Ad Guide: Addressable TV (Europe)

Addressable TV Advertising Formats

Technical Overview

Display Ad Format Delivered always as one file,for JPG with a black background File Type PNG or JPG  File Size Individual by format Third-Party Redirect No Third-Party Tracking Generally possible via smartclip anonymisation proxy for impressions and clicks.

Requirements

The smartclip anonymisation proxy must not be recognised as “Fraud”. For this purpose, the proxy user agent (“smartclip-atv”) has to be approved by the tracking provider. Click trackers may not contain redirects to pages.

Yellow Button Interaction

Click-to-Microsite and Click-to-Video, maximum length of 55 seconds.

All formats can be used without interaction as a pure branding format.

Mandatory Requirements for All Display Advertising Formats

• Advertising disclaimer
  • All display formats must include a clearly visible/readable disclaimer labelling the advertisement
  • Font size minimum of 22px, typeface Helvetica
  • Background monochrome; font colour must stand out clearly from background colour 
  • Elements in the immediate vicinity (e.g. yellow button) must not be larger than the advertising label
• A blue button with the label “data protection” must be included
• No relevant information such as logos or text may be placed in the safe area (45x25px) nor within the navigation bar (1280x84px)

Supplementary Requirements for Interactive Ads

• For interactive ads, a yellow button with the corresponding call-to-action must also be included
• Click-to-video:
  • The start of the video must be clearly indicated with a respective notification or CTA (e.g. “Start video now”)
  • Maximum video length of 55 seconds

Animations

• Simple animations can be realised using the GIF format (maximum of 700 KB), but with a maximum of 10fps
• More complex animations must be mapped using a VPAID. For reasons of quality assurance and the special requirements in the HbbTV environment, we strongly recommend implementation with specialised and experienced developers. For further information (costs, required material, as well as contact to specialised developers), please contact the ATV implementation team: demandops-eu@smartclip.tv 

Delivery Times and Lead Times

Physical Ads

• Minimum of 5 working days before campaign start
• Minimum of 10 working days before campaign start for dynamic ads based on external data sources (e.g. weather targeting) 

Microsites / smartclip Template

• Delivery of all assets (videos, static imagery) minimum of 10 working days before campaign start
• Production based on the template, technical control and going live is done by smartclip

Microsites / External Development (Custom Microsites)

• Handover of the final microsite at least 10 working days before campaign start
• Technical control and going live in smartclip infrastructure is done by smartclip

Additional Information

smartclip reserves the right to stop the delivery of advertising material or microsites if:

• Complaints from viewers / users arise following the start of the campaign
• It subsequently turns out that the advertising material or the microsites disrupt or impair the performance or use of the TV programming
• The advertising media or the microsite mislead the viewer / user
• Any part of the ad (including the display file, video or microsite) does not comply with the regulations or applicable law
• The pharmacist´s, casino- and competitors note must definitely appear in the german advertising material. Different rules may apply in other European countries
• Advertiser Blacklist: please check with your contact person which blacklist applies.

In case of any interrupted deliveries, the smartclip support team will connect with the brand / agency in order to fulfil the planned campaign as soon as possible.

L-Shaped Ad / Lanner / SwitchIn XXL

Visible for 10 seconds after switching into a new channel, the SwitchIn XXL (also known as L-banner) guarantees high attention levels for your advertising message. The format design is flexible and can be static, animated, dynamised by real-time data or interactive with a yellow button (click-to-video; click-to-microsite). 

The product name for this format is SwitchIn XXL in Germany. In other markets different names might apply, for example Lanner in Italy. 

SwitchIn XXL as Pure Branding Format 

• Available in all markets
• The designs of all formats can be static or animated

SwitchIn XXL with Interaction (Yellow Button)

• Available in Germany and Italy
• Click-to-Video
• Click-to-Microsite

In the different European countries, particular attention must be paid to the different advertising labels. On the following page you can download the templates for Italy, France and Spain. Interactive options such as click-to-video and click-to-microsite are currently possible with the SwitchIn XXL in Germany and Italy.

The product name for this format is SwitchIn XXL in Germany. In other markets different names might apply, for example Lanner in Italy. 

