• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, July 21, 2016

Google released data late Wednesday on its Programmatic Direct business, which it defines as private auctions, preferred deals and programmatic guaranteed. 

The number of Programmatic Direct deals on DoubleClick AdExchange tripled in 2015, with the rate of growth on mobile far outpacing desktop.

Google saw a threefold year-over-year increase in the total number of deals on AdX from December 2014 through December 2015, and four times faster growth of Programmatic Direct mobile impressions compared with desktop in the same time period.

The data represents impressions bought via Programmatic Direct on ad exchange from Oct. 1, 2014, through Dec. 31, 2015, including all demand-side platforms (DSPs). This version of the report only includes data on private auctions and preferred deals, as Google waits for more PG data to come through Ad Exchange (AdX)

Along with the data, Google released an interactive chart outlining indexed impressions per countries in categories such as auto and arts and entertainment for desktop, mobile apps and mobile Web from October 2014 through October 2015.

The growth of Programmatic Direct impressions in the United States only slightly outpaced growth in the rest of the world, according to the report. In EMEA, several countries adopted at a fast rate.

While Germany, Italy and the U.K. represented the largest share of total impressions, Ukraine, Turkey and Spain saw their Programmatic Direct impressions more than double in just 12 months.

APAC also saw strong growth. In Taiwan and Indonesia, Programmatic Direct impressions grew more than 20% monthly. Australia and India grew more than 10% monthly. Japan represents more than 45% of all Programmatic Direct impressions in the region.

Google predicts that in the next few years, most deals sold direct will go through programmatic channels. Overall, these marketplaces will make inventory more discoverable and help advertisers and publishers conserve resources and streamline the sales process.