VAST is a Video Ad Serving Template for structuring ad tags that serve ads to video players. Using an XML schema, VAST transfers important metadata about an ad from the ad server to a video player. Initially launched in 2008, VAST has since played an important role in the growth of the digital video marketplace.
The early days of video consisted mostly of shared videos and other user-generated content. Success in monetizing this content with ads has produced the resources to improve the digital video marketplace. The resources below offer more details. Please send questions or comments to [email protected].
| Version | Release Date |
| VAST Addendum for CTV 2024 Includes ACIF Support for Ad Registration, Icons to Support DSA, and updates relating to the need for higher resolution creative on larger screens | July 2024 |
| VAST Addendum for attribution reporting Supports APIs that enable registering event URLs, includes attribute to identify URLs for potential attribution reporting. | July 2023 |
| VAST 4.3 You should also review the VAST CTV Addendum 2024 including Ad Creative support for VAST 4.3 | December 2022 |
VAST 4.2 Secure Interactive Media Interface Definition (SIMID) – the replacement for VPAID for interactive use cases and a few other minor updates. You should also review the VAST CTV Addendum CTV2024 including Ad Creative support for VAST 4.2 | June 2019 |
VAST 4.1 Updates for Improved Ad Verification, Ad Creative Measurement, Server-Side Ad Insertion and Integration of Audio Advertising You should also review the VAST CTV Addendum 2024 including Ad Creative support for VAST 4.1 | August 2017 |
VAST 4.0 You should also review the VAST CTV Addendum 2024 including Ad Creative support for VAST 4.0 | January 2016 |
VAST 3.0 You should also review the VAST CTV Addendum 2024 including Ad Creative support for VAST 3.0 | July 2012 |
VAST 2.0 You should also review the VAST CTV Addendum 2024 including Ad Creative support for VAST 2.0 | March 2012 |
| VAST 1.0 | No longer supported |
IAB Tech Lab Releases VAST 4.1 (Blog post)
IAB Tech Lab Releases VAST 4.1 for Public Comment (Press Release)
Five Use Cases for Video Ad Serving (PDF)
IAB Digital Video In-Stream Ad Format Guidelines (PDF)
Understanding & Adopting VAST 4.0 (Webinar)
Tech Lab CodeBank: VAST (GitHub)
Video Multiple Ad Playlist (VMAP)
Video Player-Ad Interface Definition (VPAID) – Deprecated, replaced with SIMID
Secure Interactive Media Interface Definition (SIMID)
DAA Ad Marker Implementation Guidelines for Video (PDF)
VAST 4.0 Arrives, Championing the Technology Behind the Growth of Digital Video Advertising (Blog)