Mandatory Requirements for All Display Ads

• The fixed positions of the disclaimers “Advertisement” and “Data Protection” are specified and must be included as shown in the template 
• No relevant information such as logos or text may be placed in the safe area (45x25px) nor within the navigation bar (1280x84px)

Technical Specifications

File Type JPG, PNG Dimensions 284x720px + 996x160px delivered as one file! File Size max. 250 KB Download Template Germany https://bit.ly/2B7ju22  Download Template Italy https://bit.ly/37OJXxw  Download Template France https://bit.ly/3hNr8iN  Download Template Spain https://bit.ly/2BqHcXh

SwitchIn XXL with Interaction Interactive ads require a call-to-action button including distinct labelling. For France and Spain to be approved and not yet available. Click-to-Video The start of the video must be clearly indicated with a respective label or notification, e.g. “Start video now”. Maximum video length of 55 seconds. Advertising disclaimers and safe area restrictions are mandatory!

SwitchIn XXL Extended

Available in Germany only

Visible for 15 seconds after switching channels and including a mandatory animation, the SwitchIn XXL Extended is the ideal format for more complex designs. In addition to the obligatory animation, the design can be further enriched with dynamic real-time data or the interactive feature of the yellow button  (click-to-video; click-to-microsite).

Technical Specifications

File Type Gif or VPAID Dimensions 1280x720px delivered as one file! Display Duration 15 seconds File Size max. 250 KB Download Template https://bit.ly/3ejCtES

SwitchIn XXL Extended with Yellow Button Interaction In the case of interactive advertising media, a “yellow button” with the corresponding note must also be included Click-to-Video The clear text reference to the start of a video must be included in the advertising media, e.g. “Start video now” Maximum video length of 55 seconds. Advertising disclaimers and safe area restrictions are mandatory!

SwitchIn Zoom / Side-Skin

Visible for 10 seconds after switching into a new channel, the SwitchIn Zoom offers the same features as the SwitchIn XXL with a larger branding area. The format design is flexible and can be static, animated, dynamised by real-time data or interactive with a yellow button (click-to-video; click-to-microsite).

Technical Specifications

File Type JPG, PNG Dimensions 1280x720px delivered as one file! File Size max. 250 KB Download Template https://bit.ly/2M0dY3v  Advertising disclaimers and safe area restrictions are mandatory!

SwitchIn Zoom with Yellow Button Interaction In the case of interactive advertising media, a “yellow button” with the corresponding note must also be included Click-to-Video The clear text reference to the start of a video must be included in the advertising media, e.g. “Start video now” Maximum video length 55 seconds.

SwitchIn Masthead / Full-Skin

The SwitchIn Masthead is an exclusive ad format displayed for 10 seconds directly after turning on the TV for the first time of the day. The maximum advertising space allows for creativity and the flexible design can be static, animated, dynamised by real-time data or interactive with a yellow button (click-to-video; click-to-microsite). 

Technical Specifications

File Type JPG, PNG Dimensions 1280x720px delivered as one file! File Size max. 250 KB Download Template https://bit.ly/3eBkvOr  Advertising disclaimers and safe area restrictions are mandatory!

SwitchIn Masthead with Yellow Button Interaction In the case of interactive advertising media, a “yellow button” with the corresponding note must also be included Click-to-Video The clear text reference to the start of a video must be included in the advertising media, e.g. “Start video now” Maximum video length 55 seconds.

SwitchIn Spot

Available in Germany only

The SwitchIn Spot is shown directly after switching into a new channel and has a maximum duration of 10 seconds. The SwitchIn Spot is surrounded by a SwitchIn XXL frame (L-banner) with the TV channel branding and a countdown indicating the remaining duration of the spot.

Technical Specifications

Video Type MP4, H.264 Resolution 1920x1080px Profile 4.0 high, optimised for web Loudness ~-23 LUFS https://bit.ly/2tLtyat

Frame Rate 25fps Bit Rate 192/5000 KBit/s min. a/v Bit rate Spot Length max. 10 seconds

SwitchIn Bumper

Available in Germany only

The SwitchIn Bumper is shown directly after switching into a new channel and has a maximum duration of 6 seconds. The SwitchIn Spot is surrounded by a SwitchIn XXL frame (L-banner) with the TV channel branding and a countdown indicating the remaining duration of the spot.

