What is rewarded ads?
A rewarded ad is one the user chooses to watch in exchange for something of value, such as an extra life in a game, a free article, or a session of ad-free listening, usually granted after the ad completes. OpenRTB 2.6 signals it with Imp.rwdd = 1. Before 2.6 the flag lived in exchange-specific extensions under imp.ext.
Also called: rewarded video, rewarded inventory, rwdd, imp.rwdd.
How it works
Imp.rwdd is an integer on the impression with a default of 0, so it covers whatever media types the imp offers, not only video. Rewarded placements are most common in mobile games, where they usually take the full screen, so the same imp often carries Imp.instl = 1 as well and, for video, Video.plcmt = 3 (interstitial) when the ad plays without content.
Buyers price rewarded inventory differently because the viewer opted in and completion rates run high. Some buyers seek it out; others avoid it because the attention was bought with a reward. Without the flag, a rewarded interstitial and an ordinary one look identical in the request, so the signal matters to both groups.
Pitfalls: sending the reward flag only in a legacy extension to partners on OpenRTB 2.6, which leaves rwdd at its default of 0; writing both the extension and rwdd and letting them disagree; and putting a reward flag on the video object instead of the impression.
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Related terms
Every term is in the glossary.