Making Virtual Product Placement Biddable: How SSPs Can Monetize VPP in CTV Auctions

Introduction

A funny thing happened on the way to the future of CTV. The ad pod got smarter and more flexible thanks to OpenRTB 2.6, server-side ad insertion matured, and buyers learned to love direct-to-program signals for context and quality. All of that set the table for a new monetization frontier: bringing virtual product placement into programmatic auctions so it can compete for demand like any other line item in a plan. Virtual product placement - sometimes called in-content or in-show advertising - inserts branded objects, signage, or creative elements directly into the video frame at post production or at runtime. It converts scenery, surfaces, and props into addressable media. Over the past few years, technology providers and content owners have proven the creative works and viewers accept it when done tastefully. Now the question facing SSPs is straightforward: how do we make VPP biddable - and how do we do it in a way that respects buyer workflows, publisher rights, and the integrity of the stream? This article is a practical blueprint for SSP product leaders and CTV publishers. It covers the commercial why, the signal and auction how, the packaging and measurement what, and the risk and governance guardrails you will need to ship confidently. It is written from a supply-side point of view with a bias toward reusing standards and capabilities you already have - because the fastest route to scaled revenue is rarely inventing an entirely new stack. The headline: VPP can be made biddable with a small set of new signals, a scene-slot model, pragmatic auction design, and a measurement contract buyers can trust. Starting in curated PMPs, moving to private auctions, and only then thinking about open exchange, you can build a durable new revenue stream while protecting viewer experience and brand safety.

What We Mean by Virtual Product Placement

Virtual product placement is the dynamic insertion of branded objects inside the content frame. Instead of cutting to a 15 or 30 second spot, the viewer sees a soda can on a table, a billboard in the ballpark, or a brand on a storefront. Historically, these were arranged during production. With VPP, they are rendered later with computer vision, rotoscoping, and scene understanding. Leading approaches include:

• Post-production in-frame insertion: Scenes are preprocessed and rendered with brand assets before distribution, then versioned by region, language, or partner.
• Dynamic runtime rendering: Surfaces and bounding boxes are tagged and the brand asset is composited during play, often via SSAI-side manipulation or client-side overlays.
• Hybrid templates: Specific scene templates support a menu of brand assets, enabling curation by publishers while still offering programmatic choice for buyers.

VPP matters in CTV for three big reasons. First, attention and brand recall for in-content integrations are often strong, particularly when paired with traditional ads in the same program. Second, CTV viewership is huge but ad pods are finite - VPP creates additive supply without adding interruptions. Third, advertiser appetite for brand-safe premium signal-rich contexts is rising, and VPP - when standardized - gives buyers a familiar programmatic handle on that value proposition. See industry coverage and vendor announcements for context on growth and momentum :cite[b2w,ej2,a41,ajm,bn1,bl4].

Why Make VPP Biddable Now

Two things have changed that make this the right moment for SSPs to act. First, the programmatic substrate for CTV has matured. OpenRTB 2.6 delivered flexible ad podding, stronger content objects, and standardized channel and network descriptors that helped align buyers and sellers on what is actually on offer :cite[cu0,c7c,dr7]. Meanwhile, adoption of supply chain transparency has improved with ads.txt, app-ads.txt, sellers.json, and SupplyChain (schain) usage across top CTV properties :cite[cr2,aqe,bfd]. These standards form the connective tissue you need to represent and transact something novel like VPP. Second, VPP technology is being integrated into distribution and playout infrastructure, which lowers the lift to operationalize at scale. Partnerships between VPP vendors and CTV platform operators are accelerating, and major providers have launched in-show products designed for programmatic adjacency :cite[bn1,ajm]. The creative, rendering, and rights workflows are no longer exotic - they are on the same menu as your existing SSAI integrations. Put bluntly: the pipes are ready. What remains is to define the auctionable unit, codify the signals, and install a measurement and brand suitability contract buyers will sign.

