Server‑Guided Ad Insertion (SGAI): How It Works

Personalized advertising is no longer just a VOD feature. With SGAI, it’s possible to insert targeted ads in live streams while keeping latency under control.

Traditional SSAI vs. SGAI

Server‑Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) traditionally stitches ads into streams before delivery. This works well for VOD but creates challenges for live, where latency and synchronization matter. SGAI adds signaling that lets players make smarter choices.

How It Works

In SGAI, the server provides ad decisions along with timed metadata. The player then requests and stitches the ads locally, guided by server instructions. This hybrid approach reduces latency and keeps streams aligned across devices.

Benefits

• Lower latency: Keeps live delay within a few seconds.
• Personalization: Each viewer receives unique ads.
• Consistency: Stream switching is smooth, avoiding buffering.
• Scalability: Offloads work from central servers to clients.

Engineering Notes

Implementing SGAI requires support for DASH Events or HLS equivalents, accurate SCTE‑35 signaling, and robust player logic. Monitoring ad performance and viewer experience is essential.

Industry Momentum

At IBC2025, several vendors demonstrated sub‑5‑second latency with SGAI in production scenarios. Adoption is accelerating, particularly for sports and news.

SGAI brings targeted ads to live content without breaking the viewing experience. It’s becoming a standard component of modern monetization strategies.