The news: WPP Media launched the Agentic Standards Initiative last week to establish unified technical and governance standards for AI-driven, agentic TV and video buying. Partners include Disney, Netflix, and NBCUniversal, alongside IAB Tech Lab and prebid.org. WPP is developing its own independent Buyer Agent for Video inside its WPP Open operating system that will apply its standards to video inventory.

“We are building… a trusted buyer-agent strategy designed to operate in our clients’ interests, maximize the value of their media investments, deepen consumer relationships, and translate intelligence into growth,” said WPP CEO Brian Lesser.

The big picture: Agentic media buying automates the planning, negotiation, and execution using AI agents. Instead of humans setting granular parameters inside a DSP, an advertiser instructs a buyer agent on high-level goals, i.e. KPIs, audience targets, and budget boundaries, and the agent negotiates, optimizes, and executes across networks.

Why it matters: Agentic buying is becoming more common, but advertisers still find it difficult to understand. Forty percent of US ad buyers reported that understanding agentic media buying and campaign execution is a top media investment challenge, according to IAB, however 66% of US ad buyers plan to increase their focus on agentic ad buying in 2026, indicating growing attention and cautious optimism.

If industrywide standards are established, brands stand to see reductions in workflow friction, particularly in complex environments like connected TV (CTV) and linear video. However, the shift requires trust. WPP’s push for standards may reassure advertisers with its focus on strict financial guardrails and data privacy during a translation.

Implications for advertisers: WPP’s initiative recognizes a critical reality: Agentic media buying is inevitable and will touch all sectors of the ad industry from demand- and sell-side platforms to proprietary agency tools. By aligning premium video sellers early, they are trying to establish an open blueprint before fragmented, walled-garden agent protocols take over the industry.