Basis is a demand-side platform and advertising automation platform built for agencies and enterprise teams running complex omnichannel campaigns — from programmatic buying through financial reconciliation, in one system.
Basis Technologies (formerly Centro, rebranded in 2022) operates the Basis DSP alongside a broader campaign management suite covering paid search, social, and direct publisher buys. The DSP has held the No. 1 position in G2’s demand-side platform category every quarter since 2017, based on user satisfaction scores. The full platform is designed around a single idea: eliminate the operational overhead of managing campaigns across fragmented systems, so media teams can spend time on strategy instead of logistics.
Basis DSP: Core Capabilities
The Basis DSP is the programmatic buying engine at the center of the platform. It supports real-time bidding (RTB) across the full range of digital channels — display, video, mobile, native, audio, Connected TV (CTV/OTT), and digital out-of-home (DOOH). Unlike standalone DSPs, it is natively integrated with Basis’ planning, search, social, and reconciliation layers, meaning campaign data flows across the entire lifecycle without manual exports or third-party connectors.
Channels and Inventory
The Basis DSP covers the following programmatic channels:
- Display — banner and rich media across desktop and mobile
- Video — pre-roll, mid-roll, and outstream across open exchange and premium environments
- Connected TV (CTV/OTT) — streaming inventory across Hulu, ESPN, Roku, Disney+, Freewheel, Universal, DirecTV, CBS, and more; access to 100+ private marketplace (PMP) deals
- Audio — streaming audio, podcasts, satellite and broadcast radio
- Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) — programmatic DOOH activation alongside digital channels
- Native — native ad formats across content networks
CTV is a particular strength. Basis reports 98% completion rates and 51.5% attention rates for CTV placements, with the ability to track 80+ CTV-specific performance metrics (from CPCV to VCR). Premium inventory is available through both open exchange buying and curated PMP deals, with non-skippable, 100% viewable formats.
Targeting Options
Basis DSP provides targeting across more than 1,000 audience parameters, including:
- Demographic and behavioral segmentation — interest, intent, and demonstrated behavior signals
- Contextual targeting — Natural Language Processing (NLP) analyzes page-level semantics and tone for brand-safe placement in contextually relevant environments
- Geo-fencing — granular geo-targeting by address upload, map selection, or place category
- Set-top box data — audience segmentation by program genre, daypart, viewing habits, or tentpole events to complement linear TV buys
- Retargeting — first-party pixel-based retargeting for users who have previously visited a site
- Cross-device attribution — conversion attribution across devices
The DSP integrates with 40+ third-party data providers for audience enrichment.
Private Marketplace and Programmatic Guaranteed
Basis has invested heavily in its PMP capabilities, which practitioners identify as a core differentiator. The platform provides a curated PMP deal library where buyers can browse, negotiate, and activate deals with premium publishers — without leaving the platform. Basis’ sales team assists clients in securing PMP and programmatic guaranteed (PG) deals directly with publishers, including Hulu, Spotify, the New York Times, and ESPN.
This is notable compared to some DSPs where PMP deal management is a more manual, off-platform process. For enterprise B2B advertisers and agencies prioritizing premium, brand-safe inventory, the PMP library reduces time-to-market and simplifies deal procurement at scale.
Brand Safety and Fraud Protection
Basis integrates with DoubleVerify for CTV brand safety, providing content alignment controls and fraudulent traffic filtering. Contextual NLP targeting ensures placements appear in semantically appropriate environments rather than relying solely on URL-level blocklists.
The Broader Platform: Beyond the DSP
The Basis DSP is one module within a larger advertising automation platform. This is the key structural difference between Basis and a pure-play DSP like The Trade Desk or Amazon DSP.
Omnichannel Campaign Management
Beyond programmatic, the platform covers:
- Paid Search — centralized creation, approval, and export of search campaign builds directly into Google Ads; automated ingestion of delivery data from Google Ads and Microsoft Ads
- Paid Social — social campaign management from within the same interface
- Direct/Publisher-Direct — planning and execution for direct publisher buys, alongside programmatic
- Financial Reconciliation — automated billing, invoice reconciliation, and budget tracking across all channels
Basis claims to be the only platform that consolidates planning, digital operations, reporting, and financial reconciliation across programmatic, publisher-direct, search, and social in a single system. This claim is supported by the January 2026 Mediaocean integration, which extends that consolidation into enterprise financial systems used by holding companies.
