Cinema Ad
ESPN (US)
Overview
The Cinema Ad creates a video-centric ad experience that will not go unnoticed. Users are served a wide-format teaser video just under the site navigation with the option to view a full-length video. As the user begins to scroll the site, the creative seamlessly fades into the background.
- Showcase video front and center with this super-high-impact ad experience.
- Utilizes cinema-style 2.39:1 wide-format video.
- This is an ESPN custom execution that must be created in-house by ESPN.
Available to Serve to These ESPN Properties:
Demos
Technical Specifications
| Profile | XL | L | M | S |
| Maximum Dimensions | 1680x690 | 1280x526 | 1024x421 | 768x432 |
| Video (Live Creative) |
Auto-Start: Muted 8 seconds and <3MB User-Initiated: No duration limit; <20MB | Auto-Start: Muted 8 seconds and <2MB User-Initiated: No duration limit; <20MB | Auto-Start: Muted 8 seconds and <1MB User-Initiated: No duration limit; <10MB | Auto-Start: Muted 8 seconds and <1MB User-Initiated: No duration limit; <10MB |
| CTA/Logo | 600x274; <100k; transparent PNG |
600x274 (scaled); <100k; transparent PNG |
600x274 (scaled); <100k; transparent PNG |
600x274 (scaled); <100k; transparent PNG |
| Endcard | 1680x690; <200k; static PNG, JPG, GIF |
1280x526; <200k; static PNG, JPG, GIF |
1024x421; <150k; static PNG, JPG, GIF |
768x432; <100k; static PNG, JPG, GIF |
| Capped Banner | 1280x100; <200k; static PNG, JPG, GIF |
970x66; <150k; static PNG, JPG, GIF |
1456x180* (728x90 live site); <150k; 2x density static PNG, JPG, GIF |
640x100* (320x50 live site); <100k; 2x density static PNG, JPG, GIF |
| Third-Party Serving | No | No | No | No |
| Third-Party Tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
* Double density creative are highly recommended for all mobile creative to provide image clarity on high-resolution screens. See our guidelines on double density.
Required Assets for ESPN
- A 2.39:1 aspect ratio, wide-format source video 75MB or less. This will provide the main creative experience. ESPN will format and encode the video to the required specifications. A separate 8-second intro video may be provided as well, otherwise the first 8 seconds of the video will be used for the intro expand.
- Any creative files, design documents, images, fonts, or assets that may be required for the build (Logo/CTA, Banners, and/or InContent). High-resolution Photoshop .psd files are preferred.
- Optional: static UAP Banners may be provided for the capped creative. However, these may also be included as part of ESPN's creative build. Must be first-party served only.
- A static InContent 300x250 companion unit is also required. This may be first or third-party served.
Creative Build
- This creative may be built in-house by ESPN Creative Works (with approval); alternatively, display assets may be submitted to-spec by the client.
- The video will be encoded by ESPN to the required specifications.
- The transparent Logo/CTA will be created by ESPN. Banners and InContent may be provided with the creative files or built by ESPN.
Animation/Ad Behavior
- The Cinema Ad will appear fully expanded for users upon the initial impression.
- This creative is semi-responsive. The Maximum Dimensions listed above show the largest size the creative will appear based on the user's screen profile and will adjust in size based on the user's individual screen resolution to fit. View the demo creative links above on different devices to observe this behavior.
- An 8-second intro video will play in the full ad space, after which the ad unit will display a static Endcard image.
- During the intro or on the Endcard, users may click to view the full video experience or scroll to continue to ESPN content. As the user scrolls, the ad unit fades into the site background smoothly.
- If the user begins to scroll during video playback, the video will pause as it fades from view. If the user scrolls back to the top of the page, the ad unit will fade-in and resume video play.
- When the ad is capped, users will be displayed a standard UAP Banner unit. On click, this will re-expand the creative to the full video experience.
Video
- Video cannot utilize YouTube's embedded player. All video for this unit must be served by ESPN.
- An original source video must be provided to ESPN for encoding. 2.39:1 aspect ratio is preferred. Videos submitted at a different ratio may require some cropping during the encoding process to fit the creative space.
- Video in the auto-expand must not exceed the 8-second expand time and is limited to 2MB for XL/L screen profiles and 1MB for M/S screens.
- User-initiated video must not exceed 20MB for XL and L profiles, 10MB for M and S profiles.
- An audio toggle is included in the top-right corner. The video pauses on user's scroll.
- Audio is not accepted for the intro video.
- Video file weights apply to the video files only, separate from the rest of the creative weight.
Design Specifications
- The "Click for Full Video" and "Scroll to Continue" CTAs will be applied automatically. This text appears in the bottom-center of the creative (middle-center on S profile).
- The transparent Logo/CTA will appear in the lower-right corner of the creative when expanded. A single 600x274px image will be used for each profile and scaled based on the user's screen resolution.
- The capped-state Banner should include a CTA prompting users to re-expand the creative. These static Banner units may be provided from the client/agency or included as part of ESPN's creative build and must be first-party served only.
Capping
Auto-expand/play is capped at one time per user per day. Subsequent visits will display a standard UAP Banner size with the option to re-expand back to the full ad experience on-click only.
Third-Party Tag
Third-party serving is not allowed for this ad unit. Only the InContent may be served via 3rd-Party.
Submission Deadline
Due to the custom nature of this unit, a minimum three-week lead time is required for creative production, revisions, and testing.
Restrictions
Ad profiles cannot be sold on an individual basis. Creative must be submitted for each profile outlined above.
HTTPS Compatibility
- All creative, including third-party tags and third-party tracking tags, must use secure protocol (HTTPS).
- Any creative that is not fully secure will be sent back for revisions.
Additional Info
- This execution utilizes ESPN's Universal Ad Package (UAP).
- The Cinema Ad XL will be visible to users with a screen resolution of 1280px wide or higher, L for screens 1279px-1024px wide, M for screens 1023px-768px wide, and S for screens 767px wide or less.
HTML5 Requirements
- All Cinema Ad creative, including HTML5, is served first-party by ESPN.
- The file weight above applies to all HTML5 files and assets including images, HTML/JS/CSS files, custom fonts, or other assets.
- See our HTML5 Guidelines page for more details.