Video events

Commanders Act's video specification lets you define how a customer engages with your videos and the related ad content.

This documentation details the conventions and best practices for sending events when tracking videos. The document clarifies the structure and classification of these events, which fall into four categories: Playback, Content, Ads and Video Settings.

Playback

Playback events are tied to the actual playback of video content and track information about the video player.

For example, when a customer plays a video on an app, a Video Playback Started event is sent along with a unique session_id. All subsequent events generated from that session are tied to the same session_id.

If a web page has two video players, there will be two separate sessions and associated session_ids. However, if two separate videos are played on the same video player, they will still be considered a single session with two associated pieces of content.

Playback Events Properties

All the playback events share the same properties that describe the current state of the video player.

The following table lists all the properties of this playback event object in detail:

Property
Type
Required
Description

video_session_id

String

Yes

A unique ID that ties all the events generated from a specific playback session. These events include playback, content, and ad events.

video_title

String

No

Denotes the title of the video content.

video_category

String

No

Denotes the genre of the video content asset.

publisher

String

No

Denotes the publisher / creator / author of the

video content asset.

content_asset_id

String

Array [String]

Yes

Content asset ID/s of the video/s playing or

about to be played.

For Video Playback Started events, an array

of unique asset IDs should be sent. For other

playback events, a singular content asset ID at the time of the event should be sent.

content_pod_id

String

Array [String]

No

Content pod ID/s of the video/s playing or

about to be played.

For Video Playback Started events, an array

of unique pod IDs should be sent. For other

playback events, a singular content pod ID associated with the current content pod at the time of the event should be sent.

ad_asset_id

String

Array [String]

No

Ad asset ID/s of the video/s playing or

about to be played.

For Video Playback Started events, an array

of unique ad asset IDs should be sent. For other

playback events, a singular ad asset ID at the time of the event should be sent.

ad_pod_id

String

Array [String]

No

Ad pod ID/s of the video/s playing or

about to be played.

For Video Playback Started events, an array

of unique ad pod IDs should be sent. For other

playback events, a singular content pod ID associated with the current ad pod at the time of the event should be sent.

ad_type

String

No

Denotes the type of ad playing at the time of the

event. The values can be 'pre-roll', ' mid-roll', or

'post-roll'.

cursor_position

Integer

Yes

Denotes the current index position of the playhead in seconds. It includes the duration of any seen ads. Not required in video_buffer_start and video_buffer_complete events If the playback is a livestream, refer to the documentation of the relevant destination for steps on correctly passing the playhead position.

seek_position

Integer

No

Denotes the index position of the playhead where the

user is seeking to.

Only applicable on the video_seek_start and video_seek_complete events. On video_seek_complete events,

the seek_position should be equal to cursor_position.

total_length

Integer

Yes

Denotes the total duration of the video playback

in seconds. Includes the whole duration of all

the content and ads included in the session.

Set to null in case of a livestream playback.

bitrate

Integer

No

Bit rate of the video playback, denoted in kbps

framerate

Float

No

Denotes the average frame rate of the video playback in fps.

video_player

String

No

Denotes the name of the video player used for

playback. Example: youtube, vimeo, etc.

sound

Integer

No

Denotes the sound level of the video playback.

Range is from 0-100, where 0 represents mute

and 100 is full volume.

full_screen

Boolean

No

Set to true if the playback is in fullscreen mode.

ad_enabled

Boolean

No

Set to false if the user has any ad blockers.

If the user can view your video ads, it is set to

true.

image_quality

String

No

Specifies the quality of the video. Examples: 'hd1080', 'highres'

interruption_method

String

No

For the Video Playback Interrupted events, you can send this property denoting how the

playback was interrupted.

Some examples include 'device_lock', 'call', and

'browser_redirect'.

livestream

Boolean

No

Set to true in case the playback is a live stream, else set to false.

Playback Events

This section details all the video playback events.

For more information on each of the properties associated with these events, refer to the Playback Event Properties section.

