Nonlinear Ads for Streaming: Formats, Delivery and Controls

Nonlinear ads are ads that appear while the content keeps playing or stays on screen, instead of replacing it. In streaming and CTV, there are six main nonlinear formats: squeezeback, overlay, double box, banner, lower third and full-screen pause ads. Publishers use them to add inventory during live sports and other programming without cutting away.

What is the difference between linear and nonlinear ads?

A linear ad takes over the screen for its duration. A nonlinear ad shares the screen with the content, which keeps playing or stays visible.

The IAB VAST specification has drawn this line for years. The VAST 2.0 specification describes a linear ad as one presented "before, in the middle of, or after the video content." It describes a nonlinear ad as one that "runs concurrently with the video content so the users see the ad while viewing the content." Current versions of VAST still carry these creatives in a NonLinearAds element, separate from Linear and CompanionAds. A companion ad sits alongside or around the player rather than over the video.

The IAB Tech Lab CTV Ad Portfolio uses the same idea. It describes overlays as "non-linear ads occurring during program content and outside of the traditional ad break."

What are the six nonlinear ad formats?

Each format either resizes the video, covers part of it, or appears when playback is paused. These are the six formats, with a guide to each.

1. Squeezeback. The video is squeezed back, or resized, to open space for the ad, so nothing covers the picture. L-bar, side-bar and frame ads are types of squeezeback. An L-bar fills a band along one side and the bottom, a side-bar fills a vertical panel, and a frame borders the resized video. See squeezeback ads.
2. Overlay. The creative sits on top of the full-size video. It can be a corner or partial-screen unit, or a full-screen overlay during live programming. See overlay ads on CTV.
3. Double Box. The program video and the ad appear side by side in two boxes. The name comes from broadcast, and people also call the format split-screen or side-by-side ads. See double box ads.
4. Banner. A horizontal strip runs across the bottom of the screen over the video. It suits a logo, a short message and a call to action. See banner ads on CTV.
5. Lower Third. A sponsor unit occupies the lower third of the frame during live programming, following the broadcast graphics convention. It often carries live data such as scores or stats. See lower third ads.
6. Full Screen for Pause Ads. The ad fills the screen when the viewer pauses and closes when playback resumes. See full-screen pause ads.

StreamLayer products use these formats in different ways. Moment Ads offer Side-Bar, L-Bar and Frame squeezebacks, Overlay and Full-Screen Overlay, a Side-by-Side unit in the double box format, and a Lower Third unit. Interactive SSAI offers a Bottom Banner Overlay and Side-Bar or L-Bar squeezebacks. Pause Ads come in full-screen, overlay and side-bar layouts.

The CTV Ad Portfolio also covers menu, screensaver and in-scene formats. Those sit outside the player or inside the video itself, so this guide does not cover them.

How do nonlinear ads reach the screen?

Something on the device has to draw a nonlinear ad, because the ad shares the screen with live video. There are three common delivery paths.

Client-side ad insertion with VAST NonLinear. The player's ad SDK requests a VAST response and receives a NonLinear creative. The IAB's VAST 4.1 sample overlay tag shows the pattern: a static image resource, a click-through and click tracking. This works well where every player in the device mix supports nonlinear rendering. Check that support device by device.

Server-side ad insertion with a client layer. SSAI stitches video ads into the stream on the server. A stitched stream carries only video, so any overlay or squeezeback still needs client code. Interactive SSAI follows this model. The SSAI provider keeps stitching the spot, and timed metadata markers trigger a synchronized StreamLayer layer rendered by the SDK.

SGAI and SDK rendering. In StreamLayer SGAI, decisioning and orchestration happen on the server. The StreamLayer SDK then renders the creative inside the publisher's app. Nothing is stitched into the stream, and the underlying video is not modified. It works alongside existing SSAI, CSAI, ad servers such as Google Ad Manager, SSPs, DSPs and players. The same server-guided approach is also used to deliver linear ad pods, as in Google Ad Manager server-guided DAI and AWS Elemental MediaTailor server-guided mode. In both cases, the server decides and the device presents the ad.

How does the IAB CTV Ad Portfolio treat nonlinear formats?

The CTV Ad Portfolio gives buyers and sellers shared names for nonlinear CTV formats. IAB Tech Lab released the portfolio in December 2025. It defined six formats: pause, menu, screensaver, in-scene, squeezeback and overlay (NewscastStudio).

