CTV Creative Specification

Important Connected TV (CTV) creatives details:

• CTV creatives can be hosted in Admatx or via third party tag, which you decide when uploading your creatives.
• If using third-party creatives, to reach the most CTV inventory, include a media file from each spec type.
• The majority of CTV devices do not support the ability to click through to a landing page.
• For VAST bid responses, most CTV inventory accepts only the VAST 2.0 standard.
• Be sure to upload the highest-quality file you have available.
• Certain requirements (such as bitrates) vary drastically by publisher.

General Requirements and Guidelines

Regardless of the publisher, all creatives must meet the following requirements:

 

File format

• Only MP4 files are allowed for CTV ad placements.
• FLV and WebM files are not supported for CTV.

 

File tags

• Third-party creatives must be VAST tags only.
• VPAID tags are not supported on CTV.
• While there is not a specific version of VAST that should be used with CTV creatives, keep in mind that VAST 3.0 and VAST 4.0 are typically less scalable.

If you're using a standard VAST tag that includes a VPAID component (for example, as part of an API framework), then this cannot cause any issues for your CTV creative. A VAST wrapper with VPAID functionality is not the same as a VPAID wrapper.

 

Creative file

• It is a best practice to assign one tag to each creative media asset.
• Creative file rotation through one tag is not recommended.

 

SSL compliance

• All creatives must be SSL compliant.

 

Publisher verification

• If you expect to run on specific publishers, be sure to share the creative with the publisher prior to activation. This ensures that your creative meets their specifications.

Media File Requirements

Here's what you need to know about media file requirements for CTV creatives:

 

• A constant frame rate is required.
  Frame rate is the number of frames played per second (FPS).
• No telecine, interlacing, or duplicate frames are allowed.
  Telecine refers to footage that has been converted from its native or source rate (for example, 24 frames per second) to broadcast or another rate by inserting a duplicate frame every fourth frame, or by blending or interlacing every third frame together.
• Bitrates vary drastically by publisher. Typically, a minimum of 1200 kbps to 1500 kbps is required. A bitrate of 1.6 mbps to 3.2 mbps is preferred.
  For example, Hulu-hosted videos must have a minimum bitrate of 15,025 kbps.
• The maximum file size is determined by multiplying the duration of the media by its bitrate. For example, 30 seconds x 15,000 kbps = 450 MB or 0.45 GB.
• A mezzanine is a compressed video file that is visually indistinguishable from the full-resolution master exported from your editing program, but significantly smaller in size. It’s not a specific file type, but rather a description of a general set of parameters used to create a file that looks great—without the information that’s only useful to a video editor. The mezzanine file requires a 1920 × 1080 resolution with a video bitrate of at least 15,000 kbps or higher.

 

 

Type	Mezzanine	High-Quality	Medium-Quality	Low-Quality
File type	MP4	MP4	MP4	MP4
Resolution	1920x1080	1920x1080	1280x720	1280x720
Bitrate range	15,000 kbps to 30,000 kbps	4,000 kbps to 6,500 kbps	1,200 kbps to 3,500 kbps	500 kbps to 1,200 kbps
Maximum file size	10 GB	N/A	N/A	N/A
Frame rate (FPS)	23.98 or 29.97	23.98 or 29.97	23.98 or 29.97	23.98 or 29.97
Audio sample rate	48 kHz	48 kHz	48 kHz	48 kHz

 

Creating a TV campaign in Admatx

Here's what you need to know about setting up and launching a TV campaign and tactics in Admatx:

 

• Campaign Creation:

• Objective: Typically CTV and OTT are used to drive brand awareness
• Primary Channel: TV
• KPI: Nearly all CTV inventory is non clickable therefore you will not want a click based primary KPI. Typical KPIs include Video Completion Rate, CPCV, Reach, Incremental Reach followed by CPA, ROAS, Viewability and vCPM

 

• Tactic Creation: It is best practice to split your tactics into OTT vs CTV. OTT will drive lower CPMs while CTV will drive higher completion rates. The two tactics vary drastically in inventory price.

• Media Type: TV
• Device Type: For CTV you will select ConnectedTV. For OTT you will select Mobile, PC and Tablet.
• Ad Environments: In-App
• Audience: Ensure you have cross device turned on and target household level devices selected. It is recommended to target everyone.
• Publisher Placement

• Market Type: For CTV select Private Market Only. For OTT select Open market and private market.
• Select Private Contract Group
• Search “Admatx - CTV/OTT”

TV Channel

Terms

 

Advanced TV vs. Addressable TV

Addressable TV enables you to target your digital ads on a TV-viewing-household level, which is one of the many advanced TV advertising methods.

 

Advanced TV

• Refers to all of the ways that you can serve ads to your TV-viewing audience, ranging from streaming services to addressable TV.
• You can access advanced TV across both CTV and OTT devices.

 

Addressable TV

• Simply put, this is a household targeting strategy.
• Even if multiple households are watching the same TV program, addressable TV allows advertisers to serve a different ad to each of these households.

 

CTV vs. OTT vs. FEP

Connected TV (CTV) - Think of CTV as the device or the technology

• Connects your TV screen to the internet, whether by stick, dongle, gaming console, or even a connection built in to the TV itself.
• CTV enables you to access premium content on a TV screen without the need for a cable subscription.
• CTV delivers OTT content

 

Over-the-Top (OTT)  - Think of OTT as the inventory or the content

• Includes TV content that is served over the internet.
• Definitions of OTT differ depending on the publisher delivering the content but generally speaking inventory is considered OTT when it is television-like content where the user is engaged in a show or long form content as opposed to general video content of the web.
• OTT content can be viewed on a CTV device, mobile, tablet or desktop.

 

Full-Episode Player (FEP) 

• Includes professionally produced TV-like content that can appear on any device type, and across both apps and web browsers. The content is TV length (typically 30 to 60 minutes) with commercial breaks in between.
• FEP videos are a form of OTT inventory.

 

See Also: CTV FAQS