Third-party tracking URLs are used to measure ad metrics. They provide details about user interaction with creatives. Advertiser-supplied tracking URLs are usually used for video line items. If the advertiser is using VAST , it's recommended that the publisher book a VAST redirect that eliminates the need for third-party tracking URLs.
- All the following tracking events are supported for video creatives on reservation, Programmatic Guaranteed, and Preferred Deal line items.
- You can associate third-party URLs with line items or on the ad unit level via creative wrappers and labels .
You can enter multiple URLs for each type of tracking, except for Survey , Custom click , and Click tracking , which only support one.
Available tracking events
| Tracking URL | Description of tracked activity |
|---|---|
| Accept invitation |
The number of times a user expands the viewable area and launches another portion of an ad. |
| The number of clicks on the video. |
|
| Close* |
The number of times a user closes a video. |
| Collapse* |
The number of times a user collapses an ad, either to its original size or to a different size. For overlays, this tracks the number of times the user minimizes the ad without fully removing it from the player. |
| Complete |
The number of times the video plays to the end. |
| Creative view |
The number of times the first frame of the video initially plays for a user. Often used as a synonym for "impression". |
| The number of times a user performs a custom click, such as clicking on a video hot spot. |
|
| Engaged view |
The number of times the ad was viewed to completion. For VAST 3 or 4, a completion occurs either when the user reaches the end of the ad, or reaches the "Skippable view time" defined in your network settings, whichever comes first. |
| Expand* |
The number of times a user expands a non-linear creative, such as an overlay. |
| First quartile |
The number of times the video plays to 25% of its length. |
| Fullscreen |
The number of times a user expands the video to full-screen size. |
| Fully viewable and audible for 50% duration |
The number of impressions considered audible and had 100% of their pixels in view for 50% of its length. |
| Measurable impressions |
The number of impressions measurable by Active View out of the total number of eligible impressions. |
| Midpoint |
The number of times the video plays to 50% of its length. |
| Mute |
The number of times a user mutes the video. |
| Pause |
The number of times a user pauses the video. |
| Resume |
The number of times a user resumes the video. If the resume control is the same as the pause control, reporting should be able to differentiate between the two. |
| Rewind |
The number of times a user rewinds the video. |
| Skip |
The number of times a user skipped the creative (different to "Close"). |
| Skip shown |
The number of times the "skip" button was shown (the skip button is shown 5 seconds after a skippable ad starts). |
| Start |
The number of times the first frame of the video plays for a user (different to "Creative view"). |
| The URL that calls a survey to accompany an ad. For example, when a creative is served for an ad, a survey may also be served in a pop-up window. |
|
| Third quartile |
The number of times the video plays to 75% of its length. |
| Unmute |
The number of times a user unmutes the video. If the un-mute control is the same as the mute control, the reporting should be able to differentiate between the two. |
| Video abandon |
The number of times a user views the video but does not complete. |
| Viewable impression |
The number of impressions viewable by Active View out of all measurable impressions. For in-stream video ads, 50% of its area must be displayed for at least two seconds. |
* Appears in the creative set interface in Ad Manager but it is not yet included in the VAST response.
