Pre-Roll Video
MAX DIMENSIONS
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Minimum: 1280×720
- Maximum: 1920×1080
DISPLAY DURATION
- Minimum: 15s
- Maximum: 30s
MAX FILE SIZE
- Uncompressed: 300MB
ACCEPTED FORMATS AND REQUIREMENTS (SITE SERVING)
- MP4, MOV
- 1×1 tracking pixel
MAX BITRATE
- 3rd Party: 5MB (tag must include one MP4 file of less than 1MB bit rate for YouTube)
- Locally Hosted: CNET Group will create two files, one 5MB file and one file with a bitrate less than 1MB to meet both CNET Group and YouTube specs.
ACCEPTED TAGS (3RD PARTY)
- VPAID 2.0, VAST 3.0+
3RD PARTY SERVING REQUIREMENTS
Lead time: 3 business days
- Pre-roll window is clickable with links to advertiser site
- 3rd party tags must include only MP4 files. No other formats are accepted.
- Secure urls (https) are required for all tags, including all asset, landing page, and redirect urls within the tag.
- VPAID ads can only run on Desktop or Mobile Web. Mobile Apps, OTT Apps and YouTube are VAST-only. The only exception is DCM hybrid tags that contain both Activeview JS VPAID Script and MP4 video files.
- All 3rd party tags must have one or more files with a bitrate less than 1MB. This is a requirement for running on YouTube. The maximum bit rate for an individual video file within a tag set is 5MB.
- VAST/VPAID tags can only contain one video length for all videos within the tag. Multiple 15s OR 30s assets are allowed in one tag, but 15s and 30s must run in separate tags.
- All VAST tags with videos over 20 seconds in length are required to have a skip node.
- Fourth-party wrapping of a VAST tag or any billing pixel within it, is not allowed.
- IAS and DV wrapping of VAST tag is allowed as long as blocking is not enabled.
- IAS, DV, and MOAT VPAID is not accepted.
- Due to GDPR we have to site host all preroll that runs in EU territories
In addition, when submitting a VAST tag, at least 1 transcode from each level is required: Orange (high), Blue (medium), Green (low):
VAST TRANSCODES
Referred to in IAB specs as “Media Files” section 2.3.1.3 on page 29
| Required Bit Rate | Codecs Accepted | Min Dimensions | Max File Size | Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 – 30 Mbps | H.264 (High Profile) | 1920x1080 | 1.7 GB Max | Mezzanine file required for SSAI environments |
| Bit Rate | Codecs Accepted | Min Dimensions | Max File Size (Based on Duration) | Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,100 kbps +/- 50 kbps | H.264 (High Profile) | 1024x576 | 4.5MB (15s) / 9MB (30s) / 18MB (60s) | High bandwidth users |
| 1,500 kbps +/- 50 kbps | H.264 (High Profile) | 960x540 | 3.5MB (15s) / 7MB (30s) / 14MB (60s) | Standard asset for most users and pre roll |
| 750 kbps +/- 50 kbps | H.264 (High Profile) | 768x432 | 1.8MB (15s) / 3.5MB (30s) / 7MB (60s) | Standard asset for most users and pre roll |
| 375 kbps +/- 50 kbps | H.264 (High Profile) | 640x360 | 1MB (15s) / 2MB (30s) / 4MB (60s) | Low bandwidth users |
| Bit Rate | Codecs Accepted | Min Dimensions | Max File Size (Based on Duration) | Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 kbps +/- 50 kbps | WebM (VP8 or VP9) | 1920x1080 | 4MB (15s) / 8MB (30s) / 16MB (60s) | Older Browser Versions, high bandwidth |
| 700 kbps +/- 50 kbps | WebM (VP8 or VP9) | 854x480 | 2MB (15s) / 4MB (30s) / 8MB (60s) | Older Browser Versions |
| 360 kbps +/- 50 kbps | WebM (VP8 or VP9) | 640x360 | 1MB (15s) / 2MB (30s) / 4MB (60s) | Older Browser Versions, low bandwidth |