IAB Tech Lab, the global digital advertising technical standards-setting body, announced the launch of its latest initiative, “Ad Format Hero,” aimed at standardizing emerging Connected TV ad formats. This project seeks to define and standardize common ad formats in CTV environments, enabling efficient programmatic transactions and broader adoption across the industry with ‘build once, serve everywhere’ ad formats.
As the number of CTV ad formats continues to grow – drawing from traditional linear/broadcast TV and innovating for the streaming experience and digital capabilities – the industry is testing a range of new ad experiences in CTV environments. Examples include picture-in-picture ads, pause screen ads, shoppable ads, “brand bugs,” and more, though this list is not exhaustive. Standardization will be essential for efficiency and scalability in delivering these experiences. Without it, advertisers and publishers will face significant challenges in maintaining effectiveness across platforms.
“CTV is experiencing explosive growth, but we’re still in the early innings of figuring out how to make it work at scale,” said Anthony Katsur, CEO of IAB Tech Lab. “The industry is full of new ad formats that show promise but lack the technical standards to take off. ‘Ad Format Hero’ is about cutting through the noise, finding what works, and giving it the structure needed to thrive. As we have done for early web advertising and with digital video, we want to set up the whole CTV ecosystem to succeed.”
You can read the full press release here. The “Ad Format Hero” initiative invites stakeholders across the digital advertising ecosystem to submit their most successful CTV ad formats for consideration between October 22 and January 22, 2025. The entries will be evaluated by a Task Force appointed by Tech Lab’s Advanced TV Commit Group. Once complete, Tech Lab’s Advanced TV and Programmatic Supply Chain Working Groups will begin work to update their respective specification(s).
Sr Product Manager, Ad Experiences
Lead, Advanced TV
IAB Tech Lab