Create or edit a master video tag manually

A master video tag is a URL used by a video player to retrieve video ads. To assemble a master video tag using the correct URL parameters, refer to the tables below. Once you've assembled the tag, you can test it with the VAST suite inspector.

Example

A sample video tag, with parameters and assigned values would look something like this:

https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?env=vp&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&iu=/1234/video-demo&sz=400x300&unviewed_position_start=1&ciu_szs=728x90,300x250

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You can also review and test using these sample tags.

 

Jump to a specific parameter in the list

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Required parameters                correlator description_url env gdfp_req iu output sz unviewed_position_start url

Optional parameters                 ad_rule ciu_szs cmsid | vid cust_params hl msid | an nofb pp ppid rdid | idtype | is_lat rdp tfcd npa vconp vpa vpi vpmute

Custom SDK parameters afvsz excl_cat lip max_ad_duration | min_ad_duration mridx pmad pmnd | pmxd pod ppos scor vad_type vpos wta Other SDK parameters excl_cat scor sid vad_type wta

 

Ad tags for live stream video must contain /live in their path to ensure the ability to handle heavy traffic volumes, where all ad breaks are delivered at the same time.

Video Solutions support both https and http. The impressions and VAST tracking URLs respect the SSL setting and will return either https or http as appropriate. Click-through and click-tracking are http since it redirects from another page.

Required parameters

The following parameters are required for all master video tags. Each of these parameters has a constant value. For example, the env parameter always equals vp to indicate that the request is from a video player.

Parameter	Description	Value
env	Indicates that the request is from a video player.	vp
gdfp_req	Indicates that the user is on the Ad Manager schema.	1
unviewed_position_start	Setting this to 1 turns on delayed impressions for video.	1

Required parameters with variable values

The following parameters are required for all master video tags. These parameters have variable values, so please refer to the description and sample values for guidance.

Parameter	Description	Sample value
output	Output format of ad. Use output=vast for the VAST version you have enabled for your network (for example, VAST 4). For specific ad tags or parts of your site, you can explicitly ask for VAST 3 with output=xml_vast3 or VMAP 1 with output=xml_vmap1. Note that for VAST, if your video player uses the IMA SDK, the output parameter for a video ad request will always be set to output=xml_vast4. This poses no reliability risk as the SDK is backwards compatible with all VAST versions that any third-party ad server may serve. Use output=vmap to return the default VMAP version you have enabled for your network (for example, VMAP 1). If you're returning VAST inside of VMAP, you can use xml_vmap1_vast3 or xml_vmap1_vast4 to specify the VAST version to return.	vast (for your network's default VAST setting) xml_vast3 (for VAST 3) xml_vast4 (for VAST 4) vmap (for you network's default VMAP setting) output=xml_vmap1 (for VMAP1) xml_vmap1_vast3 (for VMAP1, returning VAST3) xml_vmap1_vast4 (for VMAP1, returning VAST4)
iu	Current ad unit. Follows the format: /network_id/.../ad_unit	/6062/videodemo
sz	Size of master video ad slot. Multiple sizes should be separated by the pipe (|) character. Do not include "v" after the size.	400x300
description_url	The value should describe the video playing on the page. Usually, it's the page that houses the video player, but could also be a page with text that describes the video.* You must always url-encode description_url on web page video players. This field is required if you use Ad Exchange. Learn more	URL-encoded example: https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sample.com%2Fgolf.html Non-encoded example: https://www.sample.com/golf.html
url	This is the full URL from which the ad request is being sent. On a web page, this is the URL of the page that displays the video player. In an app, this is the package name. If you use the IMA SDK, it sets the URL value automatically. If your player sets this value, the IMA SDK overwrites it and set its own value.*	https://www.videoad.com/golf.html
correlator	A random positive numerical value that is shared by multiple requests coming from the same page view. The correlator is used to implement competitive exclusions, including those in cookieless environments. If the IMA SDK is used, the correlator value is set automatically. If your player attempts to set this value, the IMA SDK overwrites it with its own random value. If the IMA SDK is not used, ensure that you set this value to a truly random value that is not being reused by multiple page views.	4345645667

^{* These parameters are not set automatically by the IMA SDK for CTVs. They need to be set manually.}

Optional parameters

The following parameters are optional. These parameters have variable values, so please refer to the description and sample values for guidance.

