Brands want to use programmatic pause ads, but technical hurdles remain. Standardized buying and measurement are still in development. Agencies and platforms are preparing for broader rollout.
Advertisers looking to expand their streaming TV strategies are closely watching the development of programmatic pause ads, but most are holding back until buying and measurement become more standardized. The lack of a unified way to purchase pause ads across different streaming platforms and ad sellers has slowed adoption, despite strong interest from brands seeking new ways to build awareness.
The IAB Tech Lab began working last year to create standard programmatic signals for emerging streaming ad formats, including pause ads, in-scene placements, and smart TV home screen inventory. After collecting public feedback through early June, the group is now reviewing input with its working groups and expects to release updated standards later this month.
Many brands, such as Fiskars Group, see pause ads as a promising tool for launching new products and increasing brand visibility. Kevin Goy Ramos, senior manager of media and advanced media tech solutions at Fiskars Group, said the company is interested in pause ads for its new electric-powered garden tools. However, Fiskars has not yet purchased any pause ads, citing the need for programmatic flexibility, scale, and reliable measurement before committing budget.
Currently, most pause ad buys happen through direct deals with individual publishers, as programmatic options remain limited. David Dworin, chief product officer at FreeWheel, noted that agencies have not had the ability to buy pause ads at scale through programmatic channels. Once the IAB Tech Lab's updated standards are adopted, Dworin expects agencies will be able to run pause ads across multiple streaming services, attracting buyers who prefer programmatic transactions.
Some programmatic platforms are already working to make pause ads more accessible. Magnite has enabled pause ads across select video distributors, including Fubo, Dish, and DirecTV. FreeWheel has partnered with demand-side platforms such as The Trade Desk to better distinguish pause ad inventory from traditional commercial spots in the bidstream.
Despite these efforts, challenges remain. Publishers are at different stages of developing pause ad capabilities, with some building native specifications and others relying on the VAST template. Jerrold Son, VP of advertising revenue operations at Xumo, said there is still no way to integrate demand across platforms, and bids from different SSPs like FreeWheel and Magnite are not interchangeable. Son emphasized the need for a system that allows competing bids to compete for the same impression.
There is optimism that standardization will drive demand and revenue, as Son reported higher CPMs for pause ads compared to standard video ads. Rob Hazan, GM of product management at The Trade Desk, said that once updated signaling standards are in place, more marketers will enter the pause ad market, including those who have hesitated due to workflow and coordination issues. For now, agencies are likely to continue testing pause ads on a limited basis, with brands like Fiskars waiting for full programmatic support before making significant investments.
Performance is another key factor for brands considering pause ads. Fiskars expects the format to drive brand awareness and consideration, partly because pause ads are seen as less disruptive to viewers. Ramos believes that pause ads offer better attention value since they are triggered by user action, contrasting with traditional interruptive ad breaks.
However, the user experience with pause ads can vary. Not all viewers pause content for the same reasons-some may want to read subtitles or examine a scene, making it difficult to predict engagement. Dworin noted that advertisers cannot guarantee when or how often viewers will pause, and some users may watch for hours without pausing at all.
Some brands hope pause ads will prompt viewers to scan QR codes, but the unpredictability of when ads appear remains a challenge. Hazan said it is still unclear how pause ad performance will compare to typical in-stream inventory, and these questions are likely to persist until more data becomes available.
For those interested in the broader implications of automation in digital ad sales, a related discussion on the risks of repeating programmatic’s intermediary problem can be found in this analysis of agentic advertising and programmatic complexity.
