How YouTube In-video Overlay Ads Work
YouTube In-video overlay ads are 480x70 image ads that appear overlaid on the bottom of the YouTube video player on the YouTube watch pages. The overlay ad appears when users initiate video play.
Note that In-video Overlays are only available for reservation sponsorship campaigns. On auction, you can set up Image Ads to appear as an overlay on the YouTube watch pages. See more information on Image Overlay ads here.
Assets Overview
| Asset | Optional / Required | Unit | File Type | File Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overlay Image | Required | 480x70 | Static .GIF, .PNG, .JPG | 150 Kb |
Creative Submission and Turn Around Time
- Assets received by YouTube no later than FOUR business days prior to campaign start date sent via your Account Manager.
- Maximum of 2 creative revisions for site-served creatives are allowed per 6-week period for active campaigns.
- Maximum of 3 creatives per site-served placement.
Reporting Metrics
- Impressions
- Clicks and click-through rate
Third-Party Tracking Capabilities
- Cannot be third-party served.
- Accept third-party impression tracking pixel.
- Accept third-party redirect for exit clicks
We only accept third-party redirect/tracking pixels from a certified Ad Serving Vendor. Please refer to the full list of approved vendors.
Recommendations
- Be sure to include a compelling call-to-action on the overlay (i.e. watch companion content or interact with ad).
Compatible Browsers:
- Internet Explorer 10+, Firefox 25+, Safari 6+; Chrome 33+
Image overlay ads
Image ads created in AdWords Display campaigns can appear as overlays on YouTube videos. Go to the Display Network tab and add "YouTube.com" to the "Placements" targeting to use an image ad as an overlay.
Supported sizes: 468x60 and 728x90
Image formats: JPEG, JPG, PNG, GIF
Ads that are served by third-party won’t appear as image overlays on videos because they are classified as HTML5 creatives.
Playing time and user interaction
The static image overlay will appear within the bottom portion of the video.
Graphical layout
Ads must take up the entire space of the image size you've chosen, and they can’t appear sideways or upside down. Ads can’t be segmented, contain multiple copies of itself within the ad, or appear to be more than one ad.
