Ad targeting is configured and managed on the ad server itself (e.g., targeting by device, location, or user segment). Kaltura’s role is to send the relevant metadata along with the ad request so the ad server can apply its targeting rules.
Kaltura supports passing targeting information in the following ways:
- Per player and ad slot
- Per content item (dynamic targeting)
- Advanced server-side integrations
Add custom key-value pairs directly in the ad tag URL (e.g., ?playerType=mobile&campaign=promo2024). These values are sent with the ad request and used by the ad server to decide which ad to serve.
The Kaltura VAST module can dynamically pull metadata from each media entry, such as tags, categories, or custom fields, and pass them as parameters in the ad call. This is done using macros in the ad tag URL, like:
https://adserver.com/vast?category=${metadata.category}&tags=${metadata.tags}
These placeholders are automatically replaced with actual values from the media entry when the player loads.
For certain ad servers like Google Ad Manager or FreeWheel, Kaltura supports server-side metadata mapping. In this setup, metadata fields are configured in Kaltura and mapped to fields expected by the ad server. When an entry is marked for ad targeting in the KMC, Kaltura passes the mapped metadata directly to the ad server.
Kaltura does not control whether an ad is served as pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll when using server-side ads. That logic should also be defined in the ad server. For client-side ads, however, Kaltura lets you define ad timing and cue points.