The Commercial Promise for SSPs and Publishers

For supply owners, VPP unlocks incremental revenue without extending ad pods or harming user experience. Done correctly, it can be positioned as a premium alternative to mid-roll clutter. Three commercial outcomes make this compelling:

• New supply that does not compete with pods: In-scene placements monetize inventory that is otherwise non-monetizable - signage, walls, tables, wearable items, and props.
• Higher effective CPMs: Context, attention, and creative fit drive premium - especially when paired with spots for duplication of impact. Studies have shown placements paired with spots can lift awareness and downstream outcomes when combined :cite[c72,dse,atv].
• Better match to buyer planning: VPP can be sold as sponsorship-lite with scale - context-first, planning-friendly, and with brand safety by design, and when standardized it slots into DSP line items and PMPs with minimal friction.

For SSPs, the advantages include differentiated inventory curation, a context-forward sales story aligned with buyer interest, and an opportunity to lead on a new programmatic category rather than react later.

What Needs to Become “Biddable” About VPP

Turning VPP into an auctionable object means describing the opportunity with precision. Think in terms of a scene-slot model. A slot represents a specific, repeatable insertion opportunity in a piece of content. It is defined by time, location in the frame, surface characteristics, rights constraints, and suitability metadata. At the minimum, a biddable VPP slot should include:

• Identity: Slot ID, content ID, episode or live event identifier, channel or network, and distributor.
• Timing: Start timecode and duration within the content timeline. For live, a relative offset from a cue or time-synced ID3 metadata marker.
• Geometry and rendering surface: Bounding polygon or region, surface type (planar, curved), expected occlusion percentage range, lighting assumptions.
• Prominence and exposure score: Estimated viewability proxy such as on-screen size, depth, camera movement, and typical dwell time.
• Context and suitability: Content taxonomy category and genre, rating, scene type, brand suitability classification, and exclusion lists for sensitive contexts.
• Rights and restrictions: Talent, union, league or venue rights, category exclusivity, geographic or language exclusions, and clearance windows.
• Creative template requirements: Acceptable file types, color space, maximum polygon count for 3D, texture resolution, parallax parameters, and safety margins.
• Measurement support: How exposure is verified - server-side render logs, CV verification, third-party tags - and any certification status.

Representing these fields in a way DSPs can consume suggests using OpenRTB with a defined extension schema for VPP. You will not find a VPP object in the core 2.6 spec, but ext fields are the standard mechanism to pioneer new signals. Use current Content Object fields for program metadata and place the novel VPP fields in imp.ext. See the draft schema examples below.

A Signal Architecture That Reuses What Works

Aim for pragmatic reuse of existing CTV programmatic conventions:

• OpenRTB 2.6 as the envelope: Use Imp objects to represent VPP slots - or groups of slots - with private deals to gate access. Populate the Content Object robustly so buyers can plan confidently :cite[c7c,cu0].
• Supply transparency intact: Leverage sellers.json, app-ads.txt or ads.txt, and schain on every request so buyers understand provenance. VPP does not get a pass on transparency simply because it is novel :cite[cr2,aqe,bfd].
• Ad break signaling stays orthogonal: SCTE-35 and SSAI ad break markers continue to govern pod ads, but they can coexist with VPP markers carried in timed metadata like ID3 or in manifest event messages if you dynamically render :cite[a9i,elo,enj].
• Scene registry and mapping service: Maintain a registry of all VPP slots by content ID and version so the same slot can be referenced consistently across deals, measurement, and billing.
• Context taxonomies: Use IAB Content Taxonomy for content-level classification, and a VPP-specific sub-taxonomy for scene types - kitchen, stadium concourse, classroom, car interior - to align buyer expectations :cite[aww].

This approach lets you avoid inventing new pipes or protocols. It keeps the VPP unit adjacent to - but not entangled with - pod ads and creates a clean alignment with DSP decisioning.

Auction Mechanics That Fit Buyer Workflows

Buyers need VPP to “feel” like a known product. That means they expect to bid, frequency-cap, and measure with the same muscle memory they have for pods. Here is a model that works in practice:

• Deal-first go-to-market: Start with curated PMPs that package VPP slots by show, genre, and scene type. Require creative pre-approval and rights clearance. Move to private auctions only when consistency and measurement are proven.
• One slot equals one opportunity: Treat each slot as an impression-like unit. Think of it as a single renderable exposure with duration metadata - not a 15-second ad but something closer to an exposure-second tied to a scene.
• Bidding and pricing: Support CPM against a render event and optionally support CPXP - cost per exposure-second - as a second price dimension. Set floors that reflect prominence score and content quality. Offer daily caps and competitive separation.
• Frequency and deduplication: Coordinate with ad pods so the same brand is not overexposed within a program - for example, allow one VPP plus one mid-roll, not three plus three. Share exposure logs across the ad server and VPP renderer to enforce dedupe.
• Sequential or parallel auctions: Run VPP auctions ahead of pod decisioning to respect scene timing, or run them in parallel with pod auctions if your renderer supports deferred apply. The key is not to block HLS/DASH segment delivery.
• Creative validation and fallback: Validate creative assets at bid time against geometry constraints, then again at render time. If validation fails, skip gracefully - never stall playback.

The north star is simple: buyers can allocate demand to these opportunities without retraining their teams or rebuilding their tech. If your auction mechanics add friction, you will limit adoption.

Packaging and Productizing VPP for Buy-Side Success

Packaging is your growth lever. Make it easy for buyers to say yes. Consider three winning SKUs:

• Contextual collections: “Urban nightlife billboards,” “Family dining scenes,” “Sideline signage,” and “Office desktop placements.” Pre-clear categories and provide a roster of shows.
• Show or network sponsorship: Seasonal or series-based packages with guaranteed slot counts per episode and audience-reach forecasts. Wrap with mid-rolls for an integrated plan.
• Retail calendar activations: Time-bound packages around holidays or sports seasons, pre-cleared for CPG, retail, QSR, or automotive categories with accelerated approvals.

Price using a tiered CPM by prominence and content tier, and consider a surcharge for custom 3D template work. Offer a measurement add-on that includes independent verification from a third party. Buyers pay for trust.

Measurement, Verification, and Brand Safety

VPP will only scale if buyers can verify exposure and brand suitability at a standard that matches or exceeds pods. That means adopting explicit definitions and instrumenting verification. The minimum viable measurement contract:

• Exposure definition: A render qualifies as an impression when at least X consecutive frames (for example, 30 frames) display the brand asset fully within the bounding region with occlusion below Y percent.
• Exposure time: Report total exposure seconds and average exposure seconds per render. Support CPXP billing if contracted.
• Prominence metrics: Report on-screen percentage, distance from focal regions, and center-weighted position to approximate attention.
• Verification: Provide third-party verification options via CV analysis or panel-based attention studies. Where possible, align to industry norms and MRC-inspired principles for consistency.
• Brand safety and suitability: Classify scenes with IAB Content Taxonomy tags and brand suitability tiers. Exclude scenes with violence, sensitive social issues, or explicit content unless a buyer opts in.

Independent sources documenting product placement effectiveness and best practices can help buyers gain confidence :cite[c72,dse,atv]. Vendors with in-show offerings often publish methodology that you can adapt in your documentation :cite[ajm,a41].

Rights, Clearances, and Governance

Rights complexity can kill timelines. Codify the rules up front.

• Talent and likeness: Ensure contracts permit adjacent brand insertions. If not, either avoid slots with faces in frame or use assets that are not adjacent to talent.
• League and venue restrictions: Sports and music venues have category exclusivities. Maintain a living registry of disallowed categories and brands by show, league, or franchise.
• Category conflicts: Enforce competitive separation both within VPP slots and between VPP and pods. Use the same advertiser domain and brand category classifications used elsewhere in programmatic.
• Geographic and language constraints: Map assets to locale. Avoid cultural missteps and comply with local advertising regulations for alcohol, gambling, and health.
• Auditability: Preserve render logs with timecodes, slot IDs, winning bid references, and creative asset checksums for 18 months to satisfy audits and brand inquiries.

Technical Integration Patterns

There are two primary integration patterns for rendering VPP in CTV. Choose based on your distribution model and control over playback.

• Server-side rendering via SSAI or packager: The renderer composites the brand asset into the frame before HLS/DASH segment creation. This yields maximum consistency and minimal device variability. It requires close integration with playout or encoder pipelines and careful resource budgeting to avoid latency spikes.
• Client-side overlay: The app applies an overlay synchronized via timed metadata. This avoids heavy server costs and can be flexible, but device fragmentation and viewability verification become more complex.

In either model, carry synchronization signals carefully. Ad breaks remain governed by SCTE-35 and SSAI workflows. VPP slots require separate timing cues. ID3 tags in HLS or event messages in CMAF/DASH can align renders without disrupting ad pods :cite[elo,a9i,enj,asi,hzk].

Proposed OpenRTB Extension Schema

The following examples illustrate a pragmatic way to represent VPP slots in OpenRTB 2.6 using extensions. These are not formal standards - they are a recommended starting point for private deals and beta partners. Bid Request (excerpt):

{
"id": "req-789",
"tmax": 300,
"source": { "ext": { "schain": { "ver": "1.0", "complete": 1, "nodes": [ { "asi": "sspexample.com", "sid": "123", "hp": 1 } ] } } },
"site": { "id": "ctv-network-1", "name": "Network A CTV" },
"device": { "ua": "Roku/DVP-12.0.0", "ip": "198.51.100.10" },
"user": { "ext": { "consent": "TBO..." } },
"content": {
"id": "show-s1e3",
"title": "Cooking Nights S1E3",
"series": "Cooking Nights",
"season": "1",
"episode": 3,
"genre": ["Food", "Lifestyle"],
"cat": ["IAB1-6","IAB9-9"],
"language": "en",
"prodq": 3,
"network": "Network A",
"channel": "CTV"
},
"imp": [
{
"id": "vpp-imp-1",
"secure": 1,
"pmp": {
"private_auction": 1,
"deals": [
{ "id": "deal-vpp-sponsorship-001", "bidfloor": 25.0, "at": 2, "ext": { "pricing": { "model": "CPM", "cpxp": 0.0 } } }
]
},
"ext": {
"vpp": {
"slots": [
{
"slot_id": "show-s1e3-slot-12",
"timecode_start": "00:12:34.200",
"duration_ms": 4800,
"geometry": { "shape": "polygon", "points": [[0.62,0.72],[0.92,0.70],[0.90,0.86],[0.60,0.88]] },
"surface": { "type": "planar", "reflectance": 0.2, "lighting": "indoor-warm" },
"prominence": { "score": 0.78, "onscreen_pct": 0.12, "position": "bottom-right" },
"scene": { "type": "kitchen", "movement": "static", "people_in_frame": 2 },
"suitability": { "rating": "PG", "tags": ["family-friendly","food"], "sensitive": [] },
"rights": { "talent_clearance": true, "category_exclusions": ["alcohol","gambling"], "geo_exclusions": ["SA","AE"] },
"creative_template": { "asset_types": ["2d-image","3d-obj"], "max_texture_px": 2048, "color_space": "bt709" },
"measurement": { "verification": ["vendorX","vendorY"], "exposure_definition": { "min_frames": 30, "max_occlusion": 0.2 } }
}
],
"frequency": { "brand_per_program_cap": 1, "competitive_sep_minutes": 10 }
}
}
}
]
}

Bid Response (excerpt):

{
"id": "req-789",
"seatbid": [
{
"seat": "dsp123",
"bid": [
{
"id": "bid-456",
"impid": "vpp-imp-1",
"price": 32.00,
"adm": "{\"vpp_creative\":{\"slot_id\":\"show-s1e3-slot-12\",\"asset\":{\"type\":\"2d-image\",\"uri\":\"https://cdn.brand.com/assets/can_label_v5.png\",\"checksum\":\"sha256:ab12...\"},\"brand\":\"BrandCo\",\"category\":\"IAB2-1\",\"competitive\":true}}",
"adid": "brandco-vpp-2025-07",
"cid": "brandco-ctv-2025",
"crid": "brandco-vpp-can-001",
"ext": {
"vpp": {
"validations": { "geometry_fit": true, "color_space_match": true },
"measurement": { "vendor": "vendorX", "expected_exposure_seconds": 3.9 }
}
}
}
]
}
],
"bidid": "res-42",
"cur": "USD"
}

Again, this is a suggested ext format for trials. As adoption grows, the industry can standardize on a common ext to reduce friction.

Making It Work in the Player and the Playout

Operational success requires tight coordination between ad decisioning, render systems, and the video pipeline. A recommended flow:

• Pre-ingest and slot mapping: As content is prepared, scene analysis tools identify candidate surfaces. Editors or automated systems create slot definitions with geometry, rights, and suitability. These are stored in a VPP registry keyed by content ID and version.
• Auction-time availability: At request time, the SSP queries the registry for slots matching the current program and time window. It supplies those slots in the OpenRTB ext for bidders to select.
• Creative compatibility check: The SSP or a render-aware adapter validates the returned creative against the slot’s template constraints before it can win.
• Render scheduling: For server-side rendering, a render queue is populated with asset URIs, slot geometry, and timecodes. The encoder or packager composites frames ahead of need to avoid playback stalls. For client overlays, an event timeline is built that the app follows.
• Logging and verification: On render, detailed events are logged - exact timecodes, exposure durations, occlusion estimates - and sent to both the SSP and buyer via reporting endpoints. If a third-party verifier is involved, a sidecar video or frame samples are used for audit.

Note the parallel with SSAI pods: prefetch, decide, render, log. The novelty is geometry and exposure metrics.

Pricing and Commercial Models

VPP pricing should reflect attention potential and rights complexity. Start simple, then offer sophistication when buyers ask. Core models:

• CPM per render: Bill per verified render event. Set floors by prominence tier and content tier. This maps cleanly to DSP billing.
• CPXP - cost per exposure-second: Useful when exposure duration varies across scenes. Buyers pay proportionally to guaranteed exposure time, with a CPM floor to guard against ultra-short flashes.
• Sponsorship with guarantees: Fixed fee for a bundle of slots per episode and a guaranteed share of qualified scenes, often paired with pods.

Add surcharges judiciously:

• Creative services: If your team builds 3D assets or adapts textures, charge a project fee.
• Exclusive categories: If rules or rights force narrow category availability, price for scarcity and legal overhead.
• Measurement premium: If third-party verification is included by default, include a small uplift to cover fees.

Competitive Landscape and Standards Alignment

You do not need to invent VPP from scratch. The market has moved.

• Technology providers: Vendors offer AI-driven in-frame insertion and are partnering with CTV infrastructure and ad tech - think in-show ad offerings and dynamic integrations with playout systems :cite[ajm,bn1,a41].
• Publisher momentum: Broadcasters and streamers have experimented with virtual placements, often blending sponsorship and programmatic components :cite[ej2,b2w].
• Standards status: There is no formal IAB VPP spec today, which is fine - ext fields in OpenRTB are a valid way to test. Meanwhile, 2.6’s CTV improvements, content objects, and podding are foundational :cite[cu0,c7c,dr7].
• Transparency and integrity: Keep using ads.txt, app-ads.txt, sellers.json, and schain everywhere so VPP is not perceived as a black box :cite[cr2,aqe,bfd].

Where you can lead is in scene taxonomies, measurement definitions, and a public VPP ext proposal once early adopters converge. Publishing your approach and inviting feedback will accelerate buyer comfort.

Privacy and Policy Considerations

VPP is inherently privacy-friendly when executed without user identifiers. All decisioning can be context-first. That is a feature, not a constraint. Stick to a few rules:

• Context over identity: Keep user-level targeting optional or off. Lean into show-level and scene-level targeting that keeps you outside sensitive data zones.
• Compliance by design: If you use consent frameworks in your ecosystem, respect them uniformly even if VPP does not require identifiers.
• Creative review: Avoid placing brands in scenes that could be considered endorsements by talent without explicit clearance.

Phased Rollout Plan for SSPs

Treat VPP like any new supply type - with a deliberate pilot. Phase 1 - Curated PMPs:

• Integrate with one VPP renderer and one to two CTV publishers who control playout.
• Define slot schema, implement OpenRTB ext, and run end-to-end tests without monetization to harden timing and logging.
• Launch two or three PMPs per publisher - a sponsorship-tier package and two contextual collections. Include creative pre-approval workflows and strict rights rules.
• Measure meticulously - exposure seconds, render error rate, auction win rate, and buyer feedback on suitability.

Phase 2 - Private Auction:

• Add two more publishers and at least one more renderer integration.
• Standardize the VPP ext across supply partners and publish documentation to DSPs.
• Introduce CPXP as an optional billing mode with buyers who ask for it.
• Expand measurement options - add a second verifier to avoid single-vendor dependency.

Phase 3 - Broader Availability:

• Consider open exchange only where you have strong quality controls and high slot predictability. Many publishers will prefer to stick with curated deals because of rights and brand fit.
• Publish a taxonomy for scene types and suitability that any publisher on your SSP can adopt.
• Engage standards bodies with learnings - propose a shared ext or guidance so buyers see consistency across platforms.

Throughout, keep the bar high on transparency and integrity. It is easier to loosen than to tighten later.

Practical Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

A few sharp edges will appear in every pilot. Plan for them.

• Render timing conflicts: If your renderer cannot meet playback deadlines under load, you will drop frames or miss slots. Solution: prefetch and pre-render where possible; cap concurrent renders; introduce a strict render SLA with graceful skip.
• Creative mismatches: Assets that technically fit but look wrong - wrong perspective or lighting - will erode trust. Solution: invest in template rigor and automated visual QA that rejects misfits before a bid can win.
• Rights surprises: A late-arriving exclusivity or talent clause can force last-minute yanks. Solution: centralize rights metadata in the slot registry and enforce it in eligibility before an auction fires.
• Measurement disputes: If your definition of exposure differs from the buyer’s verifier, billing disputes follow. Solution: agree definitions in IO, support at least one independent verifier, and provide audit trails.
• Buyer education gaps: VPP can be misunderstood as product placement brokering rather than programmatic media. Solution: sales enablement that frames VPP as context-first, measurable, and brand-safe - plus hands-on demos.

A Simple VPP Readiness Checklist

Use this as a go/no-go gate for each new publisher integration:

• Slot registry is live with identity, geometry, rights, suitability, and measurement fields.
• Renderer integration meets latency SLOs at expected concurrency and supports both QA and production endpoints.
• OpenRTB ext implemented and documented for buyers, with standard fields across publishers.
• Measurement is instrumented with at least one independent verification option and agreed exposure definitions.
• Transparency via ads.txt/app-ads.txt, sellers.json, and schain is in place for all supply paths.
• Packaging SKUs created with price floors, caps, and competitive separation rules.
• Creative process defined - spec docs, pre-approval workflows, and template libraries exist.
• Legal has signed off on rights governance and retention policies for logs.

Where This Goes Next - And Why It Matters

VPP is not a novelty - it is a new class of addressable supply compatible with the way buyers operate. As CTV matures, the winning SSPs will be those who can expose high-fidelity, high-integrity signals for premium inventory, reduce operational friction for publishers, and meet buyers with measurement and packaging that feels inevitable. The standards and market signals all point the same way. VPP will start life as curated, private, measurement-rich deals. As schemas harden and verifiers align, private auctions will scale. A portion of VPP supply may eventually participate in open auctions where rights and quality allow. Along the way, it will push the industry to think beyond pods, which is healthy. After all, viewers watch shows, not ad breaks. For supply owners and SSPs, now is the moment to prototype, publish your ext, and own the learning curve.

Conclusion

Making virtual product placement biddable in CTV is less about inventing new standards and more about applying existing programmatic muscle to a new unit. Define the slot. Attach the right signals. Package deals buyers understand. Render without drama. Measure exposure with integrity. Govern rights like a hawk. Do those things and you will unlock incremental, durable revenue that complements - not competes with - your ad pods. The payoff is compelling. You add supply without adding interruptions, give brands new creative canvases, and reinforce your position as an SSP that leads on high-fidelity, privacy-forward premium inventory. The path is clear - and the market is ready.

References

• Adweek - Is Virtual Product Placement TV’s Latest Disruptor? - https://www.adweek.com/convergent-tv/is-virtual-product-placement-tvs-latest-disruptor/ - Accessed 2025-09-16 :cite[b2w]
• Marketing Brew - Product placement is going to take over your favorite show - https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2022/05/13/product-placement-is-going-to-take-over-your-favorite-show - Accessed 2025-09-16 :cite[ej2]
• Comcast Lift Labs - Ryff makes product placements digital through AI and virtual imagery - https://lift.comcast.com/2023/02/28/ryff-makes-product-placements-digital-through-ai-and-virtual-imagery/ - Accessed 2025-09-16 :cite[a41]
• TripleLift - In-Show Advertising is the Future of CTV Advertising - https://triplelift.com/resources/blog/in-show-advertising/ - Accessed 2025-09-16 :cite[ajm]
• Amagi + Mirriad - Amagi integrates Mirriad AI tech for dynamic virtual product placement - https://kerv.ai/amagi-integrates-mirriad-ai-tech-for-dynamic-virtual-product-placement/ - Accessed 2025-09-16 :cite[bn1]
• eMarketer - Rembrand raises $23M to expand VPP into CTV - https://www.emarketer.com/content/virtual-product-placement-startup-rembrand-raises--23-million-series-ctv-expansion - Accessed 2025-09-16 :cite[bl4]
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• IAB - Ads.txt and app-ads.txt standards - https://www.iab.com/guidelines/ads-txt/ - Accessed 2025-09-16 :cite[cr2]
• Index Exchange - More transparency in CTV through ads.txt and app-ads.txt - https://www.indexexchange.com/2022/08/22/more-ctv-transparency-through-ads-txt-app-ads-txt/ - Accessed 2025-09-16 :cite[aqe]
• Index Exchange - Supply chain transparency overview - https://www.indexexchange.com/en-au/index-explains/understanding-supply-chain-transparency-aus/ - Accessed 2025-09-16 :cite[bfd]
• SCTE - Digital Program Insertion Cueing Message - https://account.scte.org/standards/library/catalog/scte-35-digital-program-insertion-cueing-message/ - Accessed 2025-09-16 :cite[a9i]
• Bitmovin Docs - Live Encoding with HLS, SCTE-35 and SSAI - https://developer.bitmovin.com/encoding/docs/live-encoding-with-hls-scte-35-and-ssai - Accessed 2025-09-16 :cite[elo]
• IAB Tech Lab News - Content taxonomy updates - https://iabtechlab.com/iab-tech-lab-news/ - Accessed 2025-09-16 :cite[aww]
• WARC - Product placement works best in combination with ads - https://www.warc.com/content/feed/product-placement-works-best-in-combination-with-ads/en-GB/7109 - Accessed 2025-09-16 :cite[c72]
• Marketing Brew - Ad-free? Think again - https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2022/02/15/product-placement-business-is-only-getting-bigger - Accessed 2025-09-16 :cite[dse]