Technical Specifications

Video Type MP4, H.264 Resolution 1920x1080px Profile 4.0 high, optimised for web Loudness ~-23 LUFS https://bit.ly/2tLtyat

Frame Rate 25fps Bit Rate 192/5000 KBit/s min. a/v Bit rate Spot Length max. 6 seconds

Target Spot

The Target Spot replaces the last position of an ad break by delivering a single addressable video ad into the broadcast stream. This first step of personalising the classic ad break offers a wide range of targeting options for your video advertisement. 

Technical Specifications

Video Type MP4, H.264 Resolution 1920x1080px Profile 4.0 high, optimised for web Loudness ~-23 LUFS https://bit.ly/2tLtyat

Frame Rate 25fps Bit Rate 192/5000 KBit/s min. a/v Bit rate

Click-to-Video

A click-to-video campaign combines display and video elements. The yellow button interaction actively engages the viewer and thus increases the advertising memory. The yellow button field appears on the addressable display ad and by clicking it on the remote control, the full commercial can be viewed.

Technical Specifications

Video Type MP4, H.264 Resolution 1920x1080px Profile 4.0 high, optimised for web Loudness ~-23 LUFS https://bit.ly/2tLtyat Advertising disclaimers and safe area restrictions are mandatory!

Frame Rate 25fps Bit Rate 192/5000 KBit/s min. a/v Bit rate Spot Length max. 55 seconds Videos of 55 seconds or longer must be switched to a microsite.

Click-to-Microsites

Requirements & Workflow

Addressable TV microsites must comply with the HbbTV / CE-HTML standard.

The development of HbbTV microsites requires appropriate know-how and access to HbbTV devices for development and testing. All microsites are hosted on the smartclip infrastructure and undergo a technical check on various TV sets before going live.

Creation of Microsites with smartclip Templates smartclip enables the production of microsites based on standardised templates The lead time and implementation effort can thus be minimised to 5-10 days Recommendation Download templates here: Microsite Basic https://bit.ly/3et7hDe Microsite Advanced https://bit.ly/2XG4tfd

External Development of Microsites (Custom Microsites) Generally, the development of microsites by external service providers is possible smartclip checks all microsites on different HbbTV devices to ensure error-free operation smartclip accepts no responsibility for delays caused by incorrectly created microsites

Microsite Templates

smartclip offers standardised templates for quick and easy microsite implementation, as a basic microsite or as an advanced microsite with a gallery.

Once graphics, videos and static images are delivered as specified, smartclip can take care of the implementation, technical control and live placement of the microsite as well as of the tracking and reporting, via the programme “Matomo”. The lead time is 5-10 working days from delivery of assets until the ad goes live.

Premium Features

The integration of further dynamic elements (e.g. external databases, dealer search, competitions) is possible subject to consultation with the smartclip team.

Basic Microsite Example

• Ideal for the communication of additional product information by integrating links, QR codes, hotlines, contact information etc.
• The TV picture is integrated on the microsite, so that the viewer can still follow the TV programme

Advanced Microsite with Picture Gallery / Video Gallery Example

• Flexible number of images or videos
• Vertical or horizontal arrangement of the navigation
• The TV picture is integrated on the entry page of the microsite and disappears upon viewer interaction

Notes for all Microsites

• Take into account the safe area (45x25px) and navigation bar (1280x84px)
• Consider space for the TV programme window with a minimum of 320x180px (positioning variable)

Technical Specifications

File Type JPG, PNG                    Dimensions 1280x720px Download Basic Template https://bit.ly/3et7hDe Download Advanced Template   https://bit.ly/2XG4tfd  Advertising disclaimers and safe area restrictions are mandatory!

