Videoads

Videoads are digital advertisements that use video to convey messages to viewers. They are used across online video content, streaming services, social media, and embedded players on websites. Typical placements include preroll ads that play before the main video, midroll ads inserted during the video, postroll ads after the video, as well as outstream or in-feed video ads that play within non-video content. Short-form formats such as bumper ads (6 seconds) and skippable or non-skippable formats are common, and rewarded video ads offer users an incentive for watching.

Video ads are delivered via ad servers, demand-side platforms, ad exchanges, and supply-side platforms, often programmatically. Advertisers bid in real time for impressions, and publishers monetize video inventory through video ad networks. Common metrics include viewability (percentage of an ad that is actually seen), completion rate, CPM, CPC, and engagement metrics like clicks or video interactions. Industry standards are guided by bodies such as the IAB and organizations like MRC for measurement validity.

Targeting for videoads includes audience-based targeting (demographics, interests), contextual targeting, and retargeting, frequently executed through programmatic channels. Privacy and data protection considerations have increased under regulations such as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), with user consent and data minimization becoming central practices.

Historically, video advertising grew with online video platforms in the early 2000s and gained scale with mobile devices and connected TVs in the 2010s. Today, videoads are a core monetization mechanism for content publishers and a central format for brand storytelling and performance advertising across digital media.