Ad Specifications
Check out our AdTech Academy Course to learn more
The DSP accepts almost any ad format that is accepted by our exchange partners. Precise specifications vary from exchange to exchange. To ensure that your ads are accepted on all inventory sources, please follow the IAB Display & Mobile Advertising Creative Format Guidelines (PDF).
The following guidelines for each ad type make your ads eligible for the most possible inventory. The DSP accepts more than the recommended settings, but you might see reduced inventory eligibility outside of these guidelines.
If you run into issues with ads not serving as expected and ad specifications might be the issue, contact Basis Support. Only the support team will be able to investigate this issue, do not contact the exchange or publisher.
See Digital Out-of-Home Ad Specs to find guidelines for digital out-of-home creatives.
To maximize eligibility for your ads, use the following recommendations:
Specification | Recommendations |
---|---|
Desktop Image Dimensions |
Standard sizes: 728x90*, 300x250*, 160x600* Other common sizes: 120x600, 300x600 |
Mobile Image Dimensions |
Standard smartphone banner: 320x50*, 300x50* Smartphone interstitial: 320x480*, 480x320 Mobile interstitial, tablet in-app, mobile web: 300x250* Tablet only: 728x90* Tablet interstitial: 1024x768*, 768x1024 |
File Size |
Max for individual image ad files: 1024 KB (1 MB) Max for ZIP files used to bulk upload image ads: 25 MB |
File Types |
JPG, GIF, PNG |
Animation Length |
No more than 15 seconds or 3 loops. |
Border |
Creative must clearly separated from the site content, either by a clear border or a non-white background color. |
Other Supported Ad Sizes |
Availability may vary, consult RTB Inventory to verify. 120x20, 168x28, 180x150, 216x36, 234x60, 250x360, 300x50, 300x170, 300x340, 300x1050, 320x240, 320x320, 336x280, 386x300, 400x300, 468x60, 480x360, 480x800, 600x400, 631x385, 640x480, 700x450, 720x480, 750x200, 800x1200, 900x600, 970x90, 970x250, 980x120, 980x150, 990x200, 1920x480 |
*Recommended Ad Sizes |
The best way to ensure that audio ads serve in as many scenarios as possible is to upload the creative asset to the DSP. For Basis DSP-hosted ads, Basis DSP will automatically transcode the audio into all necessary formats.
You only need to upload a single audio file. Upload a high-quality version, and the system automatically creates copies for each type of player.
Specification | Recommendations and Limitations |
---|---|
File Types |
MP3 (.mp3), Ogg Vorbis (.ogg), AAC in an MPEG-4 container (file names could end in .m4a, .mp4, .aac) Some files with an .aac extension may be a raw AAC stream instead of AAC in an MPEG-4 container. |
Length |
No technical requirement for audio file length. There may be very few inventory opportunities for long audio files (over 60 seconds). |
Maximum File Size |
250 MB |
The best way to ensure that video ads serve in as many scenarios as possible is to upload the creative asset to the DSP.
You only need to upload a single video file. Upload a high-quality version, and the system automatically creates copies for each placement to accommodate different device capabilities, bandwidths, and publisher requirements.
Ensure that the video file includes audio. If the video file does not have any audio, you will not be able to upload it.
There are important details to consider when you want to format video files for Connected TV. See Video Ads on Premium Connected TV Inventory to ensure that your ads meet the requirements.
Specification | Recommendations |
---|---|
Ad Sizes |
Minimum height: 144px Minimum dimensions: 1920x1080 (horizontal), 1080x1920 (vertical) Maximum dimensions: 4096x2048 (horizontal), 2048x4096 (vertical) We recommend uploading videos that are 1920x1080 for 16:9 content and 1440x1080 for 4:3 content. Avoid uploading videos that are higher than ultra-high definition (UHD/4K) resolution. |
Aspect Ratios |
16:9 or 4:3 (horizontal), 9:16 (portrait) |
File Types |
Refer to Brightcode Zencoder's Supported Formats and Codecs. |
Maximum File Size |
250 MB |
Other |
Use progressive (not interlaced) format. The accompanying audio sample rate should be 48khz. |
Review the Third-Party Ad Serving and Measurement section of our Creative Policy at https://legal.basis.net/centro-creative-policy.html#Third-PartyAdS for details about performance requirements and acceptable practices for third-party serving.
