How much does server-side ad insertion cost?
Ad insertion is a flat €1.35 per 1,000 ads inserted — the same rate for live and on-demand, with no volume ladder. A viewer watching for an hour with four breaks of four ads costs about €0.022. That one rate covers the whole path: reading the SCTE-35 markers in your stream, packaging and re-encoding the ad creatives to match your renditions, personalising each viewer's manifest, delivering the ad segments over the same network as your content, and reporting every break in your dashboard. There is no separate packaging, transcoding, session or reporting fee. It is charged per ad actually inserted, so streams without ads cost nothing extra, and it is billed against the same prepaid balance as delivery.
What is server-side ad insertion (SSAI)?
SSAI creates a stream manifest with ads inserted for the viewer before playback reaches the device. It can provide a smoother transition between content and advertising and reduces reliance on a separate client-side ad player.
Is SSAI required to use CDNLive?
No. You can use CDNLive only for live CDN delivery and add SSAI later. Your delivery service is not tied to whether advertising is enabled.
Can I use CDNLive’s SSAI or my own?
Both options are supported. CDNLive can manage SSAI for you, or you can connect a supported SSAI environment that you control. This lets you choose between a simpler managed service and keeping your existing provider relationship and billing.
What does a live stream need before SSAI can be enabled?
The stream needs reliable ad-break signalling, compatible manifests, and an ad decision source. Depending on your workflow, that can include SCTE-35 markers, VAST or VMAP responses, a slate, and creatives prepared for the stream’s playback profiles.
How does CDN caching work with personalised SSAI manifests?
Shared media segments can remain cacheable at the edge, while viewer-specific manifests must be treated as session-specific. This keeps one viewer’s ad decisions from being reused for another viewer while preserving CDN efficiency for the underlying video.