• by P.J. Bednarski  @pjbtweet, December 20, 2016

The IAB Technology Laboratory today released “Transitioning Video Ads from Flash to HTML5/JS,” which it touts as practical guidance for migrating digital video advertisements to HTML5 and JavaScript.

But the document cautions that “this transition will not be simple as it is ridden with technical as well as operational/logistical challenges.”

The IAB suggests that users should go slowly. “Considering the complexity of the transition, publishers and agencies should take steps immediately to move away from Flash and plan the transition over the course of the next six months. The goal is the complete elimination of Flash Video Ads by July 2017.”

The IAB has compiled two checklists, for publishers and agencies, to make the move smoothly.

It also said that references to Flash in IAB guidelines for ad formats like VAST, VPAID and OpenRTB “should be considered ‘deprecated’ as of Jan 1."

In a statement, Alanna Gombert, IAB’s senior vice president, technology and ad operations and general manager of the IAB Tech Lab, said: “The move from Flash to HTML5 and JavaScript is vital to improving user experience in digital video advertising. We recognize that it’s a complex transition — one that cannot happen overnight."

But the technological writing has been on the wall for a long time. Google, for one, quit accepting Flash file uploads from advertisers nearly six months ago. This year, Google Chrome also has been phasing out Flash altogether.

The IAB’s research says HTML5 has been shown to contribute to a 29.5% brand lift in tests that the organization conducted.

For online video, HTML5 offers mobile abilities Flash does not -- a huge advantage.  

The beginning of the end of the road for Flash may have started in 2010, when Apple’s Steve Jobs said HTML5 was the future and Flash was “no longer necessary.”