Please see style guide for details

Please see style guide for details

Please see style guide for details

Please see style guide for details

Please see style guide for details

Please see style guide for details

Video must include: Play, Pause, Mute (volume control to zero (0) output may be included instead of or in addition to Mute control)

Play, Pause, Mute (volume control to zero (0) output may be included instead of or in addition to Mute control)

Play, Pause, Mute (volume control to zero (0) output may be included instead of or in addition to Mute control)

Expanding modules must include “Close X” in expanded mode

Other controls dependent on applications used. See style guide for control details, styles and specifications.

close button on expanded pushdown, initiated by click

Uninitiated expanded panel closes automatically and collapsed ad provides expand button that can be initiated with a click

Video must include:
Play, Pause, Mute (volume control to zero (0) output may be included instead of or in addition to Mute control)Other controls dependent on modules used. See style guide for control details, styles and specifications

Close X on expanded Sidekick that closes and returns user to publisher page content

User-initiated expand control in the in-page display unit “slides” page content to the left

Video must include:
Play, Pause, Mute (volume control to zero (0) output may be included instead of or in addition to Mute control)

Click or rollover initiates slider content.

Must contain “Close X” in expanded slider bar and in slider content.

Video must include:
Play, Pause, Mute (volume control to zero (0) output may be included instead of or in addition to Mute control)

view sample

Download Style Guide (.pdf, 930 KB)

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Download Style Guide (.pdf, 680 KB)

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Download Style Guide (.pdf, 1.3 MB)

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Download Style Guide
(.pdf, 201 KB)

Abbreviations: px = pixel and sec = seconds

Interest-Based Advertising (IBA): Include IBA self-regulation controls for ads using behavioral targeting (5 KB max file size).
Audio: Must be user-initiated. To allow for audio initiation in videos without player controls, a control may be included for user to initiate audio.
Hotspot: Not to exceed 1/4 size of ad. Initiated when cursor rests on hotspot for at least 1 sec. Must NOT initiate audio.
Defining ad space: Ad unit content must be clearly distinguishable from normal webpage content (ad unit must have clearly defined borders and not be confused with normal page content).
Max CPU: ad not to exceed 30% CPU usage during host-initiated execution.
Submission lead time: Minimum lead time for ad file submission is 6 days before campaign start.
Max number of host-initiated file requests: ad not to exceed 15 file requests during initial file load and host-initiated subload. Unlimited file requests allowed after user-interaction.

1. File weight calculation: All files for the ad (.html, .js, .css, images, etc.) must be included as part of the maximum file weight calculation for all file load limits. Shared libraries are also included as part of the file weight calculation unless otherwise expempted (see note 5). File weights are calculated after files have been compressed into gzip format (see note 7).
2. Initial file load: Includes all assets and files necessary for completing first visual display of the Ad.
3. Host-initiated subload: where allowed, additional files may load one second after the browser domContentLoadedEventEnd event. The ad should be able to "listen" for the browser domContentLoadedEventEnd event before subsequent files beyond the initial max file size may be loaded.
4. User-initiated file size: Ads that allow additional file size for host-initiated subload also allow for unlimited file load after user-initiated interaction. User initiation is the willful act of a user to engage with an ad. Users may interact by clicking or tapping the ad, and/or rolling over an ad (or a portion of an ad).
5. Shared Libraries: Publishers are encouraged to approve the use of shared libraries for HTML5 ads and exempt them from the ad's file weight calculation. As part of the publisher's certification process, both the shared libraries and their sources must be approved before any shared libraries may be exempted from the ad's file weight.
6. Rising Star display: Rising Stars ad units are designed to be the only rich media ad unit displayed on a webpage. Because of increased file load size, displaying a Rising Stars ad unit with any other rich media unit may compromise page-load performance. Other non-rich media ads should display without compromising performance.
7. Ad file compression: Ads should be compressed before being served to a site. The most universally compatible format for file compression in transit over the Internet is gzip.
8. Rising Star Style Guides: Please reference these updated guidelines for file sizes, and any references to Flash should be disregarded and replaced with HTML5.

Required for ads with video: Video may omit controls until user initiates interaction. Upon user interaction, video controls must include Play, Pause, Mute or volume control to zero (0) output for videos that expand out of initial ad upon interaction. For auto play videos that play in banner only Mute or volume control to zero(0) is required.
HTML5 video controls: To improve performance and reduce file size, use control attributes in the HTML5 video tag for controls instead of providing custom assets for displaying controls.
Adaptive bitrate streaming: HTML5 does not support streaming video, but it can simulate a streaming experience using adaptive bitrate streaming technologies such as HLS and MPEG-DASH. Formatting files for adaptive bitrate streaming enables a smoother viewer experience. Adaptive bitrate streaming uses short fragments (2-3 seconds) of the video at different quality levels and stores them in a playlist file such as M3U8. During playback, the player detects bandwidth at the start of each fragment and plays the fragment at the quality level best suited to the bandwidth and player environment. Common protocols for adaptive bitrate streaming include HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) in the US and MPEG-DASH in the EU.
Video codec: Use MPEG-4 (MP4) file formats for H.264-encoded video for a more seamless delivery across devices. The H.264 codec should use a Baseline profile to allow for more diverse execution in systems that range from a cellular connection on a mobile screen to a high-speed cable connection on an HTTP-connect TV screen. For audio, AAC is more widely supported (PCM audio is unsupported in Flash players).
Video format: At a minimum, the MP4/H.264 file format should be provided, but alternate files using formats such as WebM and VP8 may also be submitted.
The MOOV atom: Use the web-optimized setting when encoding the MP4 file, which sets the MOOV (movie) atom at the start of the file.