Workflow and Automation Layer
The automation layer is where Basis differentiates most sharply from pure DSPs. The platform includes:
- Task management — campaign-level task creation, assignment, due dates, priority levels, and email notifications, embedded directly in the workflow
- Communication portal — centralized vendor and team messaging
- Document storage — secure campaign asset management
- Multi-team user permissions — granular access controls for agency-client structures
- Reporting and Insights Hub — unifies campaign data from more than a dozen sources and channels into a single dashboard, powered by Snowflake for data processing and ThoughtSpot for visualization
The Forrester Total Economic Impact study (commissioned by Basis/Centro) documented that organizations using the platform increased digital team efficiency by 35%, reduced time for media operations tasks by 43%, and avoided adding 4 FTEs over three years compared to an equivalent workflow without the platform. The three-year PV of benefits was $1.4 million for the composite organization modeled.
AI Capabilities: Compass and Basis Assistant
Basis has made AI a central part of its 2025–2026 product strategy.
Compass (Launched April 2026)
Compass is Basis’ new agentic AI system — the most significant AI release the company has made to date. It converts campaign briefs into complete, ready-to-activate omnichannel media plans spanning programmatic, direct, paid search, and paid social. The system uses proprietary LLM agents engineered around media planning workflows, built with an internal evaluation framework that tests for bias, demographic sensitivity, and recommendation integrity.
What used to take days or weeks of research, media mix planning, and presentation assembly can now be completed in minutes, according to early users. Basis positions Compass as the only independent technology platform that can move from brief to activation across both the open web and walled gardens without leaving the platform.
Basis Assistant
Prior to Compass, Basis rolled out Basis Assistant for automated campaign insights and AI-powered decision support within the DSP. Machine learning-driven audience identification and campaign optimization run throughout the platform’s programmatic buying workflow.
Pricing
Basis does not publish pricing publicly. It is an enterprise platform with custom pricing based on organization size, ad spend volume, channel mix, and required integrations. No self-serve or free tier exists; access requires a sales engagement.
A key practical difference from tier-one DSPs: Basis does not impose the high minimum spend thresholds associated with The Trade Desk (typically $100,000+ monthly minimum) or Amazon DSP managed service ($50,000 minimum). Multiple G2 reviewers specifically highlight Basis’ flexibility with smaller agency budgets as a differentiator: “Most DSPs look for outlandish minimums and solely focus on enterprise clients. Basis believes in supporting all businesses with advanced API connectivity.”
The Forrester TEI study documents 48% ROI within the first year for the modeled composite agency, with a payback period of under 12 months.
User Reviews
Basis holds a 4.5/5 rating on G2 from 287 verified reviews — consistently one of the highest satisfaction scores among DSPs. G2 has named Basis a Leader in the Demand Side Platform category every quarter since 2017.
Reviewers consistently cite three themes:
Ease of use relative to alternatives: “Basis DSP is one of the most intuitive and easy to use DSPs that I’ve used. Implementation and execution of campaigns, the number of integrations in the platform, and the number of features make my day to day easier.” — Verified User, Mid-Market
Customer support quality: “I’ve used various programmatic platforms, and what sets Basis apart is the outstanding customer support. Their team always gets back to us very quickly and proactively provides updates… Our sales coverage will go out and help us secure PMP or PG deals with pubs directly, saving us a ton of time.” — Jessica C., Director of Account Growth
Platform breadth: “The breadth of product offerings and features under their umbrella (display, video, OTT/CTV, digital OOH, transit, radio, etc.) is impressive. I have not found this with other programmatic platforms.” — Jessica C., Director of Account Growth
Common criticisms: Reporting granularity, particularly compared to DV360. Some users note that as a smaller DSP relative to the Google and Amazon ecosystems, inventory depth on certain segments can be narrower. The UI, while functional and information-dense, is described as dated by some users.
G2’s aggregate data shows above-average ratings specifically for Ease of Use, Quality of Support, and Ease of Doing Business With — metrics that reflect Basis’ agency-focused positioning.
