own an app, check it, and fix the result the page shows.
Programmatic buyers check that the company selling an app is allowed to. They do that by reading a plain text file on the app's developer website, called app-ads.txt (for a website, ads.txt). The Authorized Sellers page gives you the line to put in it and checks that it is there.
Why it matters
- Most outside buyers skip inventory whose file doesn't list the seller.
- LtvAdx uses the same check to decide whether a channel can take LtvAdx advertiser and programmatic demand. Your own direct campaigns serve either way.
- Outside bidders on My DSPs are only offered your channels once you are listed in LtvAdx's public sellers list, and that listing follows a successful check.
Where this stands today. The rule is in report-only mode. The page and the Network demand column on Channels & Apps show where each channel stands, but no channel has lost demand because of it, and no cut-off date has been set. If LtvAdx turns enforcement on, channels created before the start date keep demand for 30 days while you add the line, and a channel that was verified and then fails a check keeps it for 7 more days. Publish the line now so you are ready.
Steps for an app
- Open Authorized Sellers. The Your line box shows your line, in the form
ltvadx.com, <your seller ID>, DIRECT. Select Copy. - Find your app's card under Apps. Enter the address shown as the developer website on your app's store listing in Developer website on the store listing, and select Save. Buyers read the file from that website, so the two must match.
- Add the line, on a line of its own, to
app-ads.txtat the root of that website, for examplehttps://yourcompany.com/app-ads.txt. The same line goes in the file for every app. The file must be plain text. - Select Check now.
- Read the result on the card. If it says Authorized but *Waiting for LtvAdx to confirm the developer website*, LtvAdx checks that the website really is the one on your store listing. You don't need to do anything.
You can press Check now once a minute for each card. The page also re-checks every card once a day.
If you change the app's bundle ID, the old result no longer applies and the card tells you to check again. If you change the developer website, LtvAdx confirms it again.
Steps for a website
The Website card covers channels that run in a browser (web, Chromecast, HbbTV). Put the same line in ads.txt at the root of your website and select Check now. The card checks the website on your Profile, unless LtvAdx has set a different domain for you, and says which. If the card says No domain, add your website on your Profile or contact support with your website's address. To change a domain LtvAdx set, contact support.
Broadcast channels
A linear or broadcast channel has no app-ads.txt file. LtvAdx verifies these with you directly, for example from a carriage agreement. Contact support to start. The page lists your broadcast channels with their badge.
What each result means
| Result | What to do |
|---|---|
| Authorized | Nothing. Buyers will find the line. |
| Line missing | The file was read but has no line for ltvadx.com. Add your line. If the file only says that no seller is authorized, replace that placeholder line. |
| Wrong ID | The file has an ltvadx.com line with a different ID. Replace it with yours. |
| RESELLER, not DIRECT | Your line says RESELLER. Change it to DIRECT. |
| File not found | There is no file at the address shown. Create it at the root of the domain. |
| Web page, not a file | The address returned a web page, usually a "not found" page. Upload the file as plain text. |
| Couldn't fetch | The site could not be read. If it is up, try again in a few minutes. |
| Blocked address | The domain points to a private or internal address. Check its DNS records. |
| No domain | Enter the developer website from the store listing. |
| Shared platform | The domain belongs to a service many apps share, so you can't put a file at its root. Use a domain you own on the store listing. |
| Not checked yet | Publish the line, then press Check now. |
A line that differs from yours only in capital letters is flagged. Buyers compare the ID exactly.
The Network demand badge
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verified | The line was found and the developer website confirmed. |
| Verified by LtvAdx | LtvAdx vouched for the channel, as for broadcast. |
| Verification lapsing | It was verified and a later check failed. The badge shows the date it stops counting. |
| Verification pending | Not verified yet, and still within its grace period. The badge shows the deadline, or says *no deadline set yet* while LtvAdx has not set one. |
| Not verified yet | Not verified, while the rule is not enforced. The channel still takes LtvAdx advertiser and programmatic demand today. |
| Direct-sold only | Not verified, while the rule is enforced: the channel takes only your own direct campaigns. |
Your name in the public list
Buyers can look you up in LtvAdx's public sellers list. Name in sellers.json controls what they see: *Automatic* (companies shown, individuals confidential), *Show my legal name*, or *Confidential* (buyers see your seller ID only). A name is shown only when a billing legal name and a website are on file. LtvAdx adds you to the list once a check finds your line.
Only owner, admin and manager seats can change these settings.
The alert
While the rule is on, you get a Publish your app-ads.txt line alert if a channel would be limited to your own direct campaigns, or if a channel has a deadline to add the line. It opens this page.