Glossary/Adtech & Programmatic/Waterfall (Daisy Chaining)
Adtech & Programmatic
Waterfall (Daisy Chaining)
A legacy method of offering inventory to demand sources one at a time in priority order.
By Brandon Mina·CEO, BrandPilot AI·Updated November 2026
Appears in Lesson 4 of Programmatic 101
Short answer
A waterfall, or daisy chaining, is a legacy method in which a publisher offers ad inventory to demand sources one at a time in a fixed priority order until one accepts. Because higher-paying buyers lower in the chain may never see the impression, it often leaves revenue unrealized. Header bidding largely replaced it.