How CSAI works
The player contains an ad SDK. At an ad break, the SDK calls the ad server, receives a response describing the ad, loads the ad's video file and plays it, usually in a second player layered over the first. It fires tracking signals as the ad starts, reaches each quarter and finishes, then hands back to the program.
Strengths
- Measurement: the device reports directly, which advertisers and verification vendors trust
- Interactivity: clickable, skippable and overlay ads are straightforward
- Targeting: device signals are available to the ad request
- Simplicity: no stitching infrastructure is needed
- Wide support among ad networks
Weaknesses
- Ad blockers can stop the ad request on the web
- The switch between program and ad can show a pause or a spinner
- Ad quality may not match the program's, since the ad is a separate file
- Every device platform needs its own SDK integration
- Hard to time precisely in live streams
CSAI vs SSAI
SSAI stitches ads into the stream on the server, giving seamless playback and resistance to ad blocking at the cost of harder measurement. CSAI is common for on-demand video on the web and mobile; SSAI for live, linear channels and television. Some services use both, or a hybrid in which the server guides the player.
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