What is VAST? A plain-English explanation

What you need to know

VAST stands for Video Ad Serving Template, an IAB-defined XML format that tells a compatible player which advertisement to play and which events to report.

Step by step

1. Your video player requests the MEDIARAZZI VAST URL.
2. MEDIARAZZI responds with an XML instruction sheet describing the ad and its video file.
3. The player loads the commercial and decides when to show it.
4. During playback, the player can notify MEDIARAZZI about impressions, progress, skips and clicks.

Tips and common mistakes

• A VAST tag does not, by itself, schedule a mid-roll or control your main content.
• A normal web browser may display XML if you open the URL directly; that is expected.

Further reading

Read the technical VAST guide →