Technical quick start guide (AFV)

A getting started guide for engineers using the Google IMA SDK to serve ads on HTML5 web, Android or iOS video players.

A brief overview

AdSense for video operates using the Google Interactive Media Ads Software Development Kit (IMA SDK). This SDK allows you to request AdSense ads in order to more closely combine video content and advertising. These products are subject to the AdSense Terms & Conditions, AdSense program policies, and product-specific usage guidelines. Remember that inadvertent clicks originating from overly aggressive or faulty implementations will result in action up to (and including) account termination.

Requesting and rendering ads through the IMA SDK is a matter of setting up an ad request, loading the resultant ad, and playing it at the right time. You can test using the default publisher ID "ca-video-pub-4968145218643279". You will need to provide your account manager with an example of your integration before you are allowed to deploy ads to your site(s).

Integration options

Third-party video player

One of the easiest ways to monetize using AdSense for video is to select a third-party video player that already has the IMA SDK integrated.

The partners listed in the table below have the Google IMA SDK integrated that is required to monetize using AdSense for video, either directly or via Google Ad Manager.

IMA3: The latest video SDK

Partner	HTML5	iOS	Android	Available guides
Akamai				HTML5 | iOS | Android
Anvato
Bitmovin				HTML5
Blue Billywig				HTML5
Brid.tv				HTML5 | Android
Brightcove				HTML5 | iOS | Android
Connatix
Dailymotion				HTML5| iOS | Android
Flowplayer				HTML5
JW Player				HTML5 | iOS | Android
Kaltura
Limelight video (Edgio)				HTML5
Mecloud				HTML5
Mow Player				HTML5
Ooyala (legacy)
Playwire				HTML5
Radiant Media Player				HTML5
SambaTech
Shaka Player	*			HTML5
THEOplayer				HTML5 | iOS | Android
Comcast Technology Solutions (formerly "mpx/thePlatform")				HTML5
Veedmo
Vidazoo				HTML5
Video.js				HTML5

* Indicates that the partner is also certified for Dynamic Ad Insertion

Please reach out to the third-party video player partners for further information on using their services.

Proprietary video player

Publishers who wish to monetize with AdSense for video and have their own custom or proprietary video player will need to directly integrate the IMA SDK. The IMA SDK is available for multiple platforms:

• IMA HTML5 SDK for web-based video players:
  • Getting started guide
  • Downloadable sample code
  • API reference
• IMA Android SDK for video players in native Android apps:
  • Getting started guide
  • Downloadable sample code
  • API reference
• IMA iOS SDK for video players in native iOS apps:
  • Getting started guide
  • Downloadable sample code
  • API reference

Should you encounter technical issues during your integration of the IMA SDK, then the IMA SDK Technical Forum provides support for each SDK, as well as serving as a place to report bugs or SDK feature requests.

VAST and VPAID JS compliant video player

For publishers who have video players that aren't integrated with the IMA SDK, video content may still be monetized using the IMA Adapter tag if the player is compatible with VAST 2 or 3, as well as VPAID 2 JS standards. Note: the IMA Adapter is supported for web only.

A direct IMA SDK integration is always preferable because it enables more features than the IMA Adapter, including dynamic allocation, frequency caps, competitive separation, ad scheduling with ad rules and VMAP, among other features. If a direct IMA SDK integration is not possible however, the IMA Adapter can at least access demand from AdSense for video.

Once you have a chosen integration option, follow the AdSense for video setup guidelines to submit your implementation for review.