Interactive Media Ads (IMA) is a suite of SDKs that make it easy to integrate multimedia ads into your websites and apps. IMA SDKs can request ads from any VAST-compliant ad server and manage ad playback in your apps. IMA can also display companion ads, report metrics to ad servers, and incorporate key buying signals, such as Active View viewability, IDFA/ADID, and content targeting.
There are two ways to implement IMA SDKs: client-side, which combines ad and content video within your app, and dynamic ad insertion (DAI), which combines ad and content video on the Ad Manager servers, and then returns a single video stream to your app for playback.
IMA client-side
With IMA client-side SDKs, you maintain control of content video playback, while the SDK handles ad playback. Ads play in a separate video player positioned on top of the app's content video player.
Features
- Available to all publishers.
- Can make ad requests to Google Ad Manager, the Google AdSense network, or any VAST-compliant ad server.
For more information on the features supported by IMA client-side for each platform, refer to Support and compatibility.
IMA DAI
With IMA DAI SDKs, apps make a stream request for ad and content video—either VOD or live content. The SDK then returns a combined video stream, so that you don't have to manage switching between ad and content video within your app.
Features
- Provides a seamless, broadcast-like viewing experience.
- Can make ad requests to Google Ad Manager, Ad Exchange for video, AdSense for video, and AdSense for games networks, as well as third-party ad servers. Streams are combined on the Ad Manager servers, regardless of which network an ad is hosted on.