Video ad delivery using configurable video ad policies

A method for delivering video ads to a video client, the method comprising, at an advertising server:

• receiving, from a digital video content client of a content provider, input data including a video ad policy and associated metadata and digital video content, at a media registration module of an ad platform service, the video ad policy being defined based on a plurality of ad policy parameters and a plurality of video client parameters, the plurality of client parameters including a number of video clients and a type of viewer device on which the video client is configured to be executed, wherein the number of video clients includes one or more of a number of concurrent video clients, a number of aggregate video clients, and a number of video clients over a predetermined time period, and wherein the associated metadata specifies an ad placement position in the digital video content and one or more conditions that trigger a dynamic change in one or more of the plurality of ad policy parameters that define the video ad policy;
• storing the input data from the registration module in a registration database;
• receiving, from a video client executed on a viewer device, an ad manifest request at a manifest service of the ad platform service, where the ad manifest request is received from the video client after the video client has received user input to download or stream the digital video content;
• generating, in response to the ad manifest request, an ad manifest instance at the manifest service based on the type of the viewer device, the ad manifest instance specifying device-specific ad functionality included or omitted in an ad based on the type of viewer device, and the input data from the registration database associated with the ad manifest request, wherein if the one or more conditions have occurred, the ad manifest instance is generated to include an updated video ad policy having one or more dynamically changed ad policy parameters that govern display of ads for the ad manifest instance, and wherein if the one or more conditions have not occurred, the ad manifest instance is generated to include the video ad policy including the plurality of ad policy parameters originally specified at registration of the digital video content;
• and
• sending the ad manifest instance to the video client, from the manifest service of the ad platform, responsive to the ad manifest request;
• receiving, from the video client, an ad request at an ad delivery engine associated with the ad platform service, the ad request being based on the ad manifest instance;
• and
• sending one or more ads from the ad delivery engine of the ad platform service to the video client, responsive to the ad request, where the one or more ads are based on the ad manifest instance sent to the video client.

A method for use in display of video ads on a video client executed on a viewer device, the method comprising:

• sending, in response to user input to download or stream digital content and metadata, a request to a media server, the metadata specifying an ad placement position in the digital content;
• receiving a response from the media server, responsive to the request, wherein the response contains the digital content and metadata;
• sending an ad manifest request to a manifest service of an ad platform service executed on an advertising server, wherein the ad manifest request is based on the digital content and metadata;
• receiving an ad manifest instance from the manifest service of the ad platform service, responsive to the ad manifest request, wherein the ad manifest instance is created by the manifest service based on a type of the viewer device, the ad manifest instance specifying device-specific ad functionality included or omitted in an ad based on the type of viewer device, and input data received from a registration database, wherein the input data includes a video ad policy received from a digital video content client of a content provider and one or more conditions that trigger a dynamic change in the video ad policy,
• wherein the video ad policy includes a plurality of ad policy parameters that govern display of ads with the digital content, the ad policy parameters being dynamically re-definable to enable the digital video content client to modify a pre-existing video ad policy by adding one or more new ad policy parameters, wherein the addition of one or more new ad policy parameters does not conflict with the pre-existing video ad policy, wherein if the one or more conditions have occurred, the ad manifest instance is generated to include an updated video ad policy having one or more dynamically changed ad policy parameters that govern display of ads for the ad manifest instance, and wherein if the one or more conditions have not occurred, the ad manifest instance is generated to include the video ad policy including the plurality of ad policy parameters originally specified at registration of the digital content;
• sending an ad request to an ad delivery engine based on the ad manifest instance;
• and
• receiving one or more ads from the ad delivery engine based on the ad manifest instance, responsive to the ad request.