Google Halts Flash In Interactive Media Ads SDKs

Google sent another warning to publishers, advertisers and developers this week that it would stop development of Flash in the Interactive Media Ads software development kits.

With the warning for publishers, advertisers and developers to migrate away from Flash comes a message to become more comfortable with HTML5 SDK, as the company ends support for IMA SDK in Flash and support for Flash VPAID (Video Player Ad-Serving Interface Definition) ads in the HTML5 SDK. 

"We strongly encourage all publishers still using the Flash SDK to migrate to the HTML5SDK," Shawn Busolits, developer and programs engineer at Google, wrote in a post. "We also strongly encourage advertisers still trafficking Flash VPAID ads to migrate those ads to JavaScript VPAID."

Busolits explains that the company will not actively prevent ad-serving to the Flash SDK, but new releases will stop after June 1, 2017, and Google will no longer fix bugs or answer support questions. If playback stops working for the Flash SDK, Google will not fix it. 

There have been several deadlines set in the past year to stop supporting Flash. In February 2016, Google said it would stop running display ads in the Adobe Flash format on the Google Display Network or through DoubleClick in favor of HTML5, and it has published two deadlines that affect advertisers using its services. That first deadline was July 2016, followed by January 2017 for the Google Display Network and DoubleClick. 

In November 2016, Google published two more deadlines, as it moved forward with phasing out the use of Flash. Starting April 3, 2017, advertisers will no longer have the option to upload new Flash video ads into DoubleClick Studio, DoubleClick Campaign Manager, DoubleClick Bid Manager, DoubleClick for Publishers or AdWords.

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