Video ad serving specifications

Third-party in-stream video ads are accepted on Authorized Buyers according to the specifications and policies outlined below. Support for in-stream video ads applies to mobile applications and on sites accessed through mobile browsers.

On this page

• Specifications for video and companion ads
• VAST requirements
• Creative requirements
• SSL-compliance requirements
• CORS header requirement

Specifications for video and companion ads

In-stream video ad

* Separate snippets are generated when different width and height values are declared. We recommend consistency when declaring video ad sizes.

** The user device and IMA SDK choose the first media file encountered where the file type listed is a video format that the device can understand. This is determined by client-side software run for video ad requests. The MP4 requirement ensures sufficient device coverage.

*** Publishers commonly allow longer durations for skippable ads (determined by the skippable_max_ad_duration signal). If you have longer format ads, such as 60 or more seconds, consider making them skippable to improve your reach.

Companion ad (optional, but recommended)

VAST requirements

Third-party in-stream ads must be served via a linear VAST pre-fetch tag by a VAST vendor approved specifically for Authorized Buyers. See the list of approved Ad Manager vendors.

• All VAST tags must comply with the Google XML summary for VAST ad server response. 
• VAST 2.0 or higher is supported.
• No more than two VAST wrappers that redirect to one VAST in-line is permitted.
• Media files: For each video ad served in a VAST tag, a <mediafile></mediafile> node is required for the MP4 video format. Other formats, such as HLS may be included but might not be used. If a tag does not include each of the formats, it will only serve on the players with the included formats. Missing media files do not result in disapproved ads, but are filtered at runtime. Progressive is required. Streaming is optional.
• Ad system: Consistent <adsystem></adsystem> node value: All of your VAST tags should include a specific consistent value for your company in the <adsystem></adsystem> node in the VAST XML. For example, Google always includes the following for VAST tags: <adsystem>Google</adsystem>.
• Ad ID value: Each VAST tag should include a unique value for the id attribute in the <ad></ad> node. Two different VAST tags should not have the same value. For example:
  • VAST tag 1:  <ad id="3947179">
  • VAST tag 2:  <ad id="8741831">
• Companion: Only the following resource types will be allowed for <companion></companion> node:
  • StaticResource: URI to a static file, such as an image
  • IFrameResource: URI source for an iframe to display the companion element
  •  HTMLResource
• Tracking: Supported TrackingEvents (wrapper may include more than one node per event):
  • start
  • firstQuartile
  • midpoint
  • thirdQuartile
  • complete
  • mute
  • unmute
  • pause
  • resume

Creative requirements

• Audio is not allowed for companion ads.
• Creatives may not expand past ad unit boundaries.
• Creatives must play inline by including the playsinline parameter. Creatives may not expand past ad unit boundaries unless initiated by the user.
• On all ads with partially black, white, or transparent backgrounds, you must add a visible border of a contrasting color to the majority background color of the creative.
• All creatives must be free of applications, such as viruses, spyware, and malware.
• Creative coding may not use cross-domain scripting or set cookies in unapproved domains.
• All creatives must open in new windows. The target window for the clickthrough URL must be set to "_blank" to open in a new window. Do not leave the target undeclared.

SSL-compliance requirements

• Vendors must receive certification to serve VAST ads on SSL-compliant publisher inventory.
• All ad responses must be SSL-compliant (HTTPS). All servers require full SSL certification.
• Companion ad banners as well as any fourth-party calls to other technologies within the companion ad banner must also be made from SSL-compliant vendors that have been certified by Google.
• Buyers must declare through RTB or the Authorized Buyers UI that the ad is SSL-compliant. If an ad is declared as SSL-compliant but makes any non-SSL-compliant responses, the ad will be disapproved.

VAST-specific SSL requirements

• VAST tags should auto-detect requests from an HTTP or HTTPS protocol and auto-adjust the URIs and companion banners to be SSL-compliant, if necessary.
• Vendors and buyers must ensure that any URIs within the VAST XML (for instance, the <impression></impression>, <mediafile></mediafile>, and other nodes) that are served by a party other than the primary VAST vendor are also from vendors approved by Google for SSL-compliant ad serving or tracking.

CORS header requirement

In order for Google's HTML5 SDK to serve video ads from a third-party ad server, the third-party ad server must include a CORS header in all of its responses. The CORS header must be formatted as follows:

Access-Control-Allow-Origin: [allow domain access from the originating request]

OR

Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *

More information

You can read more about other video topics in Authorized Buyers:

• Skippable video ads
• Video ads outside of a video player
• In-banner video