Managing server-side ad insertion (SSAI)
Use Server-side ad insertion in Video Center to integrate your ads directly into your video.
Server-side ad insertion (SSAI), also known as dynamic ad insertion or ad stitching, allows you to embed ads directly into your video streams on the server before they are delivered to viewers. Similar to commercial breaks on broadcast television, SSAI ensures ads are seamlessly stitched into your content stream, providing a smooth and uninterrupted viewing experience.
One of the key advantages of SSAI is its ability to deliver personalized ads tailored to individual viewers while preserving video quality. By using Google Ad Manager, you can define ad rules for specific videos, integrate it with Arc XP, and enable server-side ad insertion. After it's set up, the system handles the entire process, making ad delivery efficient and hassle-free.
Prerequisites
To use server-side ad insertion in Video Center, you must have a Google Ad Manager 360 Advanced account or above.
As a site manager with high-quality video content, you can use server-side ad insertion to deliver a seamless, broadcast-like viewing experience to your audience. By stitching ads directly into the video stream on the server, you eliminate the risk of ad blocks disrupting monetization and ensure that ads play smoothly across all devices.
This capability is especially valuable for premium content, where buffering or visible transitions between content and ads could harm the viewer experience. With SSAI, you can offer targeted ads while maintaining the same playback experience your audience expects.
Procedures
To configure server-side ad insertion in Video Center, you must follow these procedures in order.
Before you can use server-side ad insertion, you must set up a Service Account in Google Ad manager and connect it to Arc XP.
In Google Ad Manager, navigate to Admin > Global settings and click Add a service account user.
Complete the following fields:
Enter a name for the service account user.
Set the email to:
arc-xp-dam-gam-connector@arc-video-gam.iam.gserviceaccount.com.Pick a role that has at least the following permissions:
Under Trafficking and delivery:
View ad units, placements, and labels
View ad exclusion rules
Under Video:
View ad rules
Click Submit.
Then you must connect your Google Ad Manager account with Video Center.
Navigate to Video Center.
Click Utilities > Server Configurations > Ad profile. The Ad profiles page opens.
Click Sign in with Google.
Follow the prompts to connect your Google Ad Manager account with Arc XP.
After you connect your Google Ad Manager account, you see a list of your ad profiles. Optionally, click View to see a list of ad rules associated with a given profile. Video Center uses these rules to apply ads to your videos.
Before you enable SSAI in Video Center, you must connect your Google Ad Manager account with Video Center.
Navigate to Video Center.
Click Utilities > Server Configurations > Video Ad Insertion. The Video Ad Insertion pages opens.
Choose the SSAI option.
Optionally, toggle on the Enable client-side fallback option. This option allows Video Center to use client-side ad insertion if the server-side ad insertion integration fails.
Click Save.
Before you can enable SSAI on a particular video, you must connect your Google Ad Manager account with Video Center and enable SSAI in Video Center.
To enable SSAI on a video, follow these steps:
Navigate to Video Center.
Click Videos. The Videos page opens.
Click the title of the video you want to enable SSAI on. The video details page opens.
Click the Ads section.
Toggle on Monetize video setting.
Enter the ad unit in the Ad unit field.
Optionally, click Published selected to publish this video with the SSAI setting enabled.