{"id":9316,"date":"2026-04-17T04:47:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T23:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/server-guided-ad-insertion-sgai-and-the-future-of-streaming\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T04:47:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T23:47:55","slug":"server-guided-ad-insertion-sgai-and-the-future-of-streaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/server-guided-ad-insertion-sgai-and-the-future-of-streaming\/","title":{"rendered":"Server-Guided Ad Insertion (SGAI) and the Future of Streaming"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div wp_automatic_readability=\"123.93754808925\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"dfGyeDmlcOc\"><iframe title=\"Server-Guided Ad Insertion (SGAI) and the Future of Streaming\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dfGyeDmlcOc?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Articles\/Columns\/Ad-Sense\/Why-Ad-Tech-Is-Becoming-Smarter-Than-Ad-Buying-167081.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"ad tech is becoming smarter than ad buying\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">server-guided ad insertion (SGAI)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from a technology standpoint; how does it differ from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Articles\/Editorial\/Featured-Articles\/Server-Side-vs.-Client-Side-Ad-Insertion-Which-Side-Are-You-On-160003.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"client-side ad insertion (CSAI) and server-side ad insertion (SSAI)\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">client-side ad insertion (CSAI) and server-side ad insertion (SSAI)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">; how does it impact or change existing streaming workflows, infrastructure, and delivery; and what benefits does it provide to streaming publishers, advertisers, and viewers? <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jvarndell\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Bitmovin senior director of product management James Varndell\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bitmovin senior director of product management James Varndell<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/brianlring\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Ring Digital, LLC principal analyst Brian Ring\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ring Digital, LLC principal analyst Brian Ring<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> break down SGAI, its advantages, and a key emerging use case in this discussion from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Articles\/News\/Online-Video-News\/ICYMI-Streaming-Media-Connect-February-2026-173683.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Streaming Media Connect 2026\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Streaming Media Connect 2026<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>SGAI Compared to CSAI and SSAI<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ring opens the conversation by defining SGAI. With CSAI, the publisher controls and exploits all of the data and does real-time bids. \u201cThey can integrate <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/interactive-media-ads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Google IMA SDKs\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google IMA SDKs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that\u2019s going to help fill, but they buffer, they can be blocked, they suck a lot of resources on the player,\u201d he cautions. So then SSAI became popular, which allows publishers to insert ads on the server side to provide a \u201cseamless TV experience, therefore tapping more money. The movement of linear into digital is all about that. But you do have, I think as a publisher, a little less control. There\u2019s more complexity. There\u2019s more gatekeepers essentially into how we can get this done,\u201d Ring notes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He believes SGAI \u201cis the best of both worlds\u201d because it\u2019s hybrid. \u201cYou get the client-side control and then you get the market of the server side.\u201d He asks Varndell for his interpretation of SGAI and how it affects the future of streaming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Varndell likes \u201chybrid ad insertion\u201d as a comparable term for SGAI. \u201cSo you\u2019re right, publishers with SGAI still have the control to signal ad breaks on the server side, but also the player has an element of control over how each ad is actually presented to the viewer. So you\u2019re taking the best aspects of that from the player side, from [CSAI], but without requiring the player to do all of the ad scheduling work,\u201d he explains, which can be challenging for video players on CTV devices. In instances where there\u2019s a single decoder, Varndell says as an example, \u201cthe player\u2019s trying to do everything, including ad and content transitions, as well as scheduling with CSAI. So SGAI avoids putting that load onto the player, but also you\u2019re taking some of the best things from SSAI in terms of making the ad experience seamless within the content, choosing the optimal timing around ad breaks on the server side.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>SGAI Approaches, Such as Double Boxes<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SGAI enables the integration of technologies such as AI for contextual ads, Varndell says, bringing streaming services advantages and value. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/developer.apple.com\/streaming\/GettingStartedWithHLSInterstitials.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"HLS Interstitials\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HLS Interstitials<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is one of the formats that enables SGAI. And I think in terms of some approaches <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bitmovin.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"bitmovin\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">we<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are seeing our customers taking today, [one] is actually starting with a transition towards SGAI that\u2019s quite transparent to viewers. \u2026 [Y]ou can implement SGAI using HLS Interstitials [so] it provides the same experience as [viewers] currently get with [CSAI or SSAI].