Video Playback Started

This event is associated with the user action of pressing the play button on the video player to initiate the video playback.

A sample event is as shown below:

{
    "event_name": "video_start",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "98765",
    "content_asset_id": ["0133370", "123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["CAA", "CAB", "CAD"],
    "ad_asset_id": ["ad1", "ad0", "ad2"],
    "ad_pod_id": ["adCAA", "adCAB", "adCAD"],
    "ad_type": "pre-roll",
    "cursor_position": 0,
    "total_length": 600,
    "bitrate": 128,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 100,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Video Playback Paused

This event corresponds to the user action of pausing the video playback.

A sample event is as shown:

{
    "event_name": "video_pause",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "98765",
    "content_asset_id": ["0123370", "123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["CAA", "CAB", "CAD"],
    "cursor_position": 10,
    "total_length": 600,
    "bitrate": 256,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 100,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Video Playback Interrupted

This event is sent when the video playback stops unintentionally. Network loss, user closing the browser, redirect, etc. are some of the common reasons. You can pass the cause within the property interruption_method.

A sample event is as shown:

{
    "event_name": "video_error",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "12345",
    "content_asset_id": ["0144370"],
    "content_pod_id": ["CAA", "CAB"],
    "cursor_position": 0,
    "total_length": 300,
    "bitrate": 128,
    "framerate": 30.00,
    "video_player": "youtube",
    "sound": 68,
    "full_screen": true,
    "ad_enabled": true,
    "image_quality": "hd1080",
    "livestream": false,
    "interruption_method":"network_loss"
}

Video Playback Buffer Started

This corresponds to the event of buffering content or an advertisement.

A sample event is as shown:

{
    "event_name": "video_buffer_start",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "54321",
    "content_asset_id": ["098765"],
    "content_pod_id": ["CAD", "CAE"],
    "cursor_position": 10,
    "total_length": 600,
    "bitrate": 256,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 100,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Video Playback Buffer Completed

This corresponds to the event when the playback finishes buffering the content or an advertisement.

A sample event is as shown:

{
    "event_name": "video_buffer_complete",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "56789",
    "content_asset_id": ["123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["CAF", "CAG"],
    "cursor_position": 20,
    "total_length": 400,
    "bitrate": 512,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "dailymotion",
    "sound": 100,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Video Playback Seek Started

This event is sent when a user manually seeks a certain cursor position of the video content or an advertisement in the playback. The cursor_position property indicates where the user is seeking from (time in seconds) and the seek_position indicates the cursor position in the playback where the user is seeking to.

A sample event is as shown:

{
    "event_name": "video_seek_start",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "abcdef",
    "content_asset_id": ["123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["XYZ", "XYA"],
    "cursor_position": 59,
    "seek_position": 150,
    "total_length": 360,
    "bitrate": 256,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 80,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Video Playback Seek Completed

This event is sent after a user manually seeks to a certain cursor position of the video or ad in the playback. The cursor_position property indicates where the user resumes the playback.

A sample event is as shown:

{
    "event_name": "video_seek_complete",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "abcdef",
    "content_asset_id": ["123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["XYZ", "XYA"],
    "cursor_position": 59,
    "seek_position": 150,
    "total_length": 360,
    "bitrate": 256,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 80,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Video Playback Resumed

This event is sent after the user resumes the video playback after it was paused.

A sample event is as shown:

{
    "event_name": "video_resume",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "abcdef",
    "content_asset_id": ["123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["XYZ", "XYA"],
    "cursor_position": 150,
    "total_length": 360,
    "bitrate": 256,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 80,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Video Playback Completed

This event is sent after the playback is complete and when the pod session is finished. Note that the cursor_position property has the same value as the total_length property.

A sample event is as shown:

{
    "event_name": "video_complete",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "abcdef",
    "content_asset_id": ["123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["XYZ", "XYA"],
    "cursor_position": 150,
    "total_length": 360,
    "bitrate": 256,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 80,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Content

A content pod refers to a part / group / segment of the video content or the advertisement within the playback.

