Banner Ads on CTV: Interactive Bottom Banner Overlays

A CTV banner ad is a horizontal strip that runs across the bottom of the screen, on top of the video, while the video keeps playing. It can sit over program content or over a video ad. Interactive versions add a logo, a call to action and a QR code that viewers can act on.

What is a banner ad on CTV?

A CTV banner is a type of overlay ad: a strip placed over the lower edge of the full-size picture. The video is not resized, so the banner covers a thin band of the frame.

The IAB Tech Lab CTV Ad Portfolio does not treat banners as a separate format. It describes overlay ads as placing "ad creatives over top of the program content, often as a banner or picture in picture execution." One of its two overlay variations appears "covering the lower third of the screen."

A TV banner is not a web display banner. There is no mouse and no page to scroll. Viewers respond with the remote, by scanning a QR code or by asking for a link on their phone. For the wider overlay category, including corner and full-screen overlays, see CTV overlay ads.

How does an interactive bottom banner work on an SSAI ad?

The SSAI provider stitches and delivers the video ad as usual. Timed metadata markers in the stream tell the StreamLayer SDK when to render a transparent interactive layer over the lower part of that ad.

This is the Bottom Banner Overlay in Interactive SSAI. The sequence works like this:

1. The SSAI provider stitches the video ad into the stream, exactly as it does today.
2. Timed metadata markers travel with the stitched ad. The host app passes those signals to the SDK.
3. The StreamLayer SDK renders the banner client-side, synchronized with the ad that is playing.
4. Because the layer is synchronized with the stitched ad, it belongs to that ad and does not carry over into the program.

The stitched video is not modified. StreamLayer does not replace the SSAI provider, the ad server or the player. It adds an interactive layer to inventory that is already being sold. The approach follows StreamLayer SGAI: decisions are made server-side, and rendering happens in the app.

What can an interactive bottom banner show?

Interactive SSAI offers two unit types for the banner: a Standard Interactive SSAI Unit and a Live Data Interactive SSAI Unit. The first carries brand messaging; the second adds synchronized live data.

• Standard Interactive SSAI Unit. A logo, a CTA, an optional QR code and promotional messaging. It suits most brand spots that need a clear next step.
• Live Data Interactive SSAI Unit. This unit knows which SSAI ad is playing and which event is on. It can show synchronized live data, such as odds for preselected markets, next to the advertiser's message.

Because the banner runs over the advertiser's own spot, it does not compete with the game for screen space. That is the main difference from a banner placed over live program content.

How can a banner be personalized when the stitched video is the same for everyone?

The interactive layer is decided and rendered separately from the video. Different viewers can therefore see different banner content over the same stitched spot.

Interactive SSAI can personalize the layer by loyalty status, audience segment, geography or existing-customer status. For example, an existing customer might see a loyalty offer, while a new viewer sees a sign-up CTA. The underlying ad and the SSAI workflow stay unchanged.

Where else do banner ads appear?

Banners also run during live programming, outside any ad break. In Moment Ads, a banner-style strip is delivered through the Overlay presentation format while the game continues.

Moment Ads are activated around selected high-interest moments or relevant lulls. They can carry live data such as scores, stats and live odds, plus QR codes, CTAs and send-to-phone. Publisher controls set eligibility, timing, pacing, placement and closing, so a banner can close before a key play.

A banner over live content covers part of the picture. Keep it clear of the score bug, the clock, closed captions and the broadcaster's own graphics.

Banner, lower third or squeezeback: which should you use?

Choose by how much of the picture you can cover and what triggers the ad. Each format solves a different problem.

• Banner. A strip across the bottom, over an ad or over content. Its best fit is adding interactivity to stitched video ads without touching the SSAI workflow.
• Lower third. A timed, broadcast-style sponsor graphic tied to a live moment, often carrying a score or stat. See lower third ads.
• Squeezeback. The video is resized to open space for the ad, so nothing is covered. See squeezeback ads. Interactive SSAI also supports Side-Bar and L-Bar squeezeback layouts.

For how these formats fit together, see the nonlinear ads hub.

Frequently asked questions

Is a banner ad the same as an overlay ad?

A banner is one kind of overlay. The IAB Tech Lab CTV Ad Portfolio groups banners under overlay ads, which sit on top of the program content without resizing it. A banner is specifically a horizontal strip along the bottom of the screen.

Does the Bottom Banner Overlay change the SSAI ad?

No. The SSAI provider keeps stitching and delivering the video ad. The StreamLayer SDK renders a separate transparent layer on top, triggered by timed metadata, and the video itself is not modified.

How do viewers interact with a banner on a TV?

They select the CTA with the remote or scan a QR code with a phone. On mobile and web, viewers can tap the banner directly.

Which devices support interactive banners from StreamLayer?

StreamLayer SDKs cover iOS, Android, React Native, Web, tvOS, Android TV and Google TV, Roku, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Hisense VIDAA and Xbox. Amazon Fire TV and Vizio are also supported today. Additional platforms, including PlayStation and TitanOS, can be added on request.

To add interactive banners to stitched ad breaks or live events, talk to StreamLayer.