Adform adopts new video ad categories

Adform SSP announced support for the latest IAB Tech Lab OpenRTB 2.6 update on April 15, 2025, implementing new signals to better classify outstream video placements in the bid stream. Released just six days ago, this technical update fundamentally changes how video inventory is categorized during programmatic transactions, addressing longstanding transparency issues between buyers and sellers.

According to Adform's release notes, the implementation introduces three distinct classification signals: "Accompanying Content, Interstitial, and Standalone." This enhancement enables more accurate buying decisions and ensures consistency with the latest IAB taxonomy, while in-stream placements remain unchanged.

The update represents the practical implementation of IAB Tech Lab's Video Ad Format guidelines first published in March 2023. After two years of industry discussion, these new classifications are finally reaching the market through platforms like Adform, replacing ambiguous categorizations with signals that more accurately reflect the viewer experience.

Prior to this update, the programmatic ecosystem struggled with inconsistencies in video ad classification. The legacy OpenRTB definition of "in-stream" was particularly problematic, defined simply as ads "played before, during or after the streaming video content that the consumer has requested."

According to the IAB Tech Lab documentation, this ambiguity created a substantial gray area where publishers could adapt video players to technically qualify as "in-stream" regardless of the actual viewing experience. This classification ambiguity had significant economic implications.

Anna Wolk, Lead Director of Marketplace Quality at The Trade Desk, highlighted this issue when the guidelines were initially released: "Many predict that once adjusted, less than 10% of web video will be eligible for in-stream declaration, which would reduce the majority of web video that is currently marked as in-stream."

The economic impact was substantial. According to industry experts quoted in the IAB Tech Lab documentation, misclassification resulted in video inventory "commanding up to 50 percent higher bid prices in today's market and significantly increasing the resulting revenue," creating an incentive for publishers to maintain unclear distinctions.

New video placement categories in Adform SSP

Adform's implementation of the OpenRTB 2.6 update introduces three clearly defined outstream video placement categories:

1. Accompanying Content: As defined in the IAB Tech Lab documentation, these are "video ads that are played before, during, or after streaming video content. The video player loads and plays before, between, or after paragraphs of text or graphical content, and starts playing only when it enters the viewport." This classification applies to video content that appears alongside other content but is not the primary focus.
2. Interstitial: These are defined as "video ads that are played without video content. During playback, it must be the primary focus of the page and take up the majority of the viewport and cannot be scrolled out of view." This includes full-screen takeovers in both web and app environments.
3. Standalone: The IAB Tech Lab defines these as "video ads that are played without streaming video content. This can be in placements like slideshows, native feeds, in-content or sticky/floating." These were previously categorized broadly as "in-banner" video.

The technical implementation in Adform SSP uses a new field called "plcmt" that contains these values while maintaining the legacy "placement" field during migration. This dual-field approach follows the IAB Tech Lab's recommendation for backwards compatibility, allowing buyers and sellers time to adapt their systems.

Why Adform's implementation matters for marketers

Adform's adoption of the new IAB Tech Lab classifications addresses a fundamental trust issue in programmatic video buying. According to the IAB Tech Lab, "by introducing new definitions that more accurately reflect the different levels of user engagement provided by various video placements," these changes help create a more transparent marketplace.

For marketing professionals using the Adform platform, the implementation offers several immediate benefits:

1. Greater inventory transparency: Buyers can now clearly understand what type of video inventory they're bidding on through Adform's SSP, allowing more informed decisions about inventory value.
2. More accurate bid pricing: With distinct signals for premium in-stream inventory versus the three outstream categories, marketers can adjust bid prices to better reflect actual user engagement.
3. Improved campaign targeting: These standardized placements in Adform enable more precise targeting across video formats, helping marketers direct spend toward specific viewing experiences.
4. Enhanced performance reporting: Adform's detailed reporting capabilities combined with these clear categories will allow for more meaningful comparisons between different video placements.

According to the IAB Tech Lab documentation, this classification system provides "greater clarity for advertisers and publishers alike" by addressing the longstanding disconnect between price and actual attention value in digital video advertising.

Technical implementation details

Adform's implementation of the new video placement categories follows extensive technical specifications from the IAB Tech Lab's OpenRTB 2.6 update. According to the implementation guidance in the GitHub documentation, the approach involves using both legacy and new fields during a transition period.

The technical implementation uses a new field called "plcmt" that works alongside the legacy "placement" field. As explained in the IAB Tech Lab documentation: "There will be a new field called 'plcmt' that will contain the new values and can exist in tandem with the legacy 'placement' during an ample migration period."

For publishers using Adform SSP, this means they can gradually transition to the new taxonomy without disrupting existing programmatic deals. Adform's SSP API structure, which includes Publishers API, Placements API, and Seller Deals API, provides the technical foundation for implementing these changes across their platform.

Implications for programmatic video buying

Adform's implementation of these new video placement categories represents a significant advancement for programmatic video advertising. The clearer signals allow for more precise matching between buyer expectations and actual inventory characteristics.

For advertisers using Adform's SSP, this change enables more accurate bid valuation. The IAB Tech Lab documentation notes that video inventory has historically been misclassified, leading to situations where "brands targeting in-stream video and getting served in small, muted players alongside articles" may not understand what they're buying.

Adform's leadership in implementing these standards aligns with the company's stated mission to create "a publisher-first solution that closes the gaps in your selling strategy." By adopting these standards, Adform provides its partners with tools that help "reach the best demand for all types of your digital inventory" in a more transparent manner.

The IAB Tech Lab anticipates these changes will have lasting impacts on the market, stating: "By introducing new definitions that more accurately reflect the different levels of user engagement provided by various video placements, in conjunction with additional signals already available and more to come in future updates, the guidelines provide greater clarity for advertisers and publishers alike."

Timeline of Adform and IAB Tech Lab developments

• August 2022: IAB Tech Lab updates Video Ad Format guidelines with new technical guidance for advertisers to better differentiate between in-stream and out-stream placements.
• March 2023: IAB Tech Lab releases OpenRTB 2.6 update, providing official implementation guidance for the new video placement categories. According to the Tech Lab, this update improves "ad transparency, efficiency, and compliance with industry standards."
• April 15, 2025: Adform SSP adopts IAB Tech Lab OpenRTB 2.6 update with new signals for outstream video placements, introducing the categories of "Accompanying Content, Interstitial, and Standalone."