Ad Formats
Supported ad formats, with their pricing models and creative requirements.
There are many different ad formats which Advertisers can use in their campaigns, and Publishers can see in their ad zones.
Web
Banner
These are classic display banners, which are available in a range of different sizes.
Available Pricing Models
CPC
CPM
Smart CPM
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
JPEG, PNG or GIF in one of the supported sizes: 160x600, 300x100, 300x250, 300x500, 728x90, 900x250 (footer). Other dimensions available on request.
Maximum weight 150KB.
900x250 Footer Banner formats must be one large single image in JPEG, PNG, or GIF format.
Sticky Banner
A display banner that can be made to ‘stick’ in a specific position on a desktop screen. There are nine positions available. The sticky banner comes in various sizes.
Available Pricing Models
CPM
Smart CPM
CPC
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
Maximum weight of 150KB:
JPEG
PNG
GIF
Popunder
A popunder can be configured to trigger when a user:
Clicks anywhere on page
Clicks on a link
Clicks a specific class (Google Compliant)
A large format which appears hidden behind the main browser window where it remains unnoticed until the user closes or minimizes the main browser window, which then displays the ad.
Available Pricing Models
CPM
Smart CPM
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
Advertiser's landing page URL
Instant Message
This is typically a copy of the Instant Messenger chat box. This ad format appears at the bottom of the page.
Available Pricing Models
CPM
Smart CPM
CPC
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
300x250 or 250x150 JPEG, PNG, GIF
Maximum weight 150KB
Desktop Fullpage Interstitial
Large 1600x900 fullpage format on the horizontal interstitial that fills the full screen of the device, served during user navigation of a website. Google compliant featuring a Close ad option at the top right of the ad.
This ad format shows as a fully responsive page overlay which takes 100% of the width and height of Desktop, Smart TV and Console devices screens.
There is a small padding so that the Publisher’s site is still visible underneath.
It is preloaded and triggered when the user clicks on a link in the Publisher’s site and an impression is registered.
There is a Close Ad button on the top right. If the user clicks on it, they are redirected to the URL of the original click, in the original tab.
The ad will cover the full screen and can be dismissed by the visitor easily. The frequency that a visitor will see the ads can be configured.
It will only show if there is an ad available.
Conversion tracking and retargeting will work as normal.
In a situation where an In-Page Push and Desktop Fullpage Interstitial ads are being shown on a page at the same time, the Interstitial ad displays over the In-Page Push ads.
Available Pricing Models
Smart CPM
CPM
CPC
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
1600x900 JPEG, PNG, GIF (maximum weight 300KB)
MP4 video (maximum weight 1.5MB)
iFrame (responsive image or page optimized to 1600x900)
Direct Link
The Direct Link is a premium CPC format that Publishers can present in several ways, most commonly as full-page tabs, push notifications and backbutton offers. Available from selected Publishers by request only.
Available Pricing Models
CPC
Smart CPC
Creative Requirements
Advertiser's landing page URL
Email Clicks
An email is sent to the end user which contains a call to action (advertisers link) that directs the user to the advertiser’s landing page or sign up form.
Available Pricing Models
CPC
Smart CPC
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
Advertiser's landing page URL
Email Banner
Email Banner ads are ads that are shown inside emails/newsletters.
Available Pricing Models
CPM
Smart CPM
CPC
Smart CPC
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
JPEG, PNG or GIF in one of the supported sizes: 300x100, 300x250, 300x500, 728x90, 160x600, 900x250. Other dimensions available on request.
Maximum weight 150KB by default
Video
In-Stream Video (VAST)
The In-Stream Video format works with all major video players and plays automatically when a visitor starts a website's video content. It is customizable with clickable calls to action and features a Skip ad button.
Fluid Player is a free HTML5 video player with advanced VAST capabilities. It is lightweight and easy to integrate.
What is VAST
The IAB Digital Video Ad Serving Template (VAST) specification is a universal XML schema for serving ads to digital video players, and describes expected video player behavior when executing VAST-formatted ad responses.
In short, VAST makes it possible for an ad provider to serve ads to various video players using a universal way of communication which all these players understand.
The Ad Server supports VAST v3 and v4.3. The full specification for each version is published by the IAB Tech Lab.
