Index Exchange adds programmatic pause ads on four streaming services
Index Exchange announced programmatic support for pause ads across streaming platforms including DIRECTV Advertising, Foxtel, Philo, and Plex. This new capability allows marketers to programmatically access non-intrusive ad inventory that appears when viewers pause content, aiming for greater standardization and efficiency in streaming ad formats.
Key Takeaways
- Index Exchange added programmatic support for pause ads across DIRECTV Advertising, Foxtel, Philo, and Plex.
- Pause ads appear when a viewer intentionally pauses content, creating a full-screen, user-initiated moment that does not interrupt playback.
- Index says the format gives media owners incremental value while preserving the viewing experience.
- The company says the ecosystem is still early and execution remains largely manual today.
- Index tied the launch to IAB Tech Lab updates that define non-linear formats such as pause and screensaver ads.
Why It Matters
This gives buyers and sellers a standardized way to transact pause ads across four streaming services through Index’s sell-side tech. The pitch is clear: a non-intrusive format for media owners, with programmatic access for marketers and buyers. It also fits the IAB Tech Lab’s push for clearer specs around non-linear formats, which should make pause ads easier to transact consistently. For now, the key signal is whether more streaming platforms and SSPs adopt the same programmatic support and whether Index can move the format beyond the manual workflows it says still dominate today.
Read full article at indexexchange.com