NEW YORK—As more live events move to streaming and streaming platforms work to boost their ad revenue, the digital advertising tech standards-setting body, IAB Tech Lab has released its Live Event Ad Playbook.
The proposed standards in the release were developed by IAB Tech Lab Working Groups in collaboration with Amazon, NBCUniversal, FreeWheel, and Index Exchange as part of their efforts to improve ad delivery for live streaming events. The proposed standards include the new Concurrent Streams API specification aimed at simplifying the monetization of live streaming events.
“Streaming is now the dominant form of television viewership in the U.S., and the rest of the world is rapidly following suit. Live events — whether sports, news, or cultural moments — are increasingly broadcast via streaming platforms,” said Anthony Katsur, CEO, IAB Tech Lab. “Delivering a seamless live stream at scale is already a technical challenge. Seamlessly inserting ads during those peak moments of concurrency is even harder. The Live Event Ad Playbook and our new Concurrent Streams API are purpose-built to help the industry meet this moment — ensuring advertisers can act on high-impact opportunities without sacrificing the viewer experience.”
In releasing the Live Event Ad Playbook, the IAB noted that streaming services are expected to spend more than $11 billion on sports rights alone this year. Marquee sporting events like Super Bowl LX and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games have driven mass viewership, demonstrating the power of live sports for advertisers looking to reach audiences at scale.
As more streaming services buy sports rights, IAB Tech Lab members felt there was a growing need for new standards and best practices. To address that issue, it formed the Live Event Ad Serving Working Group, which includes industry leaders Amazon, FreeWheel, Index Exchange, and NBCUniversal. The group is focused on leveraging its own learnings and best practices to create a more transparent supply chain for the live streaming ecosystem. The proposed standards aim to equip advertisers and streaming services with the tools needed to support live events with reliable and scalable ad delivery, the IAB Tech Lab explained.
To help the industry address live streaming challenges, the group has proposed the Concurrent Streams API, which provides real-time insights into how many viewers are watching a live stream. This allows publishers—either independently or through their SSAI partners—to send live viewership data to ad systems, enabling faster ad decisions and reducing the risk of missed ad breaks. For advertisers, this means better handling of traffic spikes and the ability to adjust campaigns in real time to capture high-value moments.
Several companies involved in the effort applauded the result.
“Between over a billion impressions during the 2024 NFL Playoff, and a 90% increase in advertiser participation in the 2024 Olympics, there's a very clear, booming demand for live sports,” said Mark McKee, general manager at FreeWheel, which is owned by Comcast. “By partnering with IAB Tech Lab, Amazon, NBCUniversal, and Index Exchange, we’re making it easier for advertisers to tap into these high-impact moments with scalable, seamless, and low-latency ad experiences.”
"Live streaming events represent a unique opportunity for advertisers. The premium nature of these environments requires thoughtful technical infrastructure that can adapt in real-time,” said Neal Richter, director, Amazon DSP. “By establishing common protocols and APIs, we're collectively moving toward a more reliable set of standards that benefits viewers, content creators, and brands.”
Another proposal on the horizon is an API that will provide projected viewership estimates for upcoming events over a rolling 2–3-week window, helping publishers prepare for traffic surges and enabling advertisers to fine-tune their budgets, deals, and delivery strategies, the Lab reported.
“NBCUniversal has been a leader in live streaming for several years, paving the way for advertisers to reap the benefits of tentpole live event programming across news, sports, and entertainment,” said Ryan McConville, executive vice president chief product officer, advertising platforms and operations, NBCUniversal. “With our extensive work in live event advertising, we have unique insight and expertise, and believe that the industry at large will benefit from the standards the IAB has put forward.
“The high degree of concurrency and unpredictability in live TV streams is both a challenge and a tremendous opportunity for the programmatic ecosystem,” said Catherine Cho, lead product manager, Index Exchange. “The goal of this effort is to tame the chaos with standards and make every streaming impression opportunity biddable and addressable by buyers.”
IAB Tech Lab said that all stakeholders including publishers, advertisers, developers, and technology partners can review the proposed guidelines at https://iabtechlab.com/standards/leap/
