Selection and Ordering of Linear Online Video Ads

This paper studies the selection and ordering of in-stream ads in videos shown in online content publishers. We propose an allocation algorithm that uses a collective measure of price and quality for each ad and factors in slot-specific continuation probabilities to maximize publisher revenue. The algorithm is based on cascade models and uses a dynamic programming method to assign linear (video) ads to slots in an online video. The approach accounts for the negative externality created by lower quality ads placed in a video, leading to viewer exit and thereby preventing the publisher from showing the subsequent ads scheduled in that session. Our algorithm is scalable and suited for real-time applications. A large log of viewer activity from a video ad platform is used to empirically test the algorithm. A series of simulations show that our algorithm, when compared to other algorithms currently practiced in industry, generates more revenue for the publisher and increases viewer retention.