In-stream
Pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads inside video content.
Marketing & Ad Fraud Glossary
What is video advertising?
Video advertising is online advertising that delivers a promotional message in video format — in-stream, out-stream, or in-feed — across platforms such as YouTube, connected TV, and social networks.
How video advertising works
Video advertising places moving-image creative in front of users across the open web, streaming platforms, and social feeds. It is prized for engagement and storytelling, and it commands some of the highest CPMs in digital advertising — which is precisely why it draws fraud.
Most video inventory is traded programmatically, and increasingly includes connected TV (CTV) — ad-supported streaming on smart TVs and devices.
Common video ad formats
Out-stream
Video that plays within articles or feeds, outside a video player.
In-feed & social video
Native video units in social and content feeds.
Connected TV (CTV / OTT)
Ads on ad-supported streaming services.
Rewarded video
Opt-in ads in apps and games, exchanged for an in-app reward.
Why video advertising attracts ad fraud
Video CPMs are high, and high payouts attract fraudsters. Because a “view” is harder to verify than a page load, video has become a focal point for sophisticated invalid traffic — particularly in programmatic and CTV environments where the buyer never sees the actual playback context.
Video inventory is largely traded through programmatic channels, which the Opticks Ad Fraud Report 2025 measured at a 15.43% invalid-traffic rate — against 2.18% for search. Where money concentrates, fraud follows.
Common video ad fraud techniques
Fake or hidden video players
Ads played in invisible or off-screen players.
Autoplay fraud
Ads counted as views despite no genuine user attention.
Ad stacking in video
Multiple video ads layered in one slot.
Bot views
Automated software generating fake video impressions.
CTV fraud
Spoofed devices and apps imitating premium streaming inventory.
How to protect video campaigns
Protecting video spend means analysing the real signals behind each session — network, device, and behavioural telemetry — rather than trusting a reported “view.” Opticks detects more than 30 types of invalid traffic across video, programmatic, and every other channel.
Source: Opticks Ad Fraud Report 2025 — 2 billion clicks analysed, data through Q1 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
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