Automate ad playlists

AI-generated Key Takeaways

• The IMA Android SDK supports automated ad playlists, simplifying video player code for pre-rolls, mid-rolls, and post-rolls.

• Ad rules specified in Google Ad Manager determine when ad breaks occur.

• When an ad starts, save the content playhead position and seek to it when the ad finishes, implementing the VideoAdPlayer interface to ensure ad breaks are automatically inserted.

• Use CONTENT_PAUSE_REQUESTED and CONTENT_RESUME_REQUESTED events to pause and resume content during ad breaks.

• Call AdsLoader.contentComplete when content finishes or playback stops to signal the SDK and play post-roll ads.

Select platform: HTML5 Android iOS tvOS

IMA Android SDK supports fully automated ad playlists. This feature inserts ad breaks into the content as specified in Google Ad Manager when trafficking your ads. It also greatly simplifies the video player code necessary to support ad breaks, including pre-rolls, mid-rolls and post-rolls.

• When trafficking the ads in Ad Manager, it is possible to specify various ad rules like "always play ad break at the beginning of the content" or "play a one minute ad break every 30 minutes of content".
• When ads are requested, the ad server can return an ad playlist. The SDK processes the playlist and automatically schedules the ad breaks that have been specified.
• Since Android uses the same video player for both ad and content playback, if you plan to implement ad rules, you must save the playhead position of your content when an ad starts, then seek to that position when the ad finishes. Be sure to implement the VideoAdPlayer interface in your video player. This ensures that ad breaks are automatically inserted at the times specified in Ad Manager.

  private boolean playingContent = true;
  private int contentPosition = -1;
  private List callbacks =
      new ArrayList();
  
  @Override
  public void addCallback(VideoAdPlayerCallback callback) {
    callbacks.add(callback);
  }
  
  @Override
  public void removeCallback(VideoAdPlayerCallback callback) {
    callbacks.remove(callback);
  }
  
  public void loadContent() {
    playingContent = true;
    load(CONTENT_URL);
  }
  
  @Override
  public void loadAd(String mediaUrl) {
    playingContent = false;
    load(mediaUrl);
  }
  
  public void pauseContent() {
    savePosition();
    pause();
  }
  
  @Override
  public void pauseAd() {
    pause();
  }
  
  private void pause() {
    myVideoView.pause();
    for (VideoAdPlayerCallback callback : callbacks) {
      callback.onPause();
    }
  }
  
  public void resumeContent() {
    loadContent();
    if (contentPosition > 0) {
      restorePosition();
    }
    resume();
  }
  
  @Override
  public void resumeAd() {
    resume();
  }
  
  private void resume() {
    myVideoView.start();
    for (VideoAdPlayerCallback callback : callbacks) {
      callback.onResume();
    }
  }
  
  public void savePosition() {
    contentPosition = myVideoView.getCurrentPosition();
  }
  
  public void restorePosition() {
    myVideoView.seekTo(contentPosition);
  }

• The CONTENT_PAUSE_REQUESTED and CONTENT_RESUME_REQUESTED events are used to pause and resume the content when ad breaks are played. Refer to the relevant API documentation for details on these events.

Note: When the content has finished playing or the user has stopped playback, be sure to call AdsLoader.contentComplete in order to signal to the SDK that the content is done. The SDK then plays the post-roll ad break, if one has been scheduled. The ALL_ADS_COMPLETED event is raised when ALL ad breaks have been played. In addition, note that content tracking begins when init() is called and you should always call init() before playing content.