Suppose a video playback session has a video and one mid-roll advertisement. This means that the mid-roll ad splits the playback in two separate content pods. The mid-roll ad is included within a single ad pod.

The flow is as follows:

  • User starts and completes the first content pod

  • User starts and completes the ad

  • User starts and completes the second content pod

All of these events within the flow happen within one video playback.

Content Events Properties

All the content events share the same properties that describe the current state of the video content that is viewed by the user during the playback.

The following table lists all the properties of this playback event object in detail:

Property
Type
Required
Description

video_session_id

String

Yes

A unique ID that ties all the events generated from a specific playback session. These events include playback, content, and ad events.

content_asset_id

String

Yes

Denotes the unique ID of the video content asset.

content_pod_id

String

No

Denotes the unique ID of the video content pod.

video_title

String

No

Denotes the title of the video content.

video_description

String

No

Describes the video content asset in short.

keywords

Array [String]

No

Denotes the relevant keywords associated with the

categorizing the video content

season

String

No

Denotes the season number, if applicable.

episode

String

No

Denotes the episode number, if applicable.

video_category

String

No

Denotes the genre of the video content asset.

program

String

No

Denotes the name of the program / show of which

the video content is a part.

publisher

String

No

Denotes the publisher / creator / author of the

video content asset.

channel

String

No

Denotes the channel in which the video content

is playing.

full_episode

Boolean

No

Set to true the video content asset is a full episode.

livestream

Boolean

No

If the video content is a live stream, this is set to

true.

airdate

ISO 8601

Date String

No

Denotes the original date of airing / publishing

the video content.

cursor_position

Integer

Yes

Denotes the current playhead position into the

video content in seconds. This does not include

any ads played in this duration.

In case of live streams, refer to the relevant destination's documentation for details on how to pass this property.

total_length

Integer

Yes

The total duration of the video content in

seconds. This does not include any ads included

in the playback of this content asset.

For livestream playback, this should be set to null.

bitrate

Integer

No

Denotes the current bit rate in kbps.

framerate

Float

No

Denotes the frame rate in fps.

Content Events

This section details all the video content events.

For more information on each of the properties associated with these events, refer to the Content Events Properties section.

Video Content Started

This event is sent once the user starts playing video content segment within a playback.

A sample event is as shown:

{
    "event_name": "video_content_start",
    "video_session_id": "98765",
    "content_asset_id": "456",
    "content_pod_id": "XYZ",
    "program": "The Lion King",
    "video_title": "Act 1",
    "video_description": "Invented description",
    "season": "1",
    "episode":"14",
    "channel":"NBC",
    "livestream":false,
    "airdate":"2022-12-20",
    "cursor_position": 5,
    "total_length": 200,
    "video_category": "Animation",
    "publisher": "Disney",
    "full_episode": false,
    "keywords": ["lion", "savannah", "circle of life"],
    "user": {}
}

Video Content Playing

These events are sent as heartbeats every after a set interval to indicate the length of video viewed by the user, determined by the cursor_position property.

A sample event is as shown:

{
    "event_name": "video_content_playing",
    "video_session_id": "56789",
    "content_asset_id": "789",
    "content_pod_id": "ABC",
    "program": "The Jungle Book",
    "video_title": "Act 2",
    "video_description": "Invented description",
    "season": "2",
    "cursor_position": 123,
    "total_length": 400,
    "video_category": "Adventure",
    "publisher": "Disney",
    "full_episode": false,
    "framerate": 60,
    "bitrate": 4500,
    "keywords": ["jungle", "animals", "mowgli"],
    "user": {}
}

Video Content Quarter Reached

These events are sent when a quarter of the video is reached, determined by the cursor_position property.

A sample event is as shown:

{
    "event_name": "video_content_quarter_reached",
    "video_session_id": "56789",
    "content_asset_id": "789",
    "content_pod_id": "ABC",
    "program": "The Jungle Book",
    "video_title": "Act 2",
    "video_description": "Invented description",
    "season": "2",
    "cursor_position": 123,
    "total_length": 400,
    "video_category": "Adventure",
    "publisher": "Disney",
    "full_episode": false,
    "keywords": ["jungle", "animals", "mowgli"],
    "user": {}
}

Video Content Completed

This event is sent once the video segment within the playback is completed. Note that the cursor_position property has the same value as the total_length property.

A sample event is as shown:

{
    "event_name": "video_content_complete",
    "video_session_id": "01234",
    "content_asset_id": "111",
    "content_pod_id": "DEF",
    "program": "Tarzan",
    "video_title": "Finale",
    "video_description": "Invented description",
    "season": "4",
    "cursor_position": 300,
    "total_length": 300,
    "video_category": "Adventure",
    "publisher": "Disney",
    "full_episode": true,
    "keywords": ["jungle", "apes", "tarzan"],
    "user": {}
}

Ads

Ad Events Properties

All the ad events share the same properties that describe the current state of the video ad content that a user is interacting with during the playback.

The following table lists all the properties of this ad event object in detail:

Property
Type
Required
Description

video_session_id

String

Yes

A unique ID that ties all the events generated from a specific playback session. These events include playback, content, and ad events.

ad_asset_id

String

Yes

Denotes the unique ID of the ad asset.

ad_pod_id

String

Yes

Denotes the unique ID of the ad pod.

pod_position

Integer

No

Denotes the position of the ad asset relative

to other ads in the same pod.

ad_type

String

No

Denotes the type of ad playing at the time of the

event. The values can be 'pre-roll', ' mid-roll', or

'post-roll'.

pod_length

Integer

No

Denotes the number of ad assets in the current

ad pod.

video_title

String

No

Denotes the title of the ad.

publisher

String

No

Denotes the author/ creator/ publisher of the ad.

cursor_position

Integer

Yes

The current playhead position in relation to the

total length of the ad, in seconds.

total_length

Integer

Yes

Denotes the total length of the ad asset in seconds.

load_type

Enum

No

Denotes if the ads are loaded dynamically or if

they are the same for all the users. Values can be either 'dynamic' or ' linear '.

ad_quartile

Integer

No

For the Video Ad Playing event, this property

can be used to indicate when a specific ad quartile

is reached.

If you are using a client-side library to track your

video events, this property is optional as Commanders Act

automatically tracks the ad quartiles.

Ad Events

This section details all the ad events.

For more information on each of the properties associated with these events, refer to the Ad Event Properties section.

Video Ad Started

This event is sent when an advertisement roll starts playing within the video playback.

A sample event is as shown:

{
  "event_name": "video_ad_start",
  "user": {},
  "video_session_id": "abcdef",
  "ad_asset_id": "456",
  "ad_pod_id": "XYA",
  "ad_type": "pre-roll",
  "video_title": "SmackDown!",
  "cursor_position": 0,
  "total_length": 30,
  "publisher": "WWE",
  "load_type": "linear"
}

Video Ad Playing

This event is sent between set intervals when the video ad is playing and is determined by the cursor_position property.

A sample event is as shown:

{
  "event_name": "video_ad_playing",
  "user": {},
  "video_session_id": "abcdef",
  "ad_asset_id": "456",
  "ad_pod_id": "XYA",
  "ad_type": "pre-roll",
  "video_title": "SmackDown!",
  "cursor_position": 10,
  "total_length": 30,
  "publisher": "WWE",
  "load_type": "linear"
}

Video Ad Stop

This event is sent after the user has viewed a video ad completely. Note that the cursor_position property has the same value as the total_length property.

{
  "event_name": "video_ad_stop",
  "user": {},
  "video_session_id": "abcdef",
  "ad_asset_id": "456",
  "ad_pod_id": "XYA",
  "ad_type": "pre-roll",
  "video_title": "SmackDown!",
  "cursor_position": 30,
  "total_length": 30,
  "publisher": "WWE",
  "load_type": "linear"
}

Video Ad Completed

This event is sent after the user has viewed the video ad roll completely. Note that the cursor_position property has the same value as the total_length property.

{
  "event_name": "video_ad_complete",
  "user": {},
  "video_session_id": "abcdef",
  "ad_asset_id": "456",
  "ad_pod_id": "XYA",
  "ad_type": "pre-roll",
  "video_title": "SmackDown!",
  "cursor_position": 30,
  "total_length": 30,
  "publisher": "WWE",
  "load_type": "linear"
}

Video Ad Skip

This event is sent when the user click on the skip ad button.

{
  "event_name": "video_ad_skip",
  "user": {},
  "video_session_id": "abcdef",
  "ad_asset_id": "456",
  "ad_pod_id": "XYA",
  "ad_type": "pre-roll",
  "video_title": "SmackDown!",
  "cursor_position": 20,
  "total_length": 30,
  "publisher": "WWE",
  "load_type": "linear"
}

Video Ad Break Started

This event is sent when an advertisement break starts playing while the video playback.

A sample event is as shown:

{
  "event_name": "video_ad_break_start",
  "user": {},
  "video_session_id": "abcdef",
  "ad_asset_id": "456",
  "ad_pod_id": "XYA",
  "ad_type": "pre-roll",
  "video_title": "SmackDown!",
  "cursor_position": 0,
  "total_length": 30,
  "publisher": "WWE",
  "load_type": "linear"
}

Video Ad Break Completed

This event is sent after the user has viewed the video ad break pod completely. Note that the cursor_position property has the same value as the total_length property.

{
  "event_name": "video_ad_break_complete",
  "user": {},
  "video_session_id": "abcdef",
  "ad_asset_id": "456",
  "ad_pod_id": "XYA",
  "ad_type": "pre-roll",
  "video_title": "SmackDown!",
  "cursor_position": 30,
  "total_length": 30,
  "publisher": "WWE",
  "load_type": "linear"
}

Video Ad Click

This event is sent when the user click on the add.

{
  "event_name": "video_ad_click",
  "user": {},
  "video_session_id": "abcdef",
  "ad_asset_id": "456",
  "ad_pod_id": "XYA",
  "ad_type": "pre-roll",
  "video_title": "SmackDown!",
  "cursor_position": 20,
  "total_length": 30,
  "publisher": "WWE",
  "load_type": "linear"
}

Settings

Setting Events Properties

All the settings events share the same properties that describe the current state of the video content that a user is interacting with during the playback.

Property
Type
Required
Description

video_session_id

String

Yes

A unique ID that ties all the events generated from a specific playback session. These events include playback, content, and ad events.

content_asset_id

String

Yes

Denotes the unique ID of the video content asset.

content_pod_id

String

No

Denotes the unique ID of the video content pod.

ad_asset_id

String

No

Denotes the unique ID of the ad asset.

ad_pod_id

String

No

Denotes the unique ID of the ad pod.

ad_type

String

No

Denotes the type of ad playing at the time of the

event. The values can be 'pre-roll', ' mid-roll', or

'post-roll'.

video_title

String

No

Denotes the title of the video content.

video_description

String

No

Describes the video content asset in short.

keywords

Array [String]

No

Denotes the relevant keywords associated with the

categorizing the video content

season

String

No

Denotes the season number, if applicable.

episode

String

No

Denotes the episode number, if applicable.

video_category

String

No

Denotes the genre of the video content asset.

program

String

No

Denotes the name of the program / show of which

the video content is a part.

publisher

String

No

Denotes the publisher / creator / author of the

video content asset.

channel

String

No

Denotes the channel in which the video content

is playing.

full_episode

Boolean

No

Set to true the video content asset is a full episode.

livestream

Boolean

No

If the video content is a live stream, this is set to

true.

airdate

ISO 8601

Date String

No

Denotes the original date of airing / publishing

the video content.

cursor_position

Integer

Yes

Denotes the current playhead position into the

video content in seconds. This does not include

any ads played in this duration.

In case of live streams, refer to the relevant destination's documentation for details on how to pass this property.

total_length

Integer

Yes

The total duration of the video content in

seconds. This does not include any ads included

in the playback of this content asset.

For livestream playback, this should be set to null.

bitrate

Integer

Yes

Denotes the current bit rate in kbps.

framerate

Float

No

Denotes the frame rate in fps.

sound

Integer

Yes

Denotes the current video sound level

Required in video_volume event

full_screen

Boolean

Yes

Denotes the current video screen mode. Required in video_fullscreen_on and video_full_screen_off events

ad_enabled

Boolean

No

Denotes if ad were enabled

image_quality

String

Yes

Denotes the current video queity resolution. Required in video_quality event

Resuming Playback

Setting Events

This section details all the video settings events.

For more information on each of the properties associated with these events, refer to the Settings Event Properties section.

Video Volume

This event is sent when the user modify the audio volume of the video player.

A sample event is as shown below:

{
    "event_name": "video_volume",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "98765",
    "content_asset_id": ["0133370", "123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["CAA", "CAB", "CAD"],
    "ad_asset_id": ["ad1", "ad0", "ad2"],
    "ad_pod_id": ["adCAA", "adCAB", "adCAD"],
    "ad_type": "mid-roll",
    "cursor_position": 420,
    "total_length": 600,
    "bitrate": 128,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 120,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Video Speed

This event is sent when the user modify the speed of the video player.

A sample event is as shown below:

{
    "event_name": "video_speed",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "98765",
    "content_asset_id": ["0133370", "123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["CAA", "CAB", "CAD"],
    "ad_asset_id": ["ad1", "ad0", "ad2"],
    "ad_pod_id": ["adCAA", "adCAB", "adCAD"],
    "ad_type": "mid-roll",
    "cursor_position": 420,
    "total_length": 600,
    "bitrate": 128,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 120,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Video Subtitle On

This event is sent when the user turns on the subtitles of the video player.

A sample event is as shown below:

{
    "event_name": "video_subtitle_on",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "98765",
    "content_asset_id": ["0133370", "123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["CAA", "CAB", "CAD"],
    "ad_asset_id": ["ad1", "ad0", "ad2"],
    "ad_pod_id": ["adCAA", "adCAB", "adCAD"],
    "ad_type": "pre-roll",
    "cursor_position": 420,
    "total_length": 600,
    "bitrate": 128,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 120,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Video Subtitle Off

This event is sent when the user turns off the subtitles of the video player.

A sample event is as shown below:

{
    "event_name": "video_subtitle_off",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "98765",
    "content_asset_id": ["0133370", "123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["CAA", "CAB", "CAD"],
    "ad_asset_id": ["ad1", "ad0", "ad2"],
    "ad_pod_id": ["adCAA", "adCAB", "adCAD"],
    "ad_type": "post-roll",
    "cursor_position": 420,
    "total_length": 600,
    "bitrate": 128,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 120,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Video FullScreen On

This event is sent when the user turns on the full screen view of the video player.

A sample event is as shown below:

{
    "event_name": "video_fullscreen_on",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "98765",
    "content_asset_id": ["0133370", "123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["CAA", "CAB", "CAD"],
    "ad_asset_id": ["ad1", "ad0", "ad2"],
    "ad_pod_id": ["adCAA", "adCAB", "adCAD"],
    "ad_type": "post-roll",
    "cursor_position": 420,
    "total_length": 600,
    "bitrate": 128,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 120,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Video Full Screen Off

This event is sent when the user turns off the full screen view of the video player.

