Imagine you settle in to watch your favorite series or a live sports event, and when an irritating ad starts playing, you can’t watch it. Worse, the ad doesn’t work. It either skips, pauses, or doesn’t play at all. All these activities are a nuisance to the viewers. Besides, not getting the right ads or bad ads also increase the problem. On the part of OTT platforms and advertisers, this leads to disengaged users, low ad completion, and thus, lower income.
Client-side ad insertion possesses the major disadvantage of causing buffering or playback troubles when ads show up from one source and the main content starts from another. As a result, the user’s pleasure is interrupted which becomes a cause for complaint, and in most cases, the users bail out of the streams.
Fortunately, the current state of streaming platforms is such that these are getting closer to reaching a common understanding about the experience of users and the requirements to be met by ad providers. In contrast to the traditional client-side ad insertion (CSAI), server-side ad insertion (SSAI) (also known as dynamic ad insertion, or DAI) is a more facile way to do things. SSAI is initialized through real-time, programmatic ad delivery. In that, ad providers can integrate personalized, dynamic ads that are selected based on each user’s action, location, and device.
This article provides details about the functioning and advantages of SSAI. (Setplex was chosen as an example)
What Is SSAI?
The SSAI method comprises distributing ads through the video stream before it goes to the viewer’s device. The main video and advertisements both have the same format, so the switching between the two is seamless, stopping the buffering. A TV-like experience is guaranteed through the insertion of ads that feel like part of the stream, thereby reducing frustration.
Benefits of SSAI for OTT Operators
More scalability for high-traffic events: For live sports, concerts, and breaking news, SSAI enables scalable, uninterrupted ad delivery to millions of viewers simultaneously. This prevents server overload and ensures smooth ad playback even during peak traffic.
Eliminating ad blockers: CSAI delivers advertisements independently of the main video, allowing them to be distinguished easily and blocked by ad-blocking software. However, SSAI bypasses this limitation by offering ads as part of the main content stream. No ad request is sent separately, instead, blockers will not be able to find or remove them. This initiative ensures that instead of the inserted ad being sent separately, it becomes a part of the streamed content and the viewers’ engagement, hence improving the ad effectiveness, and revenue goes up.
Consistent multi-device ad delivery: SSAI is the most optimal way to deliver ads in any environment since the codes are adjusted to ensure that the content is of the same quality on any screen. This guarantees the absolute best user experience.
Better viewing experience and lower churn: With SSAI, users get a flawless, high-quality live stream without the typical delays or playback issues caused by ad requests. As a result, the content is not as likely to be lost due to ads cutting off the viewers.
Targeted, dynamic ad insertion: SSAI enables advertisers to serve the best and most targeted ads that are in real-time, based on programmatic ad insertion, which allows them to time-wist the targeting of their users concerning the user’s behavior, location, and the device they are using. The result is the increased time that the user spends with the ad, and thus, better ROI.
Optimized ad insertion: By splicing ads into the video content at the server level, OTT providers can use the metadata tags and encoder to segment video files for ad targeting based on user profiles and preferences that lead to better engagement and revenue maximization. OTT operators can rely on these to access more ad networks and provide more pertinent ads that will appeal to the viewers.
SSAI makes ad management a less complicated issue for the OTT operators by delivering ads from a single central place, which in turn reduces the ads’ complexity, makes the integration devices seamless, and makes everything work as intended. On the other hand, after building a client-side ad insertion (CSAI), which is labor-intensive, and hard to complete as the business structure gets more complicated with time, SSAI is the model that automates ad stitching which means it creates better targeting and there are no longer issues of ad blocking as the ad starts automatically and continues.
Why allow incorrect appraisals to spoil a company’s good reputation when a simple solution, such as adopting one technology platform for the entire ad-serving chain, could be of help to any OTT provider in their goal to guarantee a high-quality viewing experience and, at the same time, increase revenue?
Should OTT Providers Switch to SSAI?
SSAI is, without a doubt, one of the most successful and inviting picks for OTT platforms looking for a big ad revenue boost. But for this to work, the company must first install the desired backend infrastructure, integrate with the advertising network, and lastly, make the necessary encoding changes.
Some platforms use a mix of Server-Side Ad Insertion in live events (where lag-free playback is often needed) and Client-Side Ad Insertion for on-demand content (where interactive and clickable ads may be useful). Such an approach is an opportunity to be flexible while building up user engagement and thus attracting clients to one’s site and services. As a result of this platform strategy, interaction and monetization will be quite optimal.
The inkling has it that SSAI stands at the front line in this techno-adventure in the streaming world. It not only cures buffering but also fixes on guarantees smooth streaming, prevents ad-blocking, and simplifies the integration. It is a new way of looking at content for the direct consumer, bringing the best experience to him/her and at the same time driving increased engagement of advertisers which in turn gives OTT providers a highly cost-effective ad solution.
Specializing in comprehensive guides and step-by-step solutions, Rishabh has built a reputation for demystifying complex technical issues and providing practical advice on resolving common “not working” errors across various devices and platforms. His articles are a go-to resource for tech enthusiasts and everyday users alike, offering clear, concise, and effective solutions to enhance digital experiences.
