A VAST-tag (Video Ad Serving Template) is a file that contains information about a short video clip that should be played before, during or after a longer video file. This is usually used to serve advertisement clips but can also be used to play a sponsorship video.
Ad-Server
If you want to monetise your service with an advertisement we recommend that you sign an agreement with an Ad-Server company e.g. SpotX or Google. These companies will provide you with the correct VAST-tags which you then can add in the console.
Using your own VAST-tags
If you have the knowledge it's also possible that you create your own VAST-tags. After you created the VAST-tag do the following:
- Upload the video and the VAST-tag file to the dedicated directory in the S3 bucket /vast/
- Then take the URL to the VAST-tag and add it either as default or as an override in the advertisement section in the Magine Pro Console. The URL will look like this:
https://media-partner_name.partner.maginepro.com/vast/<vast_tag> - Check the VAST-tag URL with this free validation tool.
Best practice
The video file should be a small MP4 file, ideally around 2-5MB, since it needs to be delivered over the network quickly to start playing fast also over mobile networks.