\u201d Varndell is optimistic about ad formats such as squeezebacks, L-bars, and double boxes, but those don\u2019t need to be options \u201cto still get some benefits from SGAI and some quite important advantages of that HLS Interstitials format. So [you can be doing] things like maybe personalizing ads within a DVR window in a live stream or gaining some kind of cost reductions from SGAI, but still providing the viewers with the same experience, and then you\u2019ve got the infrastructure in place to start to experiment with those new ad formats.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ring replies, \u201cI love that you brought up the DVR window. So it is an ad workflow technically, but it\u2019s really more on the infrastructure side about how [to] deliver it. It\u2019s not about how we hook into the programmatic flows and things like that.\u201d He talks a little about data he\u2019s collected over the years, noting that \u201cpeople do not mind ads at all unless they\u2019re really disruptive,\u201d so something like a double box is \u201ca key kind of innovation,\u201d Ring says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Effective Use Case of Double Boxes<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Varndell says double boxes are \u201ca particularly cool use case\u201d and sets out to explain: \u201cSo for example, maybe you\u2019re at home or you are running errands, you\u2019re keeping track of a live sports game. \u2026 Maybe your friends are messaging you about it, you\u2019re keeping track of the score on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Articles\/News\/Online-Video-News\/ESPNs-Balancing-Act-Inside-the-New-All-in-One-DTC-App-171126.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"espn app\">ESPN<\/a> or something. And then something exciting happens in the game. Maybe it\u2019s close to the end of the game, there\u2019s a close score, or\u2014we\u2019ve got the World Cup coming up this summer\u2014penalty kicks [are] awarded, for example. You open your streaming service, you choose to watch the live game, but immediately you see two to three minutes of ads, and that can be really frustrating as a viewer because you\u2019ve specifically loaded the game and loaded your streaming app to watch this critical moment, but you can\u2019t see it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By the time the ads are over, the exciting part of the game might be too, he says, citing the example of an app that Bitmovin is involved with that notifies users when a game is getting close to the end and the score is tight. \u201cAnd when users tap on that notification to watch the game, rather than seeing a two- or three-minute ad, they actually see a double box with the game at its exciting conclusion with an ad alongside. So I think that\u2019s a really cool use case,\u201d Varndell says. \u201cEveryone\u2019s a winner. The publisher is a winner because they\u2019re getting the viewer into their app and it\u2019s really given them a lot of confidence to proactively tell their viewers that something exciting is happening and they should tune in.\u201d The viewer is a winner because they don\u2019t miss the end of the game, and the advertiser and the brand win too \u201cbecause they\u2019re showing an ad at a point where viewers are paying close attention to the screen, and that\u2019s quite a valuable moment that they can monetize.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Conferences\/Connect2026-May\/Default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Join us May 12\u201314, 2026 for more thought leadership, actionable insights, and lively debate at Streaming Media Connect 2026! Registration is open!\"><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Join us May 12\u201314, 2026 for more thought leadership, actionable insights, and lively debate at Streaming Media Connect 2026! Registration is open!<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"cta_magazine_subscription_wrap\">\n<div class=\"cta_magazine_subscription\">\n<div class=\"cta_magazine_subscription_img\">\n<!--            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dzceab466r34n.cloudfront.net\/Images\/SiteImages\/168775-2025-Cover-Images---April-2025-ORG.png\" alt=\"Streaming Covers\">--><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dzceab466r34n.cloudfront.net\/Images\/SiteImages\/457665-2026-Cover-Images-ORG.png\" alt=\"Streaming Covers\"\/>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript>Please enable JavaScript to view the <a href=\"https:\/\/disqus.com\/?ref_noscript\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">comments powered by Disqus.<\/a><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n            Related Articles&#13;<br \/>\n            &#13;\n        <\/p>\n<section class=\"article_grid\" wp_automatic_readability=\"36.328093645485\">&#13;<br \/>\n    &#13;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article_grid_single\" wp_automatic_readability=\"45.713414634146\">\n<div>\n                <a id=\"MainContentPlaceHolder_ctl01_ctl00_rptArticles_lnkImageLink_0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Articles\/News\/Online-Video-News\/ICYMI-Streaming-Media-Connect-February-2026-173683.aspx?utm_source=related_articles&amp;utm_medium=gutenberg&amp;utm_campaign=editors_selection\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dzceab466r34n.cloudfront.net\/Images\/ArticleImages\/457456-icymi-feb-26-ORG.jpg\"\/><\/a>\n            <\/div>\n<h3>&#13;<br \/>\n                <a id=\"MainContentPlaceHolder_ctl01_ctl00_rptArticles_lnkArticleTitle_0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Articles\/News\/Online-Video-News\/ICYMI-Streaming-Media-Connect-February-2026-173683.aspx?utm_source=related_articles&amp;utm_medium=gutenberg&amp;utm_campaign=editors_selection\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ICYMI: Streaming Media Connect February 2026<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n                Streaming Media Connect February 2026 was all about the business and tech of ad-supported streaming and featured exclusive keynote fireside chats with Michelle Auguste of the NBA, Michelle Munson of Eluvio, and Kimmy Li of GAMELOOP and a slate of expert panels panels packed with speakers from YouTube, Disney, DAZN, Fubo, Fremantle, FloSports, Fuse, LG, Philo, Bitmovin, CacheFly, Tavant, and more. 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Bitmovin senior director of product management James [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-live-session"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}