Observed Signal · Dec 11, 2025 · Technical Release · Source: https://iabtechlab.com/feed/ · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
CTV Ad Formats Standardized: A New Era Begins
IAB Tech Lab's Ad Format Hero initiative standardized CTV ad formats after a year-long industry effort. More than 40 companies submitted well over 100 format examples; an Ad Format Hero Task Force grouped submissions, surveyed buyers and sellers, and narrowed the field from eight candidate formats to six final formats published as the CTV Ad Portfolio. Two candidate formats were consolidated: Immersive/Extensible Ads was treated as a feature (largely supported by SIMID) rather than a standalone format, and Ad Squeeze Back was considered an existing in-stream pod slot. The CTV Ad Portfolio and an updated CTV Programmatic Guide were published on December 11, 2025 and opened for public comment through January 31, 2026. Further work is planned to update OpenRTB, VAST, AdCOM, and SIMID signaling to enable full programmatic trading.
The publication standardizes CTV ad formats and updates programmatic guidance, which reduces production friction and enables scaled programmatic transactions; follow-on changes to OpenRTB, VAST, AdCOM, and SIMID are required to enable signaling.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- IAB Tech Lab launched the Ad Format Hero initiative to standardize CTV ad formats.
- Over 40 companies submitted examples and well over 100 different CTV ad formats.
- An Ad Format Hero Task Force reduced candidate formats from 8 to 6 for the CTV Ad Portfolio.
- The CTV Ad Portfolio and a major update to the CTV Programmatic Guide were published on December 11, 2025 and opened for public comment until January 31, 2026.
- Immersive/Extensible Ads was treated as a feature supported by SIMID; Ad Squeeze Back was deemed an existing in-stream pod slot and not defined as a new format.
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
CTV Publishers Resist Standardising Emerging Ad Formats
Publishers’ desire to keep unique user experiences is slowing industry-wide scale for emerging Connected TV (CTV) ad formats, according to VideoWeek. The IAB Tech Lab’s 2024 Ad Format Hero received more than 100 format submissions, yet fragmentation persists as publishers prefer bespoke UI/OS-native implementations. Jason Higgins, Co‑Founder & CEO of OpenGlass TV, says his company is building a supply-side platform (SSP) to translate publisher- and platform-specific specs and enable programmatic buying and selling of advanced CTV experiences — initially pause ads and programmatic home-screen placements, with squeezeback, L-bars and side-by-sides planned. OpenGlass is also developing AI to repurpose standard 15–30s creatives into dynamic formats. The article argues that lack of standardisation and publishers’ appetite for differentiation constrains scaling and programmatic spend across CTV, even as brands and platforms (e.g., Roku) expand home-screen ad opportunities.
IAB Tech Lab releases CTV Ad Format Signaling
The IAB Tech Lab published a technical standard called CTV Ad Format Signaling to standardize how emergent CTV ad formats (Pause Ads, Menu/Home Screen, Overlay, Screensaver, In-Scene, Squeezebacks) are signaled in real-time bidding. The proposal extends existing AdCOM enumerations (plcmt, pos, playbackmethod), updates VAST NonLinearAds to carry MediaFiles, and uses the OpenRTB Native object for menu/home-screen placements. The change enables publishers to signal available placements and buyers (via DSPs) to bid with clarity, and requires SSPs, exchanges, DSPs, SSAI/CSAI services, and measurement partners to support the new enumerations and VAST behavior for programmatic buying and reporting.
Interactive CTV Ads: From Concept to Game-Changer
Interactive CTV advertising moved from concept to practice in 2025 as the industry shifts from demos to scalable deployment. The piece traces roots from NBCUniversal and TiVo experiments in 2007 to BrightLine’s broader work with NBCU and Hulu, noting growing marketer comfort with CTV’s capabilities beyond linear TV. Pause ads are now the dominant interactive format, aided by measurement advances and IAB Tech Lab standards launched this year. Programmatic pause ads have been launched by Wunderkind, Kargo, Magnite, PubMatic, and TripleLift; Fubo rolled out programmatic pause ads in May, with NBCUniversal planning to follow in 2026. Magna and DirecTV’s survey shows high pause engagement (91% pause often or sometimes; 92% pause longer than 30 seconds; 35% don’t step away after pausing). The article also discusses potential future formats (home screen/menu ads) and emphasizes ongoing standardization efforts, signaling, and cross-platform compatibility via IAB Tech Lab.
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