SIMID is here to replace VPAID, now in public comment

SIMID is here to replace VPAID, now in public comment
Video

The IAB Technology Laboratory yesterday released SIMID (Secure Interactive Media Interface Definition) for public comment. According to IAB Tech Lab, SIMID is a specification designed to replace VPAID (Video Player Ad Interface Definition) and increase transparency and security, while increasing support for creativity and interactive capabilities.

Simultaneously, the IAB Tech Lab is releasing an updated VAST 4.2 template with changes to support SIMID. With these releases, IAB Tech Lab says that is aiming to have a single tag for all video ads and all platforms.

Public comment will run through May 24, 2019. SIMID can be reviewed here and VAST 4.2 can be reviewed here.

With SIMID, playback control will be in the hands of the player itself, giving publishers greater control of the user experience. In addition, by using SIMID together with OMID (Open Measurement Interface Definition) and VAST (Video Ad Serving Template), not only will creatives have more freedom to focus on interactivity, but also verification vendors will have better understanding of how ads performed, and publishers will know the sources of components of their ads, ultimately leading to better consumer experience and more trust and transparency between digital media and marketing stakeholders.

“With SIMID, Tech Lab is responding to the needs of the evolving video advertising marketplace, creating an interactivity solution that should become a critical part of the video supply chain and will promote transparency and security,” said Dennis Buchheim, Senior Vice President and General Manager, IAB Tech Lab. “Everyone who has relied on VPAID for interactivity should please review SIMID and provide us with feedback, so it can become a critical part of the video supply chain and drive greater transparency across the ecosystem.”

IAB Tech Lab says anyone that has relied on or used VPAID is encouraged to review SIMID. More specifically, SIMID has clear architectural goals to:

  • Enable a “player-centric” model, giving publishers control over the user experience and what runs on their pages. Publishers can be confident that ad units will not “take over” their pages/apps.
  • Support server-side ad insertion (SSAI).
  • Apply to all platforms including mobile and OTT.
  • Be free of constraints to support verification or other unofficial uses of VPAID, which significantly simplifies the requirements and makes it lightweight.

"SIMID meets the needs of a number of our publisher partners to support an interactive ad format that offers more control, while providing a flexible framework for building innovative ad creatives,” said Peentoo Patel, Group Product Manager, Video.


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