Explore pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll and outstream video ads, with visual examples of rewarded video, CTV and compatible VAST delivery.
Explore types & examplesThe advertisement plays in a compatible player. Playback events support reporting.
A compatible publisher player requests an eligible advertisement.
Video advertising presents a moving-image creative within a compatible player or video placement. VAST describes the ad response and supported tracking information. The actual viewing experience depends on the player, placement and device.
A visitor reaches an eligible video opportunity. The player requests an advertisement, loads compatible media and reports the events it supports. Pre-roll, mid-roll or post-roll behavior is agreed for the specific placement rather than assumed for every player.
Pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll describe timing around video content. Outstream describes a different placement context; rewarded describes a viewer choice, and CTV a viewing environment. These are different dimensions, not six mutually exclusive formats. VAST describes ad delivery, not the placement itself.
The advertisement plays before the video the viewer requested. The player then proceeds to that content according to the agreed playback rules. Pre-roll describes the ad’s position in the viewing sequence, not a guarantee of attention or completion.
Confirm duration, skip behavior, sound and supported tracking. A compatible VAST response can describe media files and ad events for the player.
The content pauses at an agreed advertising break and resumes after the ad sequence. This example suits a longer viewing session, where the break’s timing and duration are part of the publisher’s overall content experience and player configuration.
Agree the break schedule and event handling. VAST supplies ad-response information; break scheduling belongs to the player or a separate playlist workflow.
The advertisement follows the end of the requested video. Its opportunity depends on the viewer remaining after the main content, so reaching the content’s final frame and starting the post-roll advertisement should be treated as separate reporting events.
Test the transition from content completion into the ad. Do not equate a finished editorial video with an advertisement that played to completion.
A standalone video advertisement appears within an article or content feed without an accompanying editorial video. The visitor is browsing the page rather than waiting for a requested video to begin; placement, sound and visibility controls define the experience.
Describe the actual placement accurately to buying partners. A player with surrounding video content may require a different classification from a standalone advertisement.
The viewer chooses to watch an advertisement in exchange for a clearly described benefit, such as additional access within an experience. Rewarded describes that optional exchange and its completion rules; it does not specify the device or the ad’s timing.
Explain the benefit before the choice and validate the qualifying reward event. Playback completion, ad dismissal and reward confirmation are distinct integration states.
A video advertisement plays within an internet-connected television experience. CTV describes the screen and delivery environment; it may use pre-roll or mid-roll breaks, for example. Remote-control interaction, media compatibility and measurement differ from a typical clickable website player.
Confirm compatible inventory, playback integration and creative specifications before planning a CTV campaign. Desktop click behavior should not be assumed on a television.
Illustrative examples, not live advertising. Available inventory, creative requirements and delivery behavior are confirmed for your setup.
An eligible viewing opportunity starts the agreed VAST flow.
The player loads supported media and records playback events.
Available start, completion and click events inform campaign review.
Use the opening moments to establish the product and the reason to keep watching. Prepare media that meets the player’s technical requirements, with a clear destination where click-through is supported. Compare video engagement with your campaign’s wider conversion objective.
Plan a video ads campaignConnect eligible video inventory with compatible demand while preserving the viewing experience. Test the player, media loading, wrappers and tracking before scaling. Delivery errors and interruptions can affect the value of an otherwise attractive placement.
Discuss your websiteSeparate requests, filled responses, starts, completions and player errors. Completion rate needs a clearly defined denominator.
Player compatibility, duration, sound, skipping and placement behavior are agreed for the integration. A VAST response alone does not guarantee playback.
Start with the actual viewing experience: the device, player, content and intended advertising break. A VAST connection supplies ad information; the compatible player or insertion service determines how that information becomes playback.
A publisher with editorial video connects an agreed VAST tag to its player’s advertising configuration. Pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll depend on the planned content schedule. Confirm player compatibility before treating a returned creative as ready for delivery.
Editorial video with defined advertising breaks.
An outstream unit brings a standalone video advertisement into an article or feed. It needs a suitable player and reserved page space. The integration must describe the actual placement and define visibility, sound and playback behavior for that environment.
Articles and feeds without an accompanying editorial video.
Rewarded advertising requires a clear viewer choice and a defined benefit; connected TV requires a compatible television delivery path. These dimensions can overlap. Agree the supported player, demand and measurement arrangements instead of reusing web settings without device testing.
Approved reward models or streaming-TV environments.
Follow what happens on the device. The integration, placement and browser all shape the experience your audience receives.
