Advertising Editor Advertising Intelligence

About video and connected TV (CTV) ads

Create video ads for audience campaigns.
Important
  • Starting September 14, 2023, you will no longer be able to create new or edit any existing video ad campaigns that only serve in outstream placements. (Outstream ad placements appear while potential customers are browsing a webpage.)
  • These campaigns will continue to serve, and you can still view reports on their performance.
  • You can still pause, enable, or remove these campaigns.
  • We recommend that you create online video ad or CTV ad campaigns with both instream and outstream placements to maximize your video ad performance.
Note

Online video ads and connected TV (CTV) ads are available in the markets designated here.

Note

For information about the technical requirements for displaying your online video ads and CTV ads, please see below.

Video ads are designed to help you engage and captivate your audience. You can showcase your videos with online video ads or connected TV (CTV) ads to drive recognition, boost visibility, and expand your video ad reach. Video ads are responsive, which means the final format will change to naturally blend in with the fundamental experience of the page or CTV streaming service where they serve.

Best practices for successful video ads

  • Capture your audience's attention in ten seconds or less. Although your ads can run longer, the first ten seconds are critical to land your message.
  • Showcase your brand identity early in the video.
  • Design for sound off. People choose to watch videos with sound off in many situations. Use text, graphics, and captions whenever possible.
  • Map your video to your campaign objectives. If you're looking to drive awareness, focus on content that inspires and tells a story about your brand. For consideration, talk about your solutions and how your brand is positioned in the marketplace. For conversion, use video ads to provide more information about the products or services to drive to engagement or sales.

Online video ads and connected TV (CTV) ads

Note

Online video ads and CTV ads are available on computer, tablet, mobile devices, and CTV in the markets designated here.

Online video ads and CTV ads are optimized to increase engagement and maximize video impressions and views to help you meet your ad reach and brand awareness goals. With each ad type, you can reach your target audience while they're streaming media—with the option to limit how often a potential customer sees your ads.

Online video ads engage potential customers on websites across computer, tablet, and mobile devices and may appear in instream and outstream placements on the Microsoft Advertising Network. Instream placements include ads that appear while people stream media online. Outstream placements include ads that appear while potential customers are browsing a webpage and integrate naturally into page content.

With CTV ads, you may choose to target by genre. Your ads will appear in shows and/or channels associated with the genre(s) you choose. Our publishers tell us which genres are associated with their shows and channels. Then, we use this information to match your CTV ads with the most appropriate publishers and placements. Please note that CTV ad placement depends on your video quality and bid amount. See the list of technical requirements for online video ads and CTV ads.

You can review your genre targeting performance by creating a report: From the top menu, select Reports > Default reports > Genre.

If you're using the new Microsoft Advertising navigation, from the navigation menu on the left, select Reporting > Default reports > Genre.

Create an online video ad

  1. From the collapsible menu on the left, select All campaigns > Campaigns > Create.

    If you're using the new Microsoft Advertising navigation, from the navigation menu on the left, select Create.

  2. Choose Build brand awareness as your campaign goal.
  3. Select Audience as your campaign type.
  4. Select Video ads below Which ad type would you like to serve?
  5. Select Continue.
  6. Choose Online video ads below Select a campaign type.
  7. Select Continue.
  8. Enter the Final URL.
  9. Select Add video. You can choose from Existing videos or Upload a new video from your PC or from a URL where the video file can be directly downloaded.
  10. Select Save & go to next step.
  11. Enter the Ad group name.
  12. Choose your Location, Age, Gender, Audience, Ad schedule, and Device targets.
  13. Select Save & go to next step.
  14. Enter the Campaign name.
  15. Enter the Daily budget.
  16. The Bid strategy will be CPM (cost per thousand impressions) for maximizing video reach.

    Note: With CPM for maximizing video reach, we optimize your bids based on the cost you want to pay per thousand viewed video impressions. A viewed video impression is counted when more than 50% of the video screen is in the potential customer's view and the ad is viewed for at least two seconds.
  17. Enter the Default bid.
  18. Optional: Turn on the Frequency limit toggle to limit how often a potential customer sees your ad. You can choose to limit how many times a customer sees your ad per hour, day, and week.

    Note: You will be able to view reports for your frequency limit soon.

  19. Choose from the list of Third-party partners below Third-party measurement if you want to connect third-party measurement to your video ad.

    Note

    Not everyone has this feature yet. If you don't, don't worry—it's coming soon!

  20. Enter your Tag URL if you chose to connect third-party measurement to your ad.
  21. Select Save & go to the next step.
  22. Review the Summary page to ensure that the information is correct.
  23. When you're finished, select Save & go live or Save & don't go live.
Create a CTV ad

  1. From the collapsible menu on the left, select All campaigns > Campaigns > Create.

    If you're using the new Microsoft Advertising navigation, from the navigation menu on the left, select Create.

  2. Choose Build brand awareness as your campaign goal.
  3. Choose Connected TV (CTV) below Select a campaign type.
  4. Select Continue.
  5. Enter the Campaign name.
  6. Enter the Budget.
  7. The Bid strategy will be CPCV (cost per completed view).

    Note: With CPCV (cost per completed view), we optimize your bids based on the cost you want to pay per completed view of a video ad.
  8. Select Save & go to the next step.
  9. Enter the Ad group name.
  10. Enter the Default bid.
  11. Optional: Turn on the Frequency limit toggle to limit how often a potential customer sees your ad. You can choose to limit how many times a customer sees your ad per hour, day, and week.

    Note: You will be able to view reports for your frequency limit soon.

