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Resources

Broadcast and ad tech glossary

50 terms you will meet when launching and monetizing channels, defined in plain language.

A

Ad pod
A group of ads played back to back in one break. Pods are built to fill the break's exact duration.
Ad-ID
A U.S. industry standard identifier for an advertising creative, used to track ads across systems.
ads.txt / app-ads.txt
Files published by a publisher or app developer listing the companies authorized to sell its ad inventory. Defined by IAB Tech Lab.
As-run log
A record of what actually aired on a channel, with timestamps. Used to reconcile schedules, ad delivery, and rights reporting.
ATSC A/85
The ATSC recommended practice for audio loudness in U.S. television, targeting −24 LKFS. The FCC references it under the CALM Act.
Avail
An available slot of ad time in a break. Local avails are the portion of a network's breaks reserved for the distributor to sell.
AVOD
Advertising-based video on demand: free on-demand video paid for by ads.

B

Blackout
Blocking a program in certain regions or on certain platforms because of rights restrictions, often replaced with alternate content.

C

CALM Act
The U.S. Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, which requires broadcasters and pay-TV providers to keep ad loudness consistent with programming.
CDN
Content delivery network: distributed servers that deliver streaming segments to viewers from locations close to them.
CMAF
Common Media Application Format (ISO/IEC 23000-19). A fragmented MP4 format that lets one set of segments serve both HLS and DASH.
Contextual advertising
Targeting ads based on the content being watched rather than on data about the viewer.
CPIX
Content Protection Information Exchange, a DASH-IF format for exchanging DRM keys between packagers and key services.
CSAI
Client-side ad insertion: the player requests and plays ads itself. Simpler to set up but more prone to buffering and ad blocking than SSAI.
CTV
Connected TV: a television that streams video over the internet, either built in (smart TV) or through a streaming device.

D

Daypart
A block of the broadcast day, such as morning or prime time, used for scheduling and ad pricing.
DRM
Digital rights management: encryption and licensing that control how protected content is played. Common systems are Widevine, FairPlay, and PlayReady.

E

eCPM
Effective cost per mille: revenue earned per thousand ad impressions.
EPG
Electronic program guide: the schedule data that platforms and set-top boxes display for each channel.

F

FAST
Free ad-supported streaming television: linear channels delivered over the internet at no cost to the viewer and paid for by advertising.
Fill rate
The share of ad opportunities that were filled with a paid or house ad.

H

Headend
The facility where a cable or IPTV operator receives, processes, and distributes channels to subscribers.
HLS
HTTP Live Streaming, the adaptive streaming protocol published by Apple as RFC 8216. The most widely supported streaming format.

I

IDR frame
A video frame that can be decoded on its own. Clean splices need an IDR frame at the splice point.
IPTV
Internet Protocol television: TV delivered over a managed IP network, typically by a telco or cable operator, often using multicast.

L

Linear channel
A channel that plays a scheduled sequence of programs, as opposed to on-demand viewing.

M

Manifest
The playlist file (HLS .m3u8 or DASH .mpd) that tells a player which segments to fetch. SSAI works by rewriting manifests per session.
MPEG-DASH
Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (ISO/IEC 23009-1), an international standard for adaptive streaming.
MPEG-TS
MPEG-2 transport stream (ISO/IEC 13818-1), the container used in broadcast, cable, and IPTV.
MSO
Multiple system operator: a company that operates several cable or IPTV systems.

O

OpenRTB
The IAB Tech Lab protocol for real-time bidding. Version 2.6 added ad pod support for CTV.
OTT
Over-the-top: video delivered over the internet directly to viewers, bypassing traditional pay-TV distribution.

P

Playout
The system that plays a channel's schedule, inserting graphics and signals, and outputs the finished channel.
Proof of play
Evidence of which ads actually aired, when, and where, used for billing and advertiser reporting.
PTS
Presentation timestamp: the 90 kHz clock that times every video frame. SCTE-35 cues are timed against it.

R

RIST
Reliable Internet Stream Transport, a Video Services Forum specification for sending live video over unmanaged networks.

S

SCTE-104
The message format automation systems use to tell encoders to insert SCTE-35 cues.
SCTE-224
Event Scheduling and Notification Interface (ESNI), used to communicate policies such as blackouts and alternate content.
SCTE-35
The standard for cue messages inside a video stream that mark ad breaks, programs, and other events.Read the guide
Segmentation descriptor
The part of an SCTE-35 cue that says what kind of event it marks, such as a placement opportunity, and how long it lasts.
Slate
A still or looping graphic shown when there is no program or ad to play.
Splice point
The exact frame at which a stream switches from program to ad, or back.
Squeezeback
An ad format in which the program shrinks to share the screen with an ad, often used during live sports.
SRT
Secure Reliable Transport, an open-source protocol for sending low-latency live video over the internet.
SSAI
Server-side ad insertion: ads are stitched into the stream before it reaches the player, so viewers see one continuous stream.
SVOD
Subscription video on demand: on-demand video paid for by subscription.

T

Time-shifted viewing
Watching a program after it airs, through DVR, catch-up, or start-over features.

V

VAST
Video Ad Serving Template, the IAB Tech Lab XML standard for describing video ads and tracking. The latest version is 4.3.
VMAP
Video Multiple Ad Playlist, an IAB format that describes where ad breaks fall in on-demand content.

X

XMLTV
An open XML format for program guide data, widely used for EPG exchange.