The definitions were finalized on July 22, 2026, according to the IAB Tech Lab portfolio page. Format signaling for AdCOM and OpenRTB was finalized at the same time, as PPC Land reported. The update expanded the placement, position and playback method fields. It also pairs pause, screensaver, overlay, squeezeback and in-scene placements with NonLinear VAST delivery.

The six formats in this guide map onto the portfolio as follows.

• Squeezeback and Double Box fall under the portfolio's squeezeback format. Its definition says these ads are "also known as L-Shape Ads & Double Box" and that "the program content is resized to allow for placement of an ad on the screen."
• Overlay, Banner and Lower Third fall under the portfolio's overlay format, which lists lower-third and bottom-right-corner placements as variations.
• Full Screen for Pause Ads falls under the portfolio's pause format. The portfolio defines a pause ad as "a TV ad experience initiated when the viewer uses a remote to pause the content being watched."

For publishers, this means nonlinear inventory can be described in bid requests in a standard way. StreamLayer moment-based inventory is available programmatically through Curated.Media curated supply and PMP deals.

What controls should publishers keep over nonlinear ads?

Publishers should decide when a nonlinear ad may appear, where it sits, how long it stays and how often it returns. These rules protect the viewing experience, especially in live sports.

In Moment Ads, publishers set eligibility, timing, pacing, placement and closing rules. Moment Intelligence identifies advertising opportunities from live game context and live data. An identified moment does not trigger an ad by itself. Publisher rules decide which moments become ads. Activations can be automatic, through the Trigger Engine and live data, or manual, from StreamLayer Studio or connected control-room workflows.

Practical rules usually include the following.

• Keep units out of the areas where the score, clock and key action appear.
• Prefer stoppages, replays and lulls over live play.
• Cap duration and frequency per event and per viewer.
• Close units automatically when play resumes or a key moment starts.

For Pause Ads, the publisher sets a delay of 1 to 5 seconds before the ad appears.

How are nonlinear ads measured?

Nonlinear ads are measured with impressions and tracking events, plus interaction data when the unit is interactive. VAST NonLinear creatives carry their own click-through and click tracking URLs. The IAB SIMID standard defines how interactive creatives communicate with a player.

Because nonlinear units share the screen, time on screen and interaction matter more than completion. On CTV, interaction often means a QR scan or a send-to-phone request rather than a click. StreamLayer Studio handles campaign setup, creative, pacing and reporting for StreamLayer units. Agree on definitions with buyers before launch, since nonlinear measurement is less uniform than linear video.

Where does StreamLayer fit?

StreamLayer supplies the server decisioning and the client SDK that renders nonlinear units in the publisher's app. The host app supplies signals such as pause, resume, events and timed metadata. It also controls the player layout, and it resizes the video for squeezeback layouts such as Side-Bar and L-Bar.

StreamLayer offers three products. Pause Ads run when viewers pause. Moment Ads run around selected moments in live programming. Interactive SSAI adds an interactive layer to stitched spots. SDKs are documented at docs.streamlayer.io for iOS, Android, web, tvOS, Android TV, Roku, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Hisense VIDAA and Xbox, among others.

Frequently asked questions

Are pause ads nonlinear ads?

Yes. A pause ad appears while the content is paused and does not replace it in an ad break. The IAB CTV Ad Portfolio pairs pause placements with NonLinear VAST delivery, as it does for overlays and squeezebacks.

Can SSAI deliver nonlinear ads?

SSAI stitches video into the stream, so it cannot draw an overlay or resize the player by itself. A client component has to render the nonlinear element. Interactive SSAI uses timed metadata to trigger a StreamLayer layer rendered by the SDK.

Do nonlinear ads replace the traditional ad break?

No. They add inventory alongside existing breaks. Most publishers run them during moments that cannot hold a full break, such as short stoppages in live sports.

Which devices support nonlinear ads?

Support depends on the rendering path. The StreamLayer SDK covers major CTV, mobile and web platforms, including Roku, tvOS, Android TV, Samsung Tizen and LG webOS. Additional platforms, including PlayStation and TitanOS, can be added on request.

StreamLayer helps publishers add nonlinear inventory to live and on-demand streams while keeping control of the viewing experience. To review formats and fit for your apps, talk to StreamLayer.