For the full VAST reference, including the tag structure and the supported tracking events, see the VAST documentation for Publishers.
How VAST Works
VAST Request: The video player makes a call to the ad server for a VAST response.
VAST Inline Response: The ad server responds with a VAST Inline response that contains all the media files and tracking URIs required to display and track the ad.
Tracking URIs Pinged: The video player requests tracking resources from the tracking URIs provided when associated events occur in the ad.
Events and Statistics
Currently the system tracks three events when a VAST ad is being processed:
Selecting a specific In-Stream ad to display: the exact timing of the event depends on the video player, but most often it is triggered when the site visitor presses the player Play button. In the statistics page a new Video Impression is registered.
10 seconds being watched at normal speed: when this event takes place, the video player notifies the ad provider. Then the CPV charge is triggered. This event is displayed in the statistics page as a Video View.
Clicking on the In-Stream ad: the video player notifies the ad provider, so a standard click event is registered. The statistics page displays it as a standard Click.
Requirements for In-Stream Video (VAST)
The video quality needs to be high enough to be easily viewable to all site visitors:
Type: MPEG-4 video (video/mp4).
Video Codec: H.264.
Audio Codec: MPEG-4 AAC.
Maximum weight 51.2MB.
Aspect Ratio: Popular video players automatically resize the video so that it fits to their dimensions while keeping the ratio. Nevertheless, a ratio matching the player ratio (if known) is preferable.
Resolution: The resolution should be viewable by all site visitors.
Duration: The minimum duration is 15 seconds. There is no limitation on the maximum duration, but longer videos must still meet the file size limit above.
Requirements using VAST Creatives
VAST creatives must include the skip event. Set the skipoffset attribute on the Linear element to 00:00:05:
Once viewers click the link, the video content that they see must match the product.
Advertisers must own the full copyright or be officially authorized to use all materials featured in the video (proof may be required).
The video content should be visually appealing and creative. Original content will help to generate better quality leads.
Video campaigns may be declined at any time if they are unsuitable for the network or its Publishers.
Available Pricing Models
CPM
Smart CPM
CPC
CPV
Smart Bid
VAST for Advertisers
In-Stream Campaign Generation
The steps in generating an In-Stream campaign are similar to the generation of any other campaign type. Nevertheless, there are a few specific settings if the new In-Stream ad format is selected:
Configuring the pricing: a new pricing model, called CPV (Cost-Per-View) is the only available model. The Advertiser sets the cost, which is triggered when 10 seconds of the video ad are displayed to the visitor at normal speed.
When setting one or more variations, the Advertiser uploads a single video file for each variation. Further below there is a description of the video file requirements.
VAST for Publishers
Structure of the VAST XML
The VAST XML is the response to the video player, containing a set of instructions, so that the player knows which ads to display and how to display them. Here is a sample structure of a VAST XML response. The VAST specification is very flexible regarding ad types, ways of displaying them and registering events. The Ad Server supports the following instructions, shown in the sample XML:
Displaying an In-Stream video ad before the actual video. The information about the ad is placed in the Creative section.
Optionally displaying a SKIP button, which can be initially disabled for a given number of seconds. This is set in the Linear skipoffset attribute.
URI to the actual video file: the MediaFile element.
URL, used to redirect the user upon clicking on the video ad: the ClickThrough element.
URL(s), used by the video player to report various actions that took place while playing the video: the Tracking element(s). The Ad Server registers the event of displaying 10 seconds of the video at normal speed.
Error: this URL is used by the video player to report various problems while trying to display an ad. The VAST-compatible players automatically replace the [ERRORCODE] placeholder with an appropriate error code.
VAST Error Codes
100
XML parsing error.
101
VAST schema validation error.
102
VAST version of response not supported.
200
Trafficking error. Media player received an Ad type that it was not expecting and/or cannot play.
201
Media player expecting different linearity.
202
Media player expecting different duration.
203
Media player expecting different size.
204
Ad category was required but not provided.
205
Inline Category violates Wrapper BlockedAdCategories (refer 3.19.2).
206
Ad Break shortened. Ad was not served.
300
General Wrapper error.
301
Timeout of VAST URI provided in Wrapper element, or of VAST URI provided in a subsequent Wrapper element. (URI was either unavailable or reached a timeout as defined by the media player.)