Advanced Microsite Picture Gallery Images for picture gallery (PNG or JPG, max. 200 KB) Thumbnails (PNG or JPG, max. 100 KB) Focus / highlight color Advanced Microsite Video Gallery Videos (MP4, H.264, 1280x720px, 25fps, Profile 4.0 high, 192/1800 Kbit / s max. A / v bitrate, web optimised, loudness ~ -23 LUFS Thumbnails (PNG or JPG, max. 100 KB) Focus / highlight color

Custom Microsite

When creating microsites by external developers and agencies, a lead time of at least 10 working days must be observed from the material handover to smartclip until they go live.

• The hosting takes place exclusively in smartclip infrastructures
• The use of an anonymisation proxy for external resources is possible by arrangement
• Microsite must be HbbTV / CE-HTML compatible and tested accordingly on HbbTV devices
• smartclip will release the microsite upon technical acceptance 
• HbbTV test equipment for technical control
  • Samsung 2012+, LG 2012+, Philips 2012+, Panasonic 2012+, Sony 2012+

This is a representative selection of test devices, however, errors on individual devices cannot be ruled out.

Recommendations & Notes Video player features: stop, pause, start (fast forward and fast rewind) Fullscreen / split screen toggle Preview images are available for all assets and are displayed correctly Preloader: The app and videos display the battery status  Appearance Fonts, image sizes and user experience are optimised for TV screens

Informations & Tools  General HbbTV specifications https://www.hbbtv.org Firefox HbbTV plugins Fire HbbTV Dev Environment https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hybridtv-dev-environment/ljmkgjilkcmdokbgofbmjnkobejhhapc Hybrid TV viewer https://addons.mozilla.org/en/firefox/addon/hybridtvviewer/ Validators https://hbbtv-live.irt.de/validator/

Notes for all Microsites

• Take into account the safe area (45x25px) and navigation bar (1280x84px)
• Consider space for the TV programme window with a minimum of 320x180px (positioning variable)

Technical Specifications

Video Encoding 2Mbit/s maximum; smooth playback on all devices, correct scaling and positioning of the videos MP4, H.264, 1280x720px, 25fps, Profile 4.0 high, 192/1800 Kbps max. a / v bitrate, web optimised, loudness ~ -23 LUFS – see https://bit.ly/2tLtyat  Image File Background image max. 200 KB Thumbnails max. 100 KB

Navigation, Active Elements and Submenus Navigation path must be understandable and functional All active elements must be selectable Submenus must have a “back” button Design and usability must be optimised for TV use Adequate loading times for launch and interactions

The Requirements are Specific to Germany

A navigation bar must be included on the microsite. The red button has the function of closing the microsite, the green button leads to the homepage of the TV channel (only applicable for RTL, VOX, VOXup, RTL Nitro, RTLplus, Super RTL and n-tv) and the blue button opens information on data protection and imprint. The advertiser has to provide the legal notice copy.

• For the integration of data protection copy: https://bit.ly/37iZsO8 
• The navigation bars of VOX, VOXup, RTL, RTL Nitro, RTLplus, n-tv and Super RTL contain channel branding
• A generic channel bar is displayed for all other channels
• In order to get the respective TV channel name, the value of the GET parameter “channel”, which is transferred when the microsite URL is called up, can be used
  • https://[MICROSITE_URL]?trxid=[TRX_ID]channel=[CHANNEL_ID]&mode=[MODE] 

• Overview of URL parameters microsite

[TRX_ID]

Matomo Tracking ID. The value must be read from the microsite and set

[CHANNEL_ID]

• RTL (DE): rtl.hbbtv.x.de.smartclip
• RTL (AT): rtl.hbbtv.x.at.smartclip
• VOX (DE): vox.hbbtv.x.de.smartclip
• VOX (AT): vox.hbbtv.x.at.smartclip
• VOXup (DE): vox.hbbtv.x.at.smartclip
• RTL Nitro (DE): rtlnitro.hbbtv.x.de.smartclip
• RTL Nitro (AT): rtlnitro.hbbtv.x.at.smartclip
• RTLplus (DE): rtlplus.hbbtv.x.de.smartclip
• RTLplus (AT): rtlplus.hbbtv.x.at.smartclip
• n-tv (DE): ntv.hbbtv.x.de.smartclip
• n-tv (AT): ntv.hbbtv.x.at.smartclip
• Super RTL (DE): superrtl.hbbtv.x.de.smartclip

