What Are In-Play Ads?

In-play ads are non-disruptive advertising formats that display within live or on-demand video content without interrupting playback. The viewer sees both the ad and the content simultaneously — a fundamental departure from traditional ad insertion where content stops for the ad.

In-play ad formats include several distinct executions:

Lower-Third Overlays display a branded message, animation, or interactive element in the bottom third of the screen while content plays at full size above.

L-Bar Ads create an L-shaped frame around the content, with ad creative occupying the bottom and right side while the content window shrinks to fit.

Side-by-Side Ads place the content window on one side and the ad on the other, giving both roughly equal visual prominence.

Interactive Widgets are small, self-contained interactive elements like prediction polls, trivia questions, and sentiment gauges that drive active engagement.

Branded Overlays replace standard broadcast graphics (score bugs, stats displays) with branded versions, providing massive exposure time with minimal intrusiveness.

Why Do In-Play Ads Matter for CTV Monetization?

In-play ads expand total ad inventory without increasing perceived ad load — a 60-minute live sports broadcast with four standard ad breaks can add 15-25 additional in-play impressions without a single extra second of content interruption.

This addresses the core tension in streaming monetization: viewers want fewer ads, but platforms need more revenue. For advertisers, in-play ads offer placement in premium content moments that traditional ad breaks cannot access — an overlay during a critical fourth-quarter drive reaches viewers at peak emotional engagement.

How Does SGAI Enable In-Play Ads?

SGAI's client-side rendering architecture is required for in-play ads because SSAI, which treats the entire stream as a single linear video, cannot render overlay elements on top of playing content.

SGAI enables in-play ads through its client-side rendering: the video player receives manifest markers indicating in-play ad opportunities, requests the appropriate creative, and renders the overlay element on top of the playing video. The player handles positioning, animation timing, interaction handling, and measurement beacon firing.

StreamLayer's SGAI implementation is specifically built for in-play ad rendering. Their native SDKs deliver gesture-based interactive content in real time while keeping the video size unchanged. The Event Trigger Engine adds intelligence to placement — showing overlay ads when action intensity decreases, when viewer attention is transitioning, or when contextual relevance is highest.

What Performance Benchmarks Do In-Play Ads Achieve?

Overlay ads achieve 2-4x higher engagement than pre-roll, interactive widgets see 8-15% engagement rates, and branded overlays achieve the highest total exposure time of any ad format.

L-bar and side-by-side formats deliver strong brand recall due to extended on-screen time (typically 15-30 seconds) and maintained content context. Interactive widgets (polls, predictions, trivia) see engagement rates dramatically above the 0.5-2% typical of standard CTV ad interactions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do in-play ads reduce content quality?

Well-implemented in-play ads use broadcast-quality design and animation that matches production standards. StreamLayer's native SDKs render overlays with fluid animation at native device resolution. When done correctly, in-play ads enhance the viewer experience.

Can viewers dismiss in-play ads?

Some formats (interactive widgets, polls) are designed to be engaged with and then dismissed. Others (lower-third overlays, branded graphics) appear for a set duration and dismiss automatically. The key principle is that in-play ads should never prevent the viewer from watching content.

How are in-play ads measured?

In-play ads use IAB/VAST measurement standards with additional overlay-specific metrics: viewability, dwell time, interaction rate, and attention quality (gaze tracking where available).