Verification
Part of Ad verification technology
Comparing verification coverage across formats
Use a metric-by-format matrix to compare ad verification coverage across web, apps and connected TV, including unknown results.
Compare coverage by metric and environment, not a provider’s single coverage percentage. “Video supported” does not mean a web player, mobile app or connected TV device exposes the signals needed for viewability, invalid-traffic and content checks. Build a matrix from your bought inventory, then record what is observed, what relies on supplied data and what remains unknown.
Build the coverage matrix
| Environment | Signal to confirm | Question for the provider |
|---|---|---|
| Web display | Rendered ad, on-screen area and duration | Which impressions cannot have viewability determined, and why? |
| Web video | Player execution and verification-resource support | Does this player execute the relevant verification resource? |
| Mobile app | App or SDK integration | Is the result for the individual ad and content item, or only for the app? |
| Connected TV | Player, device and server-side insertion signals | Which combinations are supported, and which events come from a server? |
| Restricted platform | Direct measurement access or platform data | What detail can the provider verify independently? |
This is an evaluation template, not a claim that a vendor covers every cell. A platform may expose one metric while restricting another. Request counts by metric, rather than labelling an impression simply “verified” or “unverified”.
Verification Coverage by Format and Metric
- Web Display
- Rendered ad, on-screen area and duration
- Web Video
- Player execution and verification-resource support
- Mobile App
- App or SDK integration
- Connected TV
- Player, device and server-side insertion signals
- Restricted Platform
- Direct measurement access or platform data
Check the integration, not only the standard
IAB Tech Lab describes OM SDK as standardising implementation and measurement signals across mobile apps, web and connected TV. VAST can carry video verification resources, but a player must execute the relevant resource.
Confirm current support for the player and device on your media plan.
For server-side stitched streams, confirm how measurement is implemented and which results can be validated; record what remains unknown.
Content suitability has its own coverage map. A provider may know the domain or app but lack access to the specific article, video or adjacent content. A property-level label should not be presented as direct inspection of every placement.
Key Verification Metrics and Data Sources
- OM SDK Support
- Standardises implementation across mobile apps, web and CTV
- VAST Integration
- Carries video verification resources; requires player execution
- Server-Side Insertion (SSAI)
- Measurement depends on implementation; some results may be unverifiable
- Content Suitability
- May rely on property-level labels, not individual content inspection
Compare like with like
For each metric and format, request the eligible, assessed and unknown counts, plus blocked or flagged counts where those actions apply. Define each denominator.
Separate web display from web video, native app from mobile web, and relevant CTV player or device groups. Record whether a result came from observation, publisher or platform data, or a model.
Inventory mix can distort a combined coverage rate. One report may contain more easily measured placements than another.
Compare the same placements and dates where possible. If matching is unavailable, compare at format and integration level and state the limit. The useful question is whether a provider covers the decisions needed for the planned inventory.