302
Wrapper limit reached, as defined by the media player. Too many Wrapper responses have been received with no InLine response.
303
No VAST response after one or more Wrappers.
304
InLine response returned ad unit that failed to result in ad display within defined time limit.
400
General Linear error. Media player is unable to display the Linear Ad.
401
File not found. Unable to find Linear/MediaFile from URI.
402
Timeout of MediaFile URI.
403
Couldn’t find MediaFile that is supported by this media player, based on the attributes of the MediaFile element.
405
Problem displaying MediaFile. Media player found a MediaFile with supported type but couldn’t display it. MediaFile may include: unsupported codecs, different MIME type than MediaFile@type, unsupported delivery method, etc.
406
Mezzanine was required but not provided. Ad not served.
407
Mezzanine is in the process of being downloaded for the first time. Download may take several hours. Ad will not be served until mezzanine is downloaded and transcoded.
408
Conditional ad rejected. (deprecated along with conditionalAd)
409
Interactive unit in the InteractiveCreativeFile node was not executed.
410
Verification unit in the Verification node was not executed.
411
Mezzanine was provided as required, but file did not meet required specification. Ad not served.
500
General NonLinearAds error.
501
Unable to display NonLinearAd because creative dimensions do not align with creative display area (i.e. creative dimension too large).
502
Unable to fetch NonLinearAds/NonLinear resource.
503
Couldn’t find NonLinear resource with supported type.
600
General CompanionAds error.
601
Unable to display Companion because creative dimensions do not fit within Companion display area (i.e., no available space).
602
Unable to display required Companion.
603
Unable to fetch CompanionAds/Companion resource.
604
Couldn’t find Companion resource with supported type.
900
Undefined Error.
901
General VPAID error.
902
General InteractiveCreativeFile error. code
In-Stream Ad Zone Generation
Publishers are able to create In-Stream ad zones, used for displaying the In-Stream campaigns by the VAST-compatible video players. The steps to create an In-Stream ad zone are similar to those of any other zones and one new setting is presented:
Ability to set an optional Skip button, as well as the interval during which the button is disabled for clicking.
When the Publisher generates the ad zone a unique VAST tag is presented. It looks similar to:
The advertiser can use the provided URL for setting the video player request and display a VAST ad. The exact integration is specific to each video player, so the player documentation should be followed.
Video Slider
Video format that slides in from the bottom right of a web page once the page has loaded. Features a close ad button.
Available Pricing Models
CPM
Smart CPM
CPC
CPV
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
MP4 with a maximum weight of 51.2MB
Outstream Video
A responsive video format that can be placed anywhere on a site. It plays when more than 50% of it is revealed:
Plays on mute and can be unmuted by the user.
Features a Close Ad button on the top right. Simply disappears when closed.
Features a branding button on the top left, which can be turned on and off by the Publisher.
Multiple outstream videos can be used on a single page.
Will not show in containers smaller than 200px.
Publishers can set the video to respond to the container size, or enter a custom size from 200 to 1080 pixels.
Available Pricing Models
CPM
Smart CPM
CPC
CPV
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
MP4 with a maximum weight of 51.2MB
Video Banners
Short video content banners with optimized playback.
Available Pricing Models
CPM
Smart CPM
CPC
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
MP4 with a maximum weight of 150KB in the following dimensions:
160x600
300x100
300x250
728x90
In-Video Banner (VAST)
Displayed within a video player. The banner can be shown pre-roll, post-roll, on pause, or at a custom point. Available in 300x250 and 728x90.
Available Pricing Models
CPM
Smart CPM
CPC
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
Maximum weight 150KB:
JPEG
PNG
GIF
Vertical Video (VAST)
A short-form vertical video format (9:16) designed for placement inside Reels, Shorts, and TikTok-style feeds. The format is served as a VAST tag, so all UI, playback behavior, and interaction logic are owned by the Publisher's own video player. The Vertical Video format works best inside a short-form video feed containing at least 20 organic video items (not ads). The ad sits between two organic videos and follows the same swipe or scroll behavior as the surrounding content.
