Build a VMAP playlist to define ad break placement and timing for a video player that doesn't control content distribution
domain: iabtechlab.com · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
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Steps
Author a VMAP XML document listing one or more AdBreak elements, each specifying a breakType (linear, non-linear, or display) and a timeOffset (e.g. pre-roll, mid-roll with a specific offset, post-roll)
For each AdBreak, include an AdSource pointing to the ad response that should fill that break
Populate the ad response with a VAST tag — VMAP is designed to accept VAST 3.0 ad responses natively, though other formats can be accepted depending on player support
Serve the VMAP document from the primary ad/content server and have the video player request it before or during playback
Have the player parse the returned playlist and, for each ad break in sequence, request/render the referenced VAST ad at the specified offset
Known gotchas
VMAP only describes where and how many ad breaks occur — it does not define the ads themselves; ad selection/targeting logic still lives in the VAST response chain
A VAST response inside a VMAP ad break can itself be a Wrapper that redirects to a secondary ad server — the player must be able to follow those redirects, not just parse the top-level VMAP document
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