How do channels work in Display & Video 360, from build to line item?
Part of Google Ads placements
The short answer
A channel in Display & Video 360 is a saved group of websites or apps, built at the partner or advertiser level and used to include, optimize or exclude inventory. Planners enter URLs and app IDs one per line, then apply the channel through Apps & URLs targeting on a line item or in insertion order default targeting, or block it.
Key takeaways
- Channels hold websites, mobile apps or connected TV apps; YouTube placements are handled by separate targeting.
- Partner channels reach every advertiser under the partner; advertiser channels stay with one advertiser.
- Each channel holds up to 65,000 entries, and a partner gets 10 blocking channels where an advertiser gets 5.
- Channels cannot be removed once created, so names and scope deserve a plan before the first one is built.
- Insertion order default targeting applies only to new line items, never to line items that already exist.
What is a channel in Display & Video 360?
Channels are custom groups of related websites or apps (mobile or connected TV).
A channel turns a site list into a reusable object. Instead of pasting the same URLs into every line item, a trading desk builds the list once, names it, and points line items at it. Google's channel page describes three uses, and a fourth comes from the blocking settings at the partner and advertiser level.
| Use | Google's description | Example list | Where it is applied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inclusion | A preset, targetable list of brand-appropriate publishers | A client's approved site list for one brief | Apps & URLs targeting on a line item |
| Optimization | A preset, targetable list of high-performing publishers | Sites that earned their place in earlier flights | Apps & URLs targeting on a line item |
| Exclusion | A preset, excludable list of publishers where ads should not serve | Sites rejected for one client or one brief | Excluded in Apps & URLs targeting |
| Blocking | A channel blocked in partner or advertiser targeting settings | An agency wide do not run list | Partner settings or advertiser settings, inherited below |
Should a channel live at the partner or the advertiser level?
Display & Video 360 has two homes for channels. Partner channels are created from Channels in the left menu; advertiser channels from Resources, then Channels & Keywords. The choice decides who can use the list and who is protected by a block, and Google's channel page (opens in a new tab) gives each level its own limits.
| Question | Partner channel | Advertiser channel |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is created | Channels in the partner's left menu | Resources, then Channels & Keywords |
| Targeting channels allowed | Up to 1,000 | Up to 1,000 |
| Blocking channels allowed | Up to 10 additional channels | Up to 5 additional channels |
| Where a block is set | Partner's settings, then Targeting, then Apps & URLs | Advertiser settings, then Targeting rules, then Channels & YouTube URLs |
| Who inherits a block | All the partner's advertisers, campaigns, insertion orders and line items | All entities under that advertiser |
| Strength | One policy list protects every client at once | A client's own list stays with that client |
| Weakness | A wrong entry blocks a site for every client | Agency policy has to be repeated per advertiser |
How do you build a channel and format its entries?
Building a channel from an approved site list
- Open the right level. Choose the partner or the advertiser, using Channels or Resources, then Channels & Keywords.
- Select New channel and name it. Use the agreed pattern so the channel's purpose is clear in a long list.
- Enter one item per line. Websites go in by URL; apps by app store ID.
- Save and read the alerts. Display & Video 360 flags entries it cannot use; fix or remove them rather than leaving them for later.
- Check the light bulb. Google says suggestions to improve a channel appear next to its name in the Channels list; treat them as candidates for review, not additions.
| Entry | Rule | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Subdirectories | Two levels of subdirectory targeting are supported | example.com/travel/coast is within the supported depth |
| Subdomains | Up to five levels of subdomain targeting | Regional or section subdomains can be listed one by one |
| Paths ending in a filename | Not truncated; targeted as an individual page | A single article URL targets that page only |
| Characters | App IDs and URLs can't contain spaces or quotation marks | Clean spreadsheet exports before pasting |
| iOS app IDs | The same app ID targets both iOS and Apple TV inventory | Add device type targeting to keep a mobile app off connected TV |
How do you apply a channel to line items and insertion orders?