Basis supports VAST versions 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 4.1. We recommend that you use VAST 2.0 unless you need features that are only available in newer versions, because a lot of inventory still does not support newer versions.
While we support third-party VAST, we recommend that you upload audio and video ads directly to Basis DSP. There are two main advantages: first, when you upload an ad to the DSP, we can automatically transcode it into variations that cover all known publisher requirements. Second, we can track companion impressions and clicks for ads in the DSP. When you use third-party VAST, it isn't possible for us to track companion impressions and clicks due to limitations in the VAST specification.
Only InLine Linear ads are accepted; non-linear and wrappers are not accepted. VAST from a third-party server must contain at least one MP4 media file, but you should include as many variations as possible to ensure compatibility with the broadest range of inventory.
We strongly recommend that you include at least the following:
16:9 Video Resolution | 4:3 Video Resolution | Video Bitrate | Audio Bitrate |
---|---|---|---|
640x360 | 480x360 | Approx. 400kbps | Approx. 96kbps |
640x360 | 480x360 | Approx. 1,000kbps | Approx. 128kbps |
1280x720 | 960x720 | Approx. 5,000kbps | Approx. 192kbps |
1920x1080 | 1440x1080 | Approx. 8,000kbps | Approx. 192kbps |
1920x1080 | 1440x1080 | Approx. 25,000kbps | Approx. 256kbps |
For all of these variations:
-
The file type should be MP4 with H.264 (AVC) as the video codec and AAC as the audio codec. FLV and WebM files can be included but are no longer widely used, while all inventory accepts MP4.
If using VAST 4.0, include a Mezzanine file, which should be the highest possible quality and resolution.
-
The audio sample rate should be 48 khz.
-
The video should be progressive (not interlaced).
-
The frame rate should be one of the customary frame rates for video content (such as 23.976fps, 24fps, 25fps, or 29.97fps), correctly matched to the source material without any judder or frame blending artifacts.
There must be at least one media file that meets the minimum or maximum bitrate specified in bid requests. Approximately 3% of all bid requests specify a maximum bitrate of 4,000kbps or lower. Minimum or maximum dimensions, frame rate, and other requirements are not specified in bid requests.
Publishers may enforce requirements on bitrate or other traits without communicating them in bid requests. Including as many variations as possible is the best way to ensure that your ad is eligible for as much inventory as possible.
See Video Ads on Premium Connected TV Inventory for information about running VAST ads on Connected TV (CTV). Unless high-resolution and high-bitrate versions are included, your ad may be ineligible for many CTV opportunities. CTV video bid requests commonly indicate a minimum bitrate of 6,000 kbps, up to a maximum of 15,000 kbps. This means that at least one of the assets in your VAST should fall within this range.
These specifications represent native ads that can spend on almost all supply sources. To achieve optimal results, provide multiple ads that meet the characteristics of specific exchanges and publishers. However, if you only have one ad or set of ads, follow these specifications:
Specification | Recommendations |
---|---|
Headline |
20 characters (25 characters is accepted on almost all inventory) |
Body |
90 characters |
Main Image |
Exactly 1200x627 (1.91:1 aspect ratio) |
Max File Size |
200 KB |
Icon/Logo |
Exactly 240x240 (1:1 aspect ratio) |
Brand Name |
25 characters |
These specs are the lowest common denominator usable on the DSP's current supply sources. Native ads vary greatly by publisher and exchange; for best results, produce ads to the specifications of each publisher or exchange.
You can upload an HTML5 directly to the DSP or use an ad tag if the ad is hosted on another server. HTML5 files must meet the IAB standards for HTML5, which are defined in HTML5 for Digital Advertising v2.0.
HTML5 ads that you upload must also meet these requirements:
-
It must be a ZIP file (*.zip). Compress all of the code required for the creative into a single ZIP file.
-
The maximum file size is 200 KB.
-
The primary HTML file must be in the root directory of the ZIP. If there are multiple HTML files, the primary file must be named "index.html".
-
The clickable area of the creative must be a single area that covers the entire creative or designated with a click tag query string parameter.
-
The creative code cannot interact directly with the parent window.
Review the following pages to learn more about setting up your HTML5 creatives: