What is server-side ad insertion?

Server-side ad insertion (SSAI) stitches ads into the video stream before it reaches the player. The viewer sees one continuous stream, which avoids buffering between program and ads and makes ads harder to block.

Our upstream cues are inconsistent. Will Edge Splice still work?

Edge Splice checks each cue for duration, pairing, and timing before acting on it. Malformed or duplicate cues are logged and handled by rule, so a bad cue does not become a broken break.

Can we keep our current ad server?

Yes. Edge Splice requests ads with standard VAST, so it works with VAST-compliant ad servers. Moment Exchange is optional.

SCTE-35 server-side ad insertion

The ad lands on the cue, on every screen that carries the channel

Edge Splice reads SCTE-35 cues in the stream, asks for a decision, and stitches the ads into the stream on the server side, frame-accurately. Viewers get a broadcast-smooth break, ad blockers have nothing to block, and you get proof of what aired in every session.

Book a demo Technical specifications

What it does

Cue detection
Reads SCTE-35 from MPEG-TS, HLS tags (EXT-X-DATERANGE, EXT-X-CUE-OUT/IN), and DASH event streams, and checks each cue before acting on it.
Per-session stitching
Builds a personalized manifest for each viewer session, so the same break can carry different ads for different audiences.
Creative conditioning
Transcodes ad creatives to match the channel's bitrate ladder, frame rate, and loudness, so the break looks and sounds like the program.
Fill and fallback
Partial fills are padded with promos or slate, and breaks with no demand fall back to the original broadcast content.
Impression tracking
Fires VAST impression and quartile beacons from the server or passes them to the client, depending on the platform's measurement rules.
Proof of play
Session-level logs show which ads aired in which break, ready for reconciliation with ad servers and partners.

How it works

Detect
A cue arrives in the stream. Edge Splice parses and checks it.
Decide
The break, its duration, and session context go to Moment Exchange or your ad server.
Stitch
Conditioned creatives replace the break in the session manifest at the splice point.
Report
Beacons fire and the session log records exactly what aired.

Technical specifications

Formats, protocols, and deployment targets. Exact versions and partner-specific profiles are confirmed during scoping.

Edge Splice technical specifications
Signal sources	SCTE-35 in MPEG-TS, HLS, and DASH; SCTE-104 via upstream encoder
HLS markers	EXT-X-DATERANGE (SCTE35-OUT/IN), EXT-X-CUE-OUT/IN, EXT-OATCLS-SCTE35
DASH markers	EventStream and emsg (urn:scte:scte35:2013:bin, 2014:xml+bin)
Ad requests	VAST 4.x and VMAP; OpenRTB 2.6 via Moment Exchange
Packaging	HLS, DASH, and CMAF with discontinuity handling
Tracking	Server-side or client-side VAST beacons; OM SDK where the player supports it
Deployment	Cloud edge, your cloud account, or on-prem at the headend

All standards and versions

The ad lands on the cue, on every screen that carries the channel

What it does

Cue detection

Per-session stitching

Creative conditioning

Fill and fallback

Impression tracking

Proof of play

How it works

Detect

Decide

Stitch

Report

Technical specifications

Where Edge Splice is used

Edge Splice questions