Stitched into the stream, priced by the slot.
Pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll video in streaming content, delivered through server-side ad insertion and sold into one competitive auction. The lean-back setting changes how completion behaves, and the pod structure changes how value is priced.
Illustrative placement
What it is.
CTV video is pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll advertising in streaming content, stitched into the stream server-side. Pods group creatives into breaks; the auction fills each slot; beacons report delivery back to you and to buyers. On television, most inventory is non-skippable, which makes completion the default behavior rather than an achievement.
The mechanics, in order.
Break planned in the manifest
Content cadence defines where breaks fall and how many slots each pod holds, within the pod limits we enforce.
Slots auctioned in position
Each slot is offered to demand with its position in the pod declared. First-in-pod prices differently than slot three, because reach differs.
Creatives stitched server-side
Winning creatives are stitched into the stream with competitive separation and frequency control applied across pods.
Beacons confirm delivery
Pod structure, slot position, completions and failures are reported server-side, per channel and per break.
Where this format belongs.
Pre-roll
Before content starts. Full audience, zero drop-off, and the highest-value slot in the pod for that reason.
Mid-roll
Inside content at natural pauses in the narrative. The workhorse of CTV monetization and the slot count that sets ad load.
Post-roll
After content ends. Retained audience only, often priced accordingly, and useful for guaranteed-deal flexibility.
The numbers that ship.
Durations, ratios and delivery formats, per TV platform
Creative durations, aspect ratios and delivery formats for TV are documented per platform in the CTV spec sheets, so each channel integrates against the requirements its platforms enforce.
The rules this format is held to.
Pods follow the limits in the publisher policy: slot counts, break durations, competitive separation and frequency. Skippable inventory is supported where a platform provides it, but the default on CTV is non-skippable, and placement policy treats it that way.
What each number tells you.
Completion rate
The share of stitched creatives that played out. On non-skippable CTV this is delivery quality, not user virtue.
Pod fill
How many slots per break found demand. Persistently unfilled tail slots are a demand-mix signal, not a defect to hide.
Frequency
How often the same household sees the same campaign across pods. The control that keeps viewers, and buyers, honest.
Every slot priced, every break stitched.
Channel operators: bring your content cadence. The CTV team will shape pods around it and confirm platform coverage.
SSAI · position-aware pricing · Net 60