  12. Choose your Location or locations where you want to show your ads.
  13. Review the Netflix Terms and Conditions and select the checkbox if you agree to them.
  14. Choose your Age, Gender, Audience, Ad schedule, and Genre targeting.

    Note: For CTV ads, Location, Age, Gender, Audience, Ad schedule, and Genre targeting are available in the United States. For other countries/regions, only location and genre targeting are available for CTV ads.

  15. Select Save & go to the next step.
  16. Enter the Final URL.
  17. Select Add video. You can choose from Existing videos or Upload a new video from your PC or from a URL where the video file can be directly downloaded.
  18. When you're finished, select Save.
Measure your video ad campaign's performance

In addition to standard ad campaign metrics, you can review your online video ad and CTV ad campaign's performance using a variety of video-specific metrics.

Metric Definition
Average CPV Total spend divided by video views
Video views at 25% Number of times a video has been viewed to at least 25% completion
Video views at 50% Number of times a video has been viewed to at least 50% completion
Video views at 75% Number of times a video has been viewed to at least 75% completion
Completed video views Number of times a video has been viewed to completion
Video completion rate Completed video views divided by total number of impressions
Genre The genre(s) you chose to target with your connected TV (CTV) ad. You can find out which genre targets have the best ad performance.

Technical requirements for online video ads and CTV ads

Note

Online video ads and CTV ads are available on computer, tablet, mobile devices, and CTV in the markets designated here.

Based on your video's quality, the placements where your online video ads and CTV ads are eligible to serve may vary. There are three video quality ratings—one star, two stars, and three stars. The technical requirements for each are listed below.

One star: Your video meets our minimum requirements and it's eligible to appear across some video placements. Upload a higher quality video to access more placements.

Technical requirements:

  • Duration: Six seconds (minimum), 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds, or 60 seconds.
  • Supported file formats: MP4, MOV, WEBM, MKV, VOB, OGV, OGG, AVI, QT, WMV, RM, ASF, M4P, M4V, MPG, MP2, MPEG, MPE, MPV, M2V, 3GP, 3G2, SWF, and TS.
  • Video bitrate: 2,500+ kbps.
  • Video resolution: Must be one of the following: 960 x 720, 1280 x 720, 1440 x 1080, or 1920 x 1080.
  • Recommended maximum file size: 2 GB.
  • Recommended video frame rate: 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, and 30 fps.
  • Recommended audio bitrate: 128+ Kbps.
  • Recommended audio format: Audio sample rate 44.1 or 48 Khz.
  • Recommended aspect ratio: 4:3, 16:9.

Two stars: Your video's quality is good and it's eligible to appear across most video placements. Upload a higher quality video to access more premium placements.

Technical requirements:

  • Duration: Must be between 6 and 60 seconds. 15 and 30 seconds are the most popular video durations.
  • Supported file formats: MP4 (preferred) and MOV.
  • Video bitrate: 8,000+ kbps.
  • Video resolution: Must be one of the following: 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080.
  • Recommended maximum file size: 2 GB.
  • Recommended video frame rate: 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, and 30 fps.
  • Recommended audio bitrate: 192+ Kbps.
  • Recommended audio format: Audio sample rate 44.1 or 48 Khz.
  • Recommended aspect ratio: 16:9.

Three stars: Your video's quality is excellent and it's eligible to appear across all video placements, including our most premium placements.

Technical requirements:

  • Duration: Must be 15 or 30 seconds.
  • Supported file formats: MP4 (preferred) and MOV.
  • Video bitrate: 15,000+ kbps for MP4, 42,000+ kbps for MOV (720p), and 80,000 kbps (1080p) for MOV (Apple ProRes).
  • Video resolution: Must be one of the following: 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080.
  • Recommended maximum file size: 2 GB.
  • Recommended video frame rate: 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, and 30 fps.
  • Recommended audio bitrate: 192+ Kbps.
  • Recommended audio format: Audio sample rate 48 Khz.
  • Recommended aspect ratio: 16:9.
  • Recommended audio sample size: 16 or 24 bits.
  • Recommended audio channels: Two (stereo).
  • Recommended audio codec: PCM or AAC-LC.
  • Recommended track conformance: File should contain only one video and one audio track.
  • Recommended duration conformance: Video and audio track durations should match with tolerance of 500 ms.

Video policies

  • Videos must be relevant to your ad and relate to your product, service, or brand.
  • Video content must be suited for the targeted audience or query.
  • All movie trailers must be Green Band (or market equivalent) or preceded by applicable ratings (displayed in advance of the actual video play).
  • Video ads must adhere to all other policies. For example, showing actions that result in fatalities, or showing of blood or dismemberment is disallowed based upon our Disallowed content policy.
  • Make sure that the media you use meets Microsoft Advertising image, audio, and video policies.

Disallowed in videos

  • Adult content including nudity and sexually suggestive content. Underwear and lingerie ads are not allowed.
  • Content that shows guns pointed at the audience is not allowed.
  • No blood spatter or excessive blood, cruelty, violence, glorification of crimes, depictions of people or creatures on fire and/or showing actions that result in bodily harm or fatalities.
  • Advertising that advocates, glorifies, or promotes violent activity, rape, torture, cannibalism, human suffering or death, self-harm, violence and/or cruelty against animals or graphic or violent images, such as images showing blood or dismemberment.
  • Drug use or glamorizing, encouraging, and/or depicting the consumption of alcohol and/or drugs.
  • Religious ads or ads that exploit religious issues.
  • Political ads or ads that exploit political issues.
  • Crude or offensive language including profanity, excessively violent/sexual advertisement copy, offensive gestures (e.g., giving the finger), offensive song lyrics, hate speech (e.g., racial epithets)
  • Exceptions:

Related videos

Related videos

See more videos...