Parameter	Description	Sample value
ad_rule	Indicates whether to return a VAST creative or an ad rules response. If you are using ad rules, then ad_rule=1 should be used. Other requests should use ad_rule=0 (or simply exclude the parameter). Learn more about ad rules.	ad_rule=0 to indicate a request for a creative (VAST) ad_rule=1 to indicate a request for an ad rules (VMAP)
ciu_szs	Comma-separated list of companion sizes. Pipe-separated (|) values indicate a multi-size ad slot.	Companion sizes: 728x90,300x250 Companion sizes with a multi-size slot: 728x90,300x200|300x250
cmsid vid	In order to target ads to video content, your master video tag needs to include both cmsid and vid.   The cmsid is a unique number for each content source. To locate this in Ad Manager, click Video  Content sources and then the name of the content source. The vid is a string or number identifying a particular piece of video content. This ID is assigned by the CMS that hosts your content. To locate this in Ad Manager, click Video  Content and then the specific content from the list.	cmsid=[value]&vid=[value] If you are building a tag for Dynamic Ad Insertion with video on demand, you should use the macros that will dynamically insert the correct cmsid and vid: &cmsid=%%CMS_ID%%&vid=%%VIDEO_ID%%
cust_params	Key-value parameters	Learn how to add key-value pairs to an ad tag.
hl	The language code used to request ads in that language. This parameter is used for language of ad selection and video ad rendering in dynamic allocation to video in Ad Exchange or AdSense Video. The language can be any ISO 639-1 (two-letter) or ISO 639-2 (three-letter) code. See a list of valid codes. If omitted, it defaults to any language with ad targeting by language in Ad Exchange.	it
msid an	These two parameters should be applied to all requests sent from mobile app and connected TV devices. The msid parameter is the app ID and should be used in direct VAST calls to Google where the IMA SDK is not used. The an parameter is the app name. Most programmatic video ads require the presence of both of these values on requests from mobile app or connected TV inventory.	msid=com.package.publisher, an=sample%20app
nofb	Indicates whether your ad request should not return a playlist of "video fallback" ads. Learn more about video fallback.	&nofb=1
pp	Control which creatives are eligible to serve based on the configuration set up in a video creative profile. Learn more about video creative profiles.	pp=video_creative_profile
ppid	The Publisher Provided Identifier (PPID) allows publishers to send an identifier for use in frequency capping, audience segmentation and targeting, sequential ad rotation and other audience-based ad delivery controls across devices. Learn more	12JD92JD8078S8J29SDOAKC0EF230337
rdid idtype is_lat	With native applications (not on web or mobile web), the SDK passes resettable device identifiers for user targeting into your stream requests with the parameters for rdid, idtype, and is_lat. On SSB streams, you must pass these as explicit parameters, just as you would on a client-side Video Solutions ad request. Learn more Nearly all programmatic video ads require the presence of these values.	See detailed examples of resettable device identifiers.
rdp	Tags an ad request to restrict data processing. You must either specifically set rdp=1 or include simply rdp (without a set value) to restrict data processing. Ad requests either missing this parameter, or set to rdp=0, will not restrict, unless the Restrict Data Processing network setting is enabled.	https://.../gampad/ad?rdp=1&iu=/12345/adunit &sz=728x90&c=12345
tfcd	Tags an ad request for child-directed treatment.  Learn more about tfcd.	https://.../gampad/ad?tfcd=1&iu=/12345/adunit &sz=728x90&c=12345
npa	Tags an ad request as non-personalized. You must either specifically set npa=1 or include simply npa (without a set value) to tag the request as non-personalized. Ad requests either missing this parameter, or set to npa=0, default to personalized ads. Learn more about ad personalization.	https://.../gampad/ad?npa=1&iu=/12345/adunit &sz=728x90&c=12345
vconp	Recommended per MRC Video Measurement Guidelines Indicates whether the player intends to continuously play the content videos one after another, similar to a TV broadcast. Possible values are 2 if continuous play is ON, and 1 if OFF. This parameter should be left unset if it is unknown.	Continuous play ON: vconp=2 Continuous play OFF: vconp=1
vpa	Recommended per MRC Video Measurement Guidelines Indicates whether the ad starts through autoplay or click. Possible values are click if the page waits for a user action or auto if the video plays automatically. This parameter should be left unset if it is unknown.	Autoplay: vpa=auto Click: vpa=click
vpi	The video playlist inred parameter indicates whether to serve inline VMAP (return VAST inside of VMAP). This can be used to reduce latency, and guarantee frequency caps and competive exclusions across a video stream. Possible values are 1 to return VAST, and 0 (or unset) to return redirect tags.	Return VAST: vpi=1 Return redirects: vpi=0
vpmute	Recommended per MRC Video Measurement Guidelines Indicates whether the ad playback starts while the video player is muted. Possible values are 1 for muted, and 0 for unmuted. This parameter should be left unset if it is unknown.	Muted: vpmute=1 Unmuted: vpmute=0

Custom SDK parameters

The following parameters are the defaults set by the Google IMA SDK. Only include the parameters below in your master video tag if you're not using the IMA SDK.