A sample event is as shown below:

{
    "event_name": "video_fullscreen_off",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "98765",
    "content_asset_id": ["0133370", "123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["CAA", "CAB", "CAD"],
    "ad_asset_id": ["ad1", "ad0", "ad2"],
    "ad_pod_id": ["adCAA", "adCAB", "adCAD"],
    "ad_type": "pre-roll",
    "cursor_position": 420,
    "total_length": 600,
    "bitrate": 128,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 120,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Video Quality

This event is sent when the video quality of the video player is modified.

A sample event is as shown below:

{
    "event_name": "video_quality",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "98765",
    "content_asset_id": ["0133370", "123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["CAA", "CAB", "CAD"],
    "ad_asset_id": ["ad1", "ad0", "ad2"],
    "ad_pod_id": ["adCAA", "adCAB", "adCAD"],
    "ad_type": "mid-roll", 
    "cursor_position": 420,
    "total_length": 600,
    "bitrate": 128,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 120,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Video Share

This event is sent when the video is shared by the user.

A sample event is as shown below:

{
    "event_name": "video_share",
    "user": {},
    "video_session_id": "98765",
    "content_asset_id": ["0133370", "123456"],
    "content_pod_id": ["CAA", "CAB", "CAD"],
    "cursor_position": 420,
    "total_length": 600,
    "bitrate": 128,
    "framerate": 60.00,
    "video_player": "vimeo",
    "sound": 120,
    "full_screen": false,
    "ad_enabled": false,
    "image_quality": "hd720",
    "livestream": true
}

Resuming Playback

Every Video Playback Resumed the event should be followed by an event Video Content Playing or a Video Ad Playing event, depending on what asset the playback resumes to.

Video Quality

Commanders Act also lets you track and analyze the performance and quality of your video content during the playback.

Whenever a user changes the video quality during playback, you can track a Video Quality Updated event along with the following properties:

  • bitrate: Denotes the updated bit rate in kbps.

  • framerate: Denotes the updated frame rate in fps.

  • startupTime: Denotes the time when the video quality was changed by the user.

  • droppedFrames: Indicates if any frames were dropped during the video quality change.

Events Lifecycle

The following event flow demonstrates how you can implement the Commanders Act video specification:

1. User presses play on a video player

cact("trigger","video_start", {
  video_session_id: "12345",
  content_asset_id: ["123"],
  content_pod_id: ["BAA"],
  ad_asset_id: ["ad1"],
  ad_pod_id: ["adCAA"],
  ad_type: "mid-roll",
  cursor_position: 0,
  total_length: 300,
  bitrate: 128,
  video_player: "youtube",
  sound: 67,
  full_screen: true,
  ad_enabled: false,
  image_quality: "hd1080",
});

2. Video playback starts playing the content

cact("trigger","video_content_start", {
  video_session_id: "12345",
  content_asset_id: "123",
  content_pod_id: "CAA",
  video_title: "Raw is War!!",
  video_description: "Sample description",
  keywords: ["wrestling", "entertainment"],
  season: "1",
  episode: "90",
  video_category: "entertainment",
  program: "WWE",
  publisher: "WWE",
  cursor_position: 0,
  total_length: 300,
  channel: "ten",
  full_episode: true,
  livestream: false,
  airdate: "2020-04-23",
});

3. User views the content for 10 seconds followed by a 10 second heartbeat

cact("trigger","video_content_playing", {
  video_session_id: "12345",
  content_asset_id: "123",
  content_pod_id: "CAA",
  video_title: "Raw is War!!",
  video_description: "Sample description",
  keywords: ["wrestling", "entertainment"],
  season: "1",
  episode: "90",
  video_category: "entertainment",
  program: "WWE",
  publisher: "WWE",
  cursor_position: 10,
  total_length: 300,
  channel: "ten",
  full_episode: true,
  livestream: false,
  airdate: "2020-04-23",
})