Channels are targeted through Apps & URLs targeting, either on a line item or in an insertion order's default targeting. Google's targeting page (opens in a new tab) says a line item can include or exclude any combination of apps, channels, collections and URLs, and that line items can target a combined total of 10,000 individual apps and URLs, which is the point where a list belongs in a channel instead.
| Level | What it reaches | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Line item, Apps & URLs | That line item only | A few hours may pass before bidding reflects a change on an active line item |
| Insertion order default targeting | New line items created in the insertion order | Does not change existing line items, and is not applied to YouTube & partners or Demand Gen line items |
| Advertiser targeting rules | All current and future campaigns, insertion orders and line items | Cannot be edited in campaigns, insertion orders or line items |
| Partner settings | Every advertiser under the partner, for blocked channels | Blocked channels show as not editable inside Apps & URLs targeting |
Google's set targeting page (opens in a new tab) is explicit that default targeting only affects new line items and cannot be used to change the targeting of any existing line items. A desk that adds a channel to an insertion order after launch must still open each live line item. To see everything a line item will actually target, Google points to Download composite list in the Apps & URLs panel.
What does a channel setup look like on a real brief?
Fictional example
A home appliance retailer in the Pacific Northwest
A fictional Spokane retailer of refrigerators, washers and kitchen appliances asks a Denver trading desk for English display ads in Washington and Oregon, beside home, cooking and consumer advice content read in Seattle, Portland and Spokane.
The desk already blocks a partner channel of sites it rejected for every client. For this advertiser it builds two advertiser channels: an inclusion channel holding the approved list of home and cooking publishers for the two states, and an exclusion channel of three consumer forums the client asked to avoid. Two publishers run separate regional subdomains, so each subdomain is entered on its own line.
The insertion order's default targeting uses the inclusion channel, so every new line item starts from the approved list. One line item already existed before the channel was ready, so the desk opens it and adds the channel by hand, sets environment targeting to web, then downloads the composite list to confirm what it will target.
How does PlacementGraph prepare site lists for Display & Video 360?
What should a trading desk check before a channel goes live?
Display & Video 360 channel checklist
- The channel sits at the level that matches its reason: partner for agency policy, advertiser for one client.
- The name follows the agreed pattern, because the channel cannot be removed later.
- Every entry is one item per line, with no spaces or quotation marks.
- Subdomains and subdirectories are within the supported depth, and single pages end in a filename.
- iOS apps are paired with device type targeting where Apple TV is not wanted.
- Existing line items were updated by hand, since insertion order default targeting reaches only new ones.
- Environment targeting matches the brief, so a website entry does not bring in apps unintentionally.
- The composite list was downloaded and compared with the approved site list version.
For YouTube placements in Display & Video 360 and in Google Ads, see the YouTube channel planning guide. For the Google Ads side of the same list, see the placement exclusions guide and the Google Ads placement targeting hub.
Frequently asked questions
Can I delete a channel in Display & Video 360?
No. Google's channel help page says it is not possible to remove a channel from a Display & Video 360 advertiser or partner. Channels that are no longer used stay in the list, which is why a naming pattern with the client, purpose and date makes the 1,000 channel limit and the Channels list easier to manage.
Can a Display & Video 360 channel hold YouTube channels?
Channels are groups of websites or apps, including connected TV apps. Google covers YouTube channels in a separate article, and YouTube & partners line items use their own placement targeting for channels, videos, URLs and apps. Plan YouTube lists separately from the website channels used for display line items.
Why did adding a channel to the insertion order not change my line items?
Insertion order default targeting only applies to line items created after it is set. Google says it cannot be used to change the targeting of existing line items, and it is not applied to YouTube & partners or Demand Gen line items. Open each existing line item and add the channel in its Apps & URLs targeting.
How large can a single channel be?
Google's channel page says each channel can contain up to 65,000 total websites, apps, or a combination of both. A line item, by comparison, can target a combined total of 10,000 individual apps and URLs, so lists above that size belong in one or more channels.
Sources
- About channels (opens in a new tab)Display & Video 360 Help
- App, channel, and website targeting (opens in a new tab)Display & Video 360 Help
- Set targeting (opens in a new tab)Display & Video 360 Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.