Why & How to Use the idolmedia360 Video Submodule for Prebid.js

While working with direct Demand partners remains a lucrative monetization strategy for publishers of editorial inventory in 2024, programmatic advertising still represents a powerful source of incremental revenue for them. 

In the video advertising context, while ad waterfalling may have been known as the more conventional programmatic ad selling approach in the past, video header bidding has become the strong new-comer over the past several years, bringing the real-time impression value to the forefront, hence ensuring maximum revenue outcomes in each auction. 

Namely, among the popular header bidding tech, in October 2024 Prebid.js ranked the second one in the global usage rating, with about 0.6% of top 1 Million websites (~23,500 websites) currently utilizing it for monetization purposes (per Statista). 

Working w/ Prebid.js: Implementation Specs

Whereas the complexity of technical implementation of video header bidding is one of the most peculiar pitfalls for publishers of editorial inventory, in the Prebid context the overall setup process has greatly improved during the past 12 months. 

In this respect, publishers working with the idolmedia360 video player in 2024, for instance, won’t need to integrate Prebid.js into their digital properties prior to integrating the header bidding Demand. Nor will they need to do the manual coding/debugging, but rather add the param values for a particular Prebid vendor, and let the idolmedia360 platform compile the final JSON itself.

This virtually is a game-changer for small and mid-sized publishers, particularly in the editorial segment, which enables them to spare operational resources, while also minimizing the risks of data leakage and revenue loss. 

And the great news is, the tech savvy website owners working with Prebid.js can now take advantage of the smoother integration capabilities, too – with the idolmedia360 Outstream Video Submodule.

Benefits of Using the idolmedia360 Video Submodule

Up until recently, digital publishers having significant experience with Prebid.js could simplify their Prebid Demand integration through the use of the so-called Video Submodules ONLY in the instream environment. This, obviously, curtailed opportunities for experienced publishers of editorial inventory, who were monetizing their inventory with video ads.

Well, the launch of the idolmedia360 Video Submodule for Prebid.js changes this, helping to minimize page latency, while keeping the bidding process streamlined. 

Namely, the idolmedia360 Submodule is particularly designed for tech enthusiasts, working with standalone/no-content video ads (also known as outstream). The solution implies the ad-enabled video player will launch on a publisher’s webpage only after the Prebid auction has concluded, and the particular ad creative, which has won, is ready for display in the player. 

From the technical perspective, similarly to other, instream-focused Prebid.js Submodules available for publishers, the idolmedia360 Video Submodule handles bid rendering in the player, while also triggering ad events in it, and filling the video impression, accordingly.