The current Ad Manager architecture requires that video ad requests include information about ads previously shown in the stream and on the page. This information helps build a picture of past activity while accounting for ad exclusions and duplicates.

SDK parameters related to sizes, ad rules, and video positions

Parameter	Description	Sample value	Required
afvsz	Comma-separated list of non-linear ad sizes that can be displayed in the video ad slot. These sizes must be any of the those supported: 200x200 250x250 300x250 336x280 450x50 468x60 480x90 729x90 Note: When using the IMA SDK, this field will be overwritten, populated with all supported sizes that fall within the nonLinearAdSlotWidth and nonLinearAdSlotHeight.	All sizes are supported: 200x200,250x250, 300x250,336x280, 450x50,468x60, 480x90,728x90 Max width is e.g. 250: 200x200,250x250 Max height is e.g. 80: 450x50,468x60 Max width is e.g. 100: //empty; no values supported	No, parameter can be left out or empty when no non-linear sizes are supported.
pod	Represents a pod within a video. Pass &pod=1 for first pod, &pod=2 for second pod, and so on. Used for competitive exclusions, frequency capping, and related features.	3	No, but must be passed for features such as competitive exclusions, frequency capping, and related features to work correctly.
ppos	Represents position within a pod. Necessary for companion autofill. Pass &ppos=1 for the first position, &ppos=2 for the second position, and so on. Used for competitive exclusions, frequency capping, and related features. This parameter is for standard pods only.	2	No, but must be passed for features such as competitive exclusions, frequency capping, and related features to work correctly.
vpos	Indicates whether the ad request is being sent from pre-roll, mid-roll or post-roll	preroll midroll postroll	No
mridx	Number-based index that indicates from which mid-roll a request is made (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.)	2	No
lip	Needs to be added for a request from the last position in a pod. This parameter is for standard pods only.	true	Yes (for standard pods)
min_ad_duration max_ad_duration	Taken together, these specify the duration range that an ad must match, in milliseconds. Used to request a single ad.	15000 30000	No
pmnd pmxd	Taken together, these specify the duration range that a pod must match, in milliseconds. Used to request multiple ads (i.e., pods). *	0 60000	Yes (for optimized pods)
pmad	Max number of ads in a pod *	4	No

* These parameters are specific to optimized pods, which are available to publishers with an advanced video package. They also should not be used for VMAP (when ad_rule=1). 

Other SDK parameters

Parameter	Description	Sample value	Required
excl_cat	Ad exclusion category. Blocks any line items containing the exclusion label in question from being eligible for a given ad request; works with cust_params.	custom_params=excl_cat %3Dairline_excl_label%7C	No
scor	An integer generated for each video stream; the number needs to be the same within a stream and unique within a page view. Used for competitive exclusions, frequency capping, and related features if a user is watching multiple videos on the same page.	17	No, but must be passed for features such as competitive exclusions, frequency capping, and related features to work correctly.
sid	A session ID is a type of privacy-preserving advertising identifier that can be used for frequency capping purposes only. Per the IAB's IFA guidelines, this parameter should be populated in UUID format. Learn more	123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000	No, but must be passed for features such as competitive exclusions, frequency capping, and related features, to work on CTV/OTT platforms when PPID or other user IDs (typically RDID on CTV/OTT) are not present in the request, or when "Limit Ad Tracking" (LAT) is enabled for a user (is_lat=1).
vad_type	Indicates whether a linear or non-linear ad should be returned for the request	linear nonlinear	No
wta	The value indicates the video player's support for rendering "Why this Ad?". This is supported automatically when using the IMA SDK. When the IMA SDK is not used, video players must implement VAST Icon and IconClickFallbackImage support, as documented in the IAB VAST standard. This field is required if you use Ad Exchange. Learn more	Supported: 1 Unsupported: 0	No, but must be set accurately if you use Ad Exchange.