Basis DSP vs Alternatives
Basis vs The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk is the dominant independent programmatic DSP, built entirely around programmatic buying with no planning or reconciliation layer. It offers deeper data integrations (Unified ID 2.0, Nielsen, extensive third-party data marketplace), a more sophisticated bidding engine, and broader reach across premium publishers. However, it comes with high minimum spend requirements (typically $100,000+ monthly) and focuses exclusively on programmatic — search, social, and financial reconciliation require separate tools. Basis is more accessible to mid-sized agencies and includes the full operational stack, but practitioners who need the deepest programmatic capabilities at scale typically favor The Trade Desk’s bidding and data infrastructure.
Choose The Trade Desk if: programmatic performance and data depth are the primary criteria and your team has the budget and sophistication to maximize it.
Choose Basis DSP if: workflow automation, planning-to-reconciliation integration, and accessible minimums matter as much as raw programmatic power.
Basis vs Google DV360
Google DV360 is Google’s enterprise DSP, integrated within the Google Marketing Platform alongside Campaign Manager 360, SA360, and Analytics. Its primary advantage is exclusive access to YouTube and Google Display Network inventory, plus targeting using Google’s behavioral and search intent data. Basis provides a platform-agnostic alternative without Google ecosystem lock-in. DV360’s pricing is complex and bundled within GMP licensing; Basis reviewers frequently cite cost advantages over DV360 for equivalent programmatic functionality outside Google properties. Reporting within DV360 is generally considered more robust, which is a common critique of Basis.
Choose DV360 if: YouTube and Google inventory are central to the media strategy, or the organization is already deeply invested in GMP.
Choose Basis if: platform independence, operational automation, and cross-channel planning are priorities.
Basis vs Amazon DSP
Amazon DSP is best suited for e-commerce and retail advertisers who can leverage Amazon’s first-party purchase intent data to drive measurable ROAS across Amazon properties (Prime Video, Fire TV, Twitch, Amazon.com) and the open web. It excels at tying CTV exposure to downstream purchase outcomes. Managed service minimum spend is typically $50,000. Basis is more relevant for non-e-commerce advertisers — agencies running branding, local, B2B, or lead generation campaigns who don’t have Amazon purchase data to activate against. G2’s direct comparison shows reviewers found Basis easier to use, set up, and administer than Amazon DSP.
Choose Amazon DSP if: e-commerce, retail, or purchase intent targeting is the core objective.
Choose Basis DSP if: the client base is non-e-commerce and the priority is unified workflow across channels.
Basis vs Mediaocean
Mediaocean is the dominant enterprise media operations platform for holding company agencies, with deep capabilities in traditional media planning, ordering, trafficking, measurement, and financial management. Interpublic, Omnicom, and WPP all hold equity positions. Basis has historically served mid-size and digital-native agencies. Following their January 2026 integration partnership — connecting Basis’ programmatic, search, social, and CTV workflows directly into Mediaocean’s Prisma, Innovid, and Protected platforms — the two are positioned as complementary rather than competitive. Many organizations use both.
Basis vs Adobe Advertising Cloud
Adobe Advertising Cloud is part of the Adobe Experience Cloud ecosystem, designed for advertisers who centralize data and personalization across Adobe’s stack. Its DSP capabilities are strong for Adobe-committed organizations but it lacks the workflow automation layer that defines Basis. For agencies operating independently of Adobe’s data infrastructure, Basis offers more operational depth in campaign management.
Recent Updates (2025–2026)
- April 2026: Launched Compass, an agentic AI system that transforms campaign briefs into complete, ready-to-activate omnichannel media plans within minutes — described as the first release of a new agentic AI layer being built into the platform.
- January 2026: Named No. 1 on Ad Age Best Places to Work for the third consecutive year.
- January 2026: Announced foundational integration partnership with Mediaocean, linking Basis’ programmatic, search, social, and CTV workflows directly into Mediaocean’s enterprise systems (Prisma, Innovid, Protected) to automate the full media lifecycle from planning through financial reconciliation.
- June 2025: Launched new suite of capabilities including a unified Reporting and Insights Hub (powered by Snowflake and ThoughtSpot) consolidating data from 12+ sources, enhanced paid search activation with direct Google Ads integration, and embedded task management for campaign workflows.
