The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Technology Laboratory’s “Transitioning Video Ads from Flash to HTML5/JS” has just been released.
The paper offers practical guidance for migrating digital video advertisements to HTML5 and JavaScript. Those technologies have emerged as the default media playback options in the majority of current browsers.
One big recommendation from the IAB paper? To get all video ads in HTML5 by July 2017.
“Recognizing that this creates technical and operational hurdles that require time and planning, the IAB Tech Lab suggests that publishers, brands, and agencies take steps to shift the mix of ads from Flash to HTML5 and JavaScript-based ads over the course of the first six months of 2017,” reads a media release from the respected organization.
The paper helpfully includes two detailed checklists to ease the transition for different stakeholders. There is one designed for publishers and another for brands and agencies. Best of all, the IAB Tech Lab will release tools such as a VAST Validator and a JS VPAID tester by January, 2017 to help all stakeholders with the transition.
“The move from Flash to HTML5 and JavaScript is vital to improving user experience in digital video advertising,” said Alanna Gombert, the Senior Vice President for Technology and Ad Operations at IAB, and General Manager of IAB Tech Lab. “We recognize that it’s a complex transition—one that cannot happen overnight. This guidance provides practical insights and how-to’s that simplify and facilitate the process for publishers, brands, and media agencies, as we build a stronger foundation for video marketing.”
Want to read more about it? Download the paper here.