The IAB Tech Lab has launched a new CTV Ad Portfolio along with a significant revision to its Guide to Programmatic CTV, seeking to inject clarity and consistency into a rapidly expanding — but frequently fragmented — segment of digital advertising.
The portfolio defines six primary connected TV ad formats: Pause, Menu, Screensaver, In Scene, Squeezebacks and Overlays. These formats were distilled from more than 100 real-world examples submitted through the industry-wide “Ad Format Hero” initiative.
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IAB Tech Lab has also refreshed its programmatic CTV recommendations, providing hands-on guidance for transacting these ad formats more effectively. The update brings expanded OpenRTB support, with particular emphasis on two formats prioritized by an industry working group: Pause and Menu.
Both resources are now available for public feedback through January 31. Go here to give your thoughts.
Need for a common language
“Over the past year, we’ve seen the CTV marketplace explode and the industry has been asking for clear, practical guidance to keep up,” Anthony Katsur, CEO of IAB Tech Lab, said in a statement. “What we heard again and again was that publishers, buyers and platforms needed a common language for emerging CTV formats and a way to streamline how these formats are traded.”
The push for that shared language is becoming more pressing. CTV and streaming now represent the bulk of TV viewing in the U.S., and this shift is driving demand for scalable, non-intrusive ad experiences tailored to the channel. Many of the newly defined formats — especially Pause and Menu — create premium inventory outside of standard commercial pods.
By aligning on definitions and technical specs, the guidance is intended to cut down on creative mistakes, avoid duplicative production work and reduce operational friction caused by inconsistent implementations.
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This degree of standardization mirrors what IAB Tech Lab previously delivered with its original Digital Ad Portfolio for display, and early industry feedback has been strongly positive.
“Interoperability is essential to unlocking the full potential of CTV,” Gianluca Milano, head of ad experience product at Disney, said in a statement. “These new standards will benefit the entire ecosystem by establishing a consistent framework for advanced ad formats to scale across platforms and buying channels.”
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