Recommended User Interaction Patterns (Publisher-Controlled)
The following behaviors are common in vertical video carousel implementations. They are implemented by the Publisher's player and are not enforced by the Ad Server:
The ad can be swiped away immediately (from 0 seconds).
The video typically autoplays on mute when visible, and pauses when no longer in view.
The video may loop while in view until the user swipes to the next item.
Upon completion, the video may remain visible and optionally offer a replay action.
Impression tracking follows standard VAST impression and quartile reporting, consistent with other Video formats.
It is recommended that the player does not re-request a new VAST ad when the user scrolls back to a previously served ad within the same session; the player should replay the cached creative locally instead of triggering a new VAST call.
Available Pricing Models
CPM
Smart CPM
CPC
CPV
Creative Requirements
Format: MP4.
Maximum weight 51.2MB.
Aspect Ratio: 9:16, with a ±10% tolerance (8.1 – 9.9 : 14.4 – 17.6).
Recommended dimensions: 480x854 (minimum). 720x1280 and 1080x1920 are also accepted.
Minimum dimensions: 480x854.
Maximum dimensions: 1080x1920.
Duration: Minimum 5 seconds, maximum 30 seconds.
Mandatory campaign material: Video file + Friendly URL.
Optional campaign material: Call to Action (CTA), Title, Description, Interaction Buttons.
Native
Recommendation Widget
The recommendation widget is fully customizable and features images, a short piece of text with a title and description, and an optional video thumb. Native ads are fully responsive across desktop, mobile and tablet.
Available Pricing Models
CPM
Smart CPM
CPC
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
Ad Servers can be configured to support Native Ads with aspect ratios of 16:9, 4:3, and 1:1 and with sizes ranging from 300 to 900 pixels wide and 300 to 900 pixels hight within those aspect ratios.
They should be in PNG or JPEG file formats only.
The maximum weight is 150KB.
The Brand field must clearly define the brand or product name which is being promoted. This should match with the landing page.
There should be no animation.
There should be no borders or margins.
The landing page should provide some form of content, such as text, pictures or videos.
The landing page should be an article, tutorial, or blog post.
iFrame (responsive image optimized to 300x300).
Optionally, Advertisers can add a video thumb (video preview on touch/hover) with a limit of 10 seconds and a maximum size of 1.5MB.
For a seamless hover effect, use the first frame of the video as the image and match its aspect ratio.
Anchor Point Selection
When uploading image assets for Native ad variations, Advertisers can define the Anchor Point to control how the image is displayed across different placements.
The Anchor Point tool lets Advertisers specify which part of the image should remain in focus when the image is adapted to fit various formats. This helps preserve key visual elements of the creative. By default, the center of the image is selected, but Advertisers can choose from nine positions (top, bottom, sides, corners, and center) using the directional arrows in the asset upload modal.
If a video thumb is added to the variation, the anchor point selected for the image is also applied to the video thumb. There is no separate anchor point for the video. Both assets are cropped to fit the ad zone using the same anchor point, so the image and the video render consistently on hover. The video thumb always fills the full native ad area, preserving its original aspect ratio, with no black bars or letterboxing.
This feature is available when selecting ad assets for Native campaigns and helps ensure consistent and optimized visual presentation across all Native placements.
Push Notifications
Push Notifications 720x480 (icon + image) or 192x192 (icon only) and text are sent to opted in users of a Publisher's website. Users receive them on their desktop, tablet and mobile devices even when they are not browsing the Internet. Users can opt out through their browser settings.
Push Notifications are supported on the following devices, operating systems and browsers:
Desktop
Windows and Linux
Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera
Desktop
macOS
Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Safari 16+ (macOS 13+)
Mobile and tablet
Android
Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Samsung Internet
Mobile and tablet
iOS and iPadOS
Not supported
Push Notifications - 720x480 (Icon + Image)
Advertisers upload one 720x480 image, used for both the icon and the main image of the push notification.
Creative Requirements
The image must be 720x480 in JPEG, PNG or GIF file formats.
Maximum weight 150KB.
Title Text: Maximum 50 characters.
Description Text: Maximum 90 characters. Some browsers restrict this further.
No adult and explicit content for banner creatives and text descriptions, but adult landing pages are acceptable.
Push Notifications - 192x192 (Icon)
Advertisers upload one 192x192 image, used for the icon only, where the device supports it.