- September 2025: Ranked No. 1 on Fortune Best Workplaces in Advertising & Marketing for 2025.
- 2025 (ongoing): Continued AI feature development across the platform; machine learning for audience identification and Basis Assistant enhancements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Basis DSP? Basis DSP is the programmatic demand-side platform built into the Basis advertising automation platform by Basis Technologies (formerly Centro). It supports real-time bidding across display, video, mobile, audio, CTV/OTT, DOOH, and native advertising. Unlike standalone DSPs, it is natively integrated with paid search, social, and financial reconciliation in the same system. It has been ranked No. 1 DSP on G2 by user satisfaction every quarter since 2017.
How much does Basis DSP cost? Basis does not publish pricing publicly. It operates on a custom enterprise model with quotes based on agency size, ad spend volume, and required channels. There are no published tier prices or self-serve options. Unlike The Trade Desk or Amazon DSP managed service, Basis does not impose a publicly stated minimum spend requirement, and multiple reviews cite this as an advantage for smaller and mid-sized agencies.
How does Basis DSP compare to The Trade Desk? The Trade Desk offers deeper programmatic data integrations, a more sophisticated bidding engine, and broader open web reach, but it is exclusively a DSP with high spend minimums. Basis includes a DSP alongside planning, search, social, and full reconciliation workflows, with more accessible minimums. Teams that prioritize pure programmatic performance at scale lean toward The Trade Desk; teams that prioritize operational automation and an end-to-end platform lean toward Basis.
Is Basis the same as Centro? Yes. Basis Technologies was formerly known as Centro. The company rebranded in 2022 to reflect its evolution beyond media buying into a full advertising automation platform. The platform has been called Basis since its original launch; the parent company name changed from Centro to Basis Technologies.
Does Basis have AI features? Yes. As of April 2026, Basis launched Compass, an agentic AI system using proprietary LLM agents to convert campaign briefs into complete omnichannel media plans and ready-to-activate campaigns within minutes. Earlier AI capabilities include Basis Assistant for automated campaign insights and machine learning for audience identification and optimization throughout the DSP.
Who uses Basis DSP? Basis is used primarily by mid-size and large media agencies, digital marketing agencies, and enterprise brand teams running complex campaigns across multiple channels. It’s particularly strong for agencies running programmatic alongside search and social who want a unified workflow rather than multiple disconnected platforms. The Reddit programmatic community notes its common use among regional and boutique agencies that value flexibility over the tier-one DSP minimums.
What channels does Basis DSP support? Basis DSP supports display, video, mobile, Connected TV (CTV/OTT), audio (streaming, podcast, satellite/broadcast radio), digital out-of-home (DOOH), and native advertising. CTV access includes premium publishers such as Hulu, ESPN, Roku, Disney+, and CBS, plus 100+ PMP deals. The broader platform also covers paid search and paid social alongside programmatic.
How does Basis handle brand safety? Basis integrates with DoubleVerify for CTV brand safety and content alignment filtering. The DSP uses NLP-based contextual targeting to analyze page-level semantics and tone for brand-safe placement. It also provides built-in fraud protection across inventory sources.
Explore More Media Planning Tools
- The Trade Desk — Independent programmatic DSP for data-driven omnichannel buying with deep audience data integrations
- Google DV360 — Google’s enterprise demand-side platform with exclusive YouTube and GDN inventory access
- Amazon DSP — Programmatic DSP leveraging Amazon’s first-party purchase data for e-commerce and retail advertisers
- Mediaocean — Enterprise omnichannel advertising infrastructure for holding companies and large agency groups
- Adobe Advertising Cloud — Programmatic and cross-channel DSP integrated with the Adobe Experience Cloud ecosystem
- Bionic — Media planning and flowchart tool for agency planners
- Placements.io — Order management and ad operations for publishers and agencies
- Camphouse — Campaign workflow management platform (formerly Mediatool)
- Halliard — Media planning and flowchart tool built for independent agencies
📚 Planning Resources
- Linear TV Strategy Framework for CPG — Free planning resource
- CTV Campaign Template for Automotive — Free planning resource
- Paid Social (Meta) Checklist for Retail — Free planning resource
📝 From the Blog
- Best Media Planning Tools for 2026 — From our blog
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