[MODE]

Matomo data protection mode (soft / silent / strict). The value is used for the Matomo opt-in / opt-out functionality

• The URLs of the channel bars are linked:
  • RTL (DE), RTL (AT), VOX (DE), VOX (AT), VOXup (DE), RTL Nitro (DE), RTL Nitro (AT), RTLplus (DE), RTLplus (AT), n-tv (DE), n-tv (AT), Super RTL

Microsite Tracking

smartclip Microsite Templates

• The microsite is tracked via “Matomo” by smartclip
• Standard reporting is already integrated in the smartclip templates
• smartclip regularly makes the processed data available

Custom Microsite

• Matomo can be used in custom microsites and individual trackers by arrangement
• Own tracking integration via anonymisation proxy can be implemented to a limited extent

Microsite GDPR Compliance

In order to comply with the current GDPR, microsites in some countries (e.g. Germany) have to offer a function for Matomo opt-In / opt-Out. Instructions for this can be found here: https://bit.ly/3cy1qLe 

Standard Tracking Features

• Duration of stay
• Visits
• Unique visitors
• Distribution of calls by smart TV manufacturer

Matomo Script Tags for Microsite Tracking

The ID is transferred to the microsite via GET parameters (“trxid”). The parameter must be read from the microsite and set.

<script type=”text/javascript”>      var _paq = _paq || [];      _paq.push([“setDomains”, [“*.cdn.smartclip.net”]]);      _paq.push([‘trackPageView’]);      _paq.push([‘enableLinkTracking’]);      (function () {          _paq.push([‘setTrackerUrl’, ‘https://trax.smartclip.net/matomo.php’]);          _paq.push([‘setSiteId’, ID]);          var d = document, g = d.createElement(‘script’), s = d.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0];          g.type = ‘text/javascript’;          g.async = true          g.defer = true;          g.src = ‘https://trax.smartclip.net/matomo.js’;          s.parentNode.insertBefore(g, s);      })();     </script>

Matomo Custom Trackings for Microsites

The following custom tracking is also available:

• VTR of videos (start / 25% / 50% / 75% / 100%)
• Views of other elements (images, videos)
• Calls to sub-pages (imprint, privacy, etc.)

To do this, the following JavaScript code snippets must be added to the respective event handlers on the microsite:

<!– Impressions/Actions –> _paq.push([‘trackEvent’,’Custom Tracking’,’Impression’,’Page_[Name]’]); _paq.push([‘trackEvent’,’Custom Tracking’,’Impression’,’Video_[Name]’]); _paq.push([‘trackEvent’,’Custom Tracking’,’Impression’,‘Image_[Name]’]); _paq.push([‘trackEvent’,’Custom Tracking’,’Impression’,’Info’]); _paq.push([‘trackEvent’,’Custom Tracking’,’Impression’,’Privacy’]); _paq.push([‘trackEvent’,’Custom Tracking’,’Impression’,’About’]); _paq.push([‘trackEvent’,’Custom Tracking’,’Impression’,’Close’]); _paq.push([‘trackEvent’,’Custom Tracking’,’Impression’,‘Search’]); _paq.push([‘trackEvent’,’Custom Tracking’,’Impression’,‘Purchase’]);   <!– Video View-Through Tracker –> _paq.push([‘trackEvent’,’Custom Tracking’,’Video_[Name] VT’,’Start’]); _paq.push([‘trackEvent’,’Custom Tracking’,’Video_[Name] VT’,’25%’]); _paq.push([‘trackEvent’,’Custom Tracking’,’Video_[Name] VT’,’50%’]); _paq.push([‘trackEvent’,’Custom Tracking’,’Video_[Name] VT’,’75%’]); _paq.push([‘trackEvent’,’Custom Tracking’,’Video_[Name] VT’,’Complete’])

Contact Details

Delivery of Advertising Material and Communication During the Campaign

smartclip Addressable TV

Campaign Management

Contact Europe

Mail: demandops-eu@smartclip.tv Mail: adsinternational.atv@smartclip.tv