Creative Requirements
The image must be 192x192 in JPEG, PNG or GIF file formats.
Maximum weight 150KB.
Title Text: Maximum 50 characters.
Description Text: Maximum 90 characters. Some browsers restrict this further.
No adult and explicit content for banner creatives and text descriptions, but adult landing pages are acceptable.
In-Page Push Notifications
Advertisers upload a 192x192 or 720x480 image. The images are displayed as icons, where the device supports it.
In a situation where an In-Page Push and Desktop Fullpage Interstitial or Mobile Fullpage Interstitial ads are being shown on a page at the same time, the Interstitial ad displays over the In-Page Push ads.
Creative Requirements
The image must be 192x192 or 720x480 in JPEG, PNG or GIF file formats.
Maximum weight 150KB.
Title Text: Maximum 50 characters.
Description Text: Maximum 90 characters. Some browsers restrict this further.
No adult and explicit content for banner creatives and text descriptions, but adult landing pages are acceptable.
Mobile
Mobile Banner
The Mobile Banner format displays classic banners in sizes optimized for mobile, such as 300x50 and 300x100.
Available Pricing Models
CPM
Smart CPM
CPC
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
JPEG, PNG or GIF in the required dimensions, such as 300x50, 300x100
Maximum weight 150KB
Mobile Popunder
In the Mobile Popunder format, a popunder appears hidden behind the main browser window. Once displayed, the popunder remains unnoticed until the main browser window is closed, leaving the user’s attention free for the advertisement.
Available Pricing Models
CPM
Smart CPM
CPC
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
JPEG or PNG
Maximum weight 150KB
Mobile Instant Message
The Mobile Instant Message format looks similar to an instant messenger chat box. This ad format appears to users by displaying an ad at the bottom right of the mobile page.
Available Pricing Models
CPM
Smart CPM
CPC
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
300x100 or 300x250 JPEG or PNG
Maximum weight 150KB
Mobile Fullpage Interstitial
Responsive Fullpage large format on the vertical interstitial that fills the full screen of the device, served during user navigation of a website. Google compliant featuring a Close ad option at the top right of the ad.
This ad format shows as a fully responsive page overlay which takes 100% of the width and height of Vertical mobile screens. It is a 900x1600 banner which leads to a destination URL.
This ad format does not show if the mobile device is in horizontal mode.
If this ad format is displaying and the device is changed to horizontal mode, then it will close automatically.
There is a small padding so that the Publisher’s site is still visible underneath.
It is preloaded and triggered when the user clicks on a link in the Publisher’s site and an impression is registered.
There is a Close Ad button on the top right. If the user clicks on it, they are redirected to the URL of the original click, in the original tab.
It will only show if there is an ad available.
Conversion tracking and retargeting will work as normal.
In a situation where an In-Page Push and Mobile Fullpage Interstitial ads are being shown on a page at the same time, the Interstitial ad displays over the In-Page Push ads.
Available Pricing Models
Smart CPM
CPM
CPC
Smart Bid
Creative Requirements
900x1600 JPEG, PNG or GIF, maximum weight 300KB.
MP4 video, maximum weight 1.5MB.
iFrame, responsive to the 900x1600 aspect ratio.
Images and iFrames must follow the same Google Compliance rules as banners, and iFrames must have a clean history.
The ad must contain no misleading elements.
Multi-Format
Multi-Format ad zones allow Publishers to combine up to ten of their existing Banner and Native ad zones into a single zone. The zones compete against each other and the one with the highest eCPM is shown, either:
Once, or
Multiple times, arranged horizontally or vertically
Multi-Format zones have no pricing model of their own. Each ad is priced by the campaign that wins the auction, using the pricing model of its original zone.
Benefits
Multi-Format ad zones let Publishers increase inventory performance by showing several ad formats in one zone.
Multi-Format ad zones let Advertisers reach more placements without creating specific creatives for each one.
Zone Requirements
Up to ten Banners or Native ads (Recommendation Widget) can be added to a Multi-Format ad zone.
The maximum size for a Multi-Format ad zone using Banners is 1200px vertical or horizontal.
For example, the Multi-Format ad zone can contain maximum three 300x250 Banners if horizontal layout is used.
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