IAB Updates VAST and VPAID Specs
Speaking at a conference in New York City, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced an update to its Video Ad-Serving Template (VAST) and Video Player-Ad Interface Definition (VPAID) protocols, which offer industry standards for online video advertising. The IAB also introduced a new protocol -- Video Multiple Ad Playlist (VMAP).
VMAP is sure to be a helpful addition, as it lets content owners determine where ad breaks will fall, even when they're not in control of the video player or the content's distribution.
The three protocols gain support for skippable video ads in pricing models where advertisers pay for complete viewings; for ad groupings within a single ad break; and for in-ad privacy notes, as recommended by the Digital Advertising Alliance Self-Regulation Program for Online Behavioral Advertising. Also, a single ad can now play across a range of devices and platforms.
Co-chairing the standards committee that created the specification updates was Teg Grenager, founder and vice-president of product at Adap.tv. "Creating this new suite of standards was certainly worth the effort, although it was huge undertaking," says Grenager. "All of us on the Working Group collaborated closely with the IAB team with one goal in mind -- the expansion of the digital video advertising marketplace. Now, with these new specs in place, I think we will increasingly see advertisers using them to create innovative new ad experiences for consumers, and distribute and measure them across partners and devices."
Related Articles
The mobile video ad space is still confusing for many marketers; a free guide helps them learn the basics and more.
11 Feb 2014
The online video advertising market has been slow to take off, but with the growth in tablet usage and social media—not to mention real-time bidding and other innovations in advertising networks and formats—it's finally moving toward maturity.
29 Feb 2012