4. Video playback is paused

cact("trigger","video_pause", {
  video_session_id: "12345",
  content_asset_id: "123",
  content_pod_id: "CAA",
  ad_asset_id: null,
  ad_pod_id: null,
  ad_type: null,
  cursor_position: 11,
  total_length: 300,
  video_player: "youtube",
  sound: 66,
  bitrate: 128,
  full_screen: true,
  ad_enabled: false,
  image_quality: "hd1080",
});

5. User resumes the video playback.

cact("trigger","video_resume", {
  video_session_id: "12345",
  content_asset_id: "123",
  content_pod_id: "CAA",
  ad_asset_id: null,
  ad_pod_id: null,
  ad_type: null,
  cursor_position: 11,
  total_length: 300,
  video_player: "youtube",
  sound: 66,
  bitrate: 128,
  full_screen: true,
  ad_enabled: false,
  image_quality: "hd1080",
});

6. Ad (mid-roll) starts playing after user resumes playback

cact("trigger","video_ad_start", {
  video_session_id: "12345",
  ad_asset_id: "ad1",
  ad_pod_id: "adCAA",
  ad_type: "mid-roll",
  video_title: "Thums Up",
  publisher: "Coca Cola",
  cursor_position: 0,
  total_length: 15,
  load_type: "linear",
});

7. User watches the complete 15 second advertisement. Commanders Act also tracks the 10 second heartbeats.

cact("trigger","video_ad_playing", {
  video_session_id: "12345",
  ad_asset_id: "ad1",
  ad_pod_id: "adCAA",
  ad_type: "mid-roll",
  video_title: "Thums Up",
  publisher: "Coca Cola",
  cursor_position: 10,
  total_length: 15,
  load_type: "linear",
});

8. Video ad plays completely.

cact("trigger","video_ad_complete", {
  video_session_id: "12345",
  ad_asset_id: "ad1",
  ad_pod_id: "adCAA",
  ad_type: "mid-roll",
  video_title: "Thums Up",
  publisher: "Coca Cola",
  cursor_position: 15,
  total_length: 15,
  load_type: "linear",
})

9. Video content resumes playing. Heartbeats are sent every 10 seconds.

cact("trigger","video_content_playing", {
  video_session_id: "12345",
  content_asset_id: "123",
  content_pod_id: "CAA",
  video_title: "Raw is War!!",
  video_description: "Sample description",
  keywords: ["wrestling", "entertainment"],
  season: "1",
  episode: "90",
  video_category: "entertainment",
  program: "WWE",
  publisher: "WWE",
  cursor_position: 11,
  total_length: 300,
  channel: "ten",
  full_episode: true,
  livestream: false,
  airdate: "2020-04-23",
})

10. User finishes watching the entire video content.

cact("trigger","video_content_complete", {
  video_session_id: "12345",
  content_asset_id: "123",
  content_pod_id: "CAA",
  video_title: "Raw is War!!",
  video_description: "Sample description",
  keywords: ["wrestling", "entertainment"],
  season: "1",
  episode: "90",
  video_category: "entertainment",
  program: "WWE",
  publisher: "WWE",
  cursor_position: 300,
  total_length: 300,
  channel: "ten",
  full_episode: true,
  livestream: false,
  airdate: "2020-04-23",
})

11. Video playback finishes.

cact("trigger","video_complete", {
  video_session_id: "12345",
  content_asset_id: null,
  content_pod_id: null,
  ad_asset_id: "ad1",
  ad_pod_id: "adCAA",
  ad_type: null,
  cursor_position: 300,
  total_length: 300,
  sound: 66,
  bitrate: 128,
  full_screen: true,
  video_player: "youtube",
  ad_enabled: false,
  image_quality: "hd1080",
})

FAQ

What are pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads?

  • Ads that appear before the start of the video playback are called pre-roll ads.

  • Ads that appear in the middle of the playback are mid-roll ads.

  • Ads that appear after the video playback are called post-roll ads.

These ads can be a promotional video by the sponsors or a piece of content offered by the content provider.

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