Google is updating its Video publisher policy

Google is planning to update its Video publisher policy on April 1, 2024.

All video inventory monetized with Google ad code (“Video Inventory”) through AdSense, Ad Manager, and AdMob, in accordance with the Google Publisher Policies, will be impacted.

The move aims to streamline policies across various Google products and align them with current industry standards, such as IAB OpenRTB.

Why we care. Take a look at the revised Policies to see if there’s an impact on your Video Inventory. If your Video Inventory was previously disapproved, and you think it should now comply with the updated policies, you can request a review or appeal starting from April 1, 2024.

How the Video publisher policy is changing.

The updated policies are as follows:

Accurately describe inventory.

1. Video Inventory must provide declarations with accurate signals (for Ad Manager, see VAST ad tag URL parameters), including:
   • Audibility of ad placement: Audible by default or muted (for Ad Manager, see vpmute parameter).
   • Type of ad placement: Video ads serving into video players with video content must be accurately declared as either “In-stream” or “Accompanying Content” placements (for Ad Manager, see plcmt parameter). Video ads serving into non-video player placements do not require declarations, and will be automatically determined by Google based on inventory format as either “Interstitial” or “Standalone” placements.
     • “In-stream” means a video or audio ad played within the stream of video or audio content, where the video or audio content is the focus of the user’s visit or explicitly requested by the user. Example: A video ad that is played before, in the middle of, or after the stream of a user-requested video content.
     • Accompanying Content” means a video ad played within the stream of video content accompanying the main content of the user’s visit, where the video content is neither the focus of the user’s visit nor explicitly requested by the user. Accompanying Content placements must load within the body of the page, and muted by default. Example: A video ad that is played before, in the middle of, or after the stream of muted video content that takes up a small portion of a primarily editorial page.
     • Interstitial” means a video ad played without the presence of any other streaming video content in a transition between content, where the video ad is the primary focus of the page and takes up the majority of the viewport. Example: A video ad that is independent of any other streaming video content, and that is placed in full view in a natural break or transition between content.
     • Standalone” means a video ad played without the presence of any other streaming video content, where the video ad is not the focus of the page. Example: A video ad that is independent of any other streaming video content, and that is placed in a banner at the right rail of an article page.

Use supported implementations

2. In-stream or Accompanying Content placements must use the Google Interactive Media Ads SDK or Google Programmatic Access Library on supported platforms, unless through an official Google Beta program.

• Partners and publishers cannot use Interactive Media Ads products to monetize YouTube content. For YouTube content, partners and publishers must monetize through the YouTube Partner Program.

3. Interstitial or Standalone placements must use Google-provided solutions: on web: Google Publisher Tags; in app: the Google Mobile Ads SDK (for Ad Manager; for AdMob).

• The Google Interactive Media Ads SDK is not allowed for Interstitial or Standalone placements, except for placements in games.

Protect advertiser value.

4. Video Inventory content or controls (for example, play, pause, mute, skip, or dismiss), including ad content or controls where provided, must not be obstructed, hidden, or non-functional.

5. For In-stream placements, audio ads must not be requested or served in muted placements.

Respect the user.

6. Video Inventory may autoplay, provided that:

• Only one Video Inventory across all placement types may autoplay with sound at any time.
  • Additionally for In-stream or Accompanying Content placements, only one video player may autoplay in view at any time.
• The ad must not autoplay until at least 50% of the ad unit is visible.

7. Video Inventory may be sticky, provided that:

• A dismiss option is presented for the entire duration of the video or ad content. This option must not be hidden, obstructed, or non-functional.
• For In-stream or Accompanying Content placements, the video player must start in the main content and only transition to a sticky placement as a user scrolls the video player off the page.

Terminology update. In Ad Manager, terms like “instream” or “in-stream” include both “In-stream” and “Accompanying Content” as defined in the updated Policies. Ad Manager Video Inventory categorized as “In-stream” or “Accompanying Content” must comply with the corresponding requirements outlined in the Policies.

What Google is saying. A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land:

• “We’re updating our Video Publisher policies to align with new IAB standards around audibility and video placement, which we helped develop.”
• “We previously shared with our partners that we would be adopting these standards and are now formally updating our policies to reflect this update.”

Deep dive. Read Google’s current Video publisher policy to compare the planned updates which will come into effect next year.