• by Ray Schultz , March 7, 2023

Ad management firm Mediavine has removed autoplay and all muted in-stream inventory across its 10,000 publisher partner websites.

In February, the company’s achieved full compliance with Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)'s latest video guidelines, announced last August.  

The IAB now classifies muted ads as out-stream video. To be considered in-stream (pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll), video placements must be set to "sound on" by default at the start.

Mediavine was an early adopter of this type of video ad classification, having launched its Universal Player in 2021 to provide its publishers with what it says are  stickier, yet less intrusive video ads. 

This led to a 92% drop in total data usage, resulting in a reduced carbon footprint. 

"Complying with the new IAB video guidelines was a no-brainer for us,” states Eric Hochberger, co-founder and CEO of Mediavine. “Ending 100% of autoplay and muted instream inventory improves transparency and consistency for buyers and sellers, as well as decreases our data storage.”

Prioritizing transparency and a better user experience “pays off for the entire value chain," adds Michael Lehman, senior vice president, supply, at partner TripleLift.