The player requests advertising at the configured moment. An empty response, timeout or incompatible asset can end that opportunity before the viewer sees an advertisement.
Ad start, first quartile, midpoint, third quartile and completion describe different playback milestones. Loading a VAST response does not establish any of those milestones or prove attention.
A web viewer may follow an available click-through. A connected-TV experience need not offer a click at all. Evaluate the agreed viewing objective and attribution method for that campaign.
Prepare an event map before sending live demand. It should identify what the player reports, which system receives it and how both parties distinguish delivery evidence from technical failures or repeated notifications.
Document the site or app, player, placement context and permitted traffic source. Match that description to the actual experience and the requirements of the connected demand.
Check the VAST response, wrapper resolution, media compatibility and timeout behavior in a test placement. Verify that a failed creative leaves the viewer a usable content experience.
Associate events with the agreed playback identifier. Deduplicate repeated reports of the same milestone without combining separate ad plays or discarding tracking intended for different authorized recipients.
Separate completed playback from a rewarded benefit, click or attributed conversion. When conversions are relevant, apply the advertiser’s attribution and acceptance conditions before presenting them as accepted results.
Active filters, validation criteria and reporting treatment are agreed for the integration.
Use the source, event history and destination together when reviewing traffic quality.
Review unusual playback sequences, repeated identifiers and source concentrations. Compare them with player diagnostics; a missing milestone or playback error alone does not establish fraud.
Automation and misrepresented inventory require quality review. Slow networks, unsupported media and accidental exits require different investigation. Preserve the reason for exclusion rather than treating every discrepancy alike.
Agree available verification and consent requirements. VPAID is deprecated and should not be the default for a new setup; assess supported VAST, Open Measurement and SIMID capabilities where relevant.
Compare like-for-like events. Use this guide to agree the reporting definitions for your video ads setup before traffic starts.
Judge video delivery through the player’s event chain and the campaign’s agreed objective. A response, completed view and accepted conversion answer different questions.
Connect the creative, placement and reporting decisions before traffic starts. These are the practical questions to resolve with your team.
A video campaign needs both a useful message and media the intended player can handle. Establish the placement, accepted duration, media requirements and supported click-through behavior before producing the final export. Make the opening communicate the product clearly, and consider how the story is understood when sound is unavailable or the viewer chooses not to enable it.
Check that the video, destination and any companion elements describe the same offer. Review the actual player preview rather than only the source file. If a tag-based setup is used, test the complete response path and the tracking events it provides; a valid-looking tag is only one part of a successful playback.
A publisher should describe where the video opportunity occurs and what the visitor expects to watch. Establish how advertising relates to the main content, how the player behaves at narrow widths and which controls remain available. Do not assume that every integration includes identical autoplay, sound, skipping or ad-break behavior.
Test slow media responses and failed ad loads as well as successful playback. The fallback should allow the surrounding experience to proceed according to the agreed implementation. Review wrapper handling, compatibility and error reporting with the integration team so technical failures can be distinguished from a lack of eligible advertising demand.
Read video reporting as a sequence: request, eligible response, load, start, progress and completion where those events are supported. A filled response that never starts is a different issue from an advertisement that starts but is not completed. Investigate the stage at which delivery drops before changing the creative or the inventory allocation.
Define the denominator when reporting completion rate, and compare like-for-like placement and creative lengths. Completion can be useful for a storytelling objective, while an acquisition campaign also needs a way to assess qualified visits or conversions. Neither a completed playback nor a click alone establishes attention, customer value or an accepted sale.
A demonstration, product experience or narrative can justify a video creative. A static message may be better served by a clear display or native placement. The decision should consider what the visitor learns from the motion, the player's suitability and the production work required, rather than assuming video will outperform other formats.
A compatible player or agreed video placement is required. The team reviews the site and viewing environment first.
VAST is a supported integration family. Version, media requirements and event behavior must match the selected player.
No. A response still needs compatible media, a working player path and a successful load. Use available start and playback events to investigate what happened after the response, and distinguish delivery errors from a lack of demand.
It answers one question about playback under the chosen measurement definition. Compare similar lengths and placements, and connect it to the actual objective. An advertiser seeking purchases or qualified leads also needs to assess those outcomes.
No. The player still has to load and play compatible media. Playback events provide additional evidence, while a completion event alone cannot establish whether the viewer paid attention.
Only when a supported interaction and click objective were explicitly agreed. Many connected-TV experiences are evaluated through delivery and playback measures, with any downstream attribution defined separately.