CSAI is one of the two most relevant methods when it comes to implementing ads in audiovisual content. It works by requesting ads from a server, which are chosen in a personalized way for each client, based on data previously collected by the company.
When the ad is chosen, the player is responsible for stopping the video to play it. Let’s see the stages of a client-side ad insertion process once the user presses play to play the content:
- Before the video plays, the player is in charge of downloading the manifest from the CDN. In the case of a preroll, it will start playing before the video.
- The fragment will be paused once the mark corresponding to the ad is reached, and the player will make an API call to the server to request it.
- The server responds with a VAST tag containing information about the ad.
- The player uses that information and automatically plays the ad.
- Once it has been played in its entirety, the video continues to play from the point where it was paused.
