Ad Specs

Situation Publishing online advertising specifications

All our ad formats across our brands.

Should you have any queries, do not hesitate to contact our Operations team: ads@situationpublishing.com

Accepted file formats: 
GIF
JPG
PNG
HTML5
All images should be optimised for the smallest possible file size. HTML and Javascript should be minified. No output to console.log

Serving:
1st Party – Ad and click-through URL
3rd Party – we use DFP, so if you use DFA please supply InReds, otherwise script or iframe tags are fine.

Video specs: 
Auto-play if polite loading, otherwise user-initiated.
Audio must be user initiated (onclick).

Expandable:
Expandable onclick –  Must include button to contract back to initial size.
On mouse over – Maybe, but please check first.

Desktop and mobile ad units

Ad Specs

Leaderboard

Dimensions: 728×90

File load (max): 150K (HTML5) | 50K (Image)

Subsequent load (max): 2MB (HTML5, polite) | 10MB (HTML5, user-initiated)

Expansion (max): 728 x 270

Expansion direction – Down

 View example leaderboard

MPU

Dimensions: 300×250

File load (max): 150K (HTML5) | 40K (Image)

Subsequent load (max): 2MB (HTML5, polite) | 10MB (HTML5, user-initiated)

Expansion (max): 600×300

Expansion direction – Down and left

 View example MPU

Superleader

Dimensions: 970×90

File load (max): 150K (HTML5) | 50K (Image)

Subsequent load (max): 2MB (HTML5, polite) | 10MB (HTML5, user-initiated)

Expansion (max): 970 x 300

Expansion direction – Down

 View example super leader

DMPU

Dimensions: 300×600

File load (max): 150K (HTML5) | 50K (Image)

Subsequent load (max): 2MB (HTML5, polite) | 10MB (HTML5, user-initiated)

Expansion (max): 600×600

Expansion direction – Left

 View example DMPU

Billboard

Dimensions: 970×250

File load (max): 150K (HTML5) 50K (Image)

Subsequent load (max): 2MB (HTML5, polite) | 10MB (HTML5, user-initiated)

Expansion: No

Notes: Billboards are one of the IABs ‘Rich Media Branding Units’
Full details: https://www.iab.com/guidelines/rising-stars-ad-units/

In line with most of the industry, we do not insist on a close button to collapse the ad; however if it is collapsible, it must pull the site up with it.

 View example billboard

Portrait

Dimensions: 300×1050

File load (max): 250K (HTML5)

Subsequent load (max): 2.5MB (HTML5, polite) | 20MB (HTML5, user-initiated)

Expansion: No

Notes: Portrait ads are one of the IABs ‘Rich Media Branding Units’

 View rising star ad units

Filmstrip

Dimensions: 300×600

File load (max): 200K (HTML5)

Subsequent load (max): 2MB (HTML5, polite) | 10MB (HTML5, user-initiated)

Expansion: No

Notes: HTML only – 3rd party only

 View example filmstrip

Button

Dimensions: 300×100

File load (max): 100K (HTML5) | 20K (Image)

Expansion: No

 View example button

Welcome ad

Dimensions: 640 x 480 or 800 x 600

File load (max): 200K (HTML5) | 60K (Image)

Expansion: No

Notes: Supplied to publisher as local, static image file plus optional 1×1 tracking.
Welcome Ads are full page overlays which serve only on the first page of the user’s session (hence ‘Welcome’). They display for 15 seconds and then disappear to reveal the page underneath. The user may hit ‘Skip’ to remove the ad earlier.

 View example welcome ad

Smartphone banner

Dimensions: 300×50

File load (max): 60K (HTML5) | 30K (Image)

Expansion (max): 300×250

Expansion direction – Down

onclick/touch – only. Must include button to contract back to initial size.

Notes: Smartphone Banners run on The Register’s Mobile site and/or our Mobile Apps (iOS and Android).

 View example Smartphone banner

Parallax ad

Dimensions: 518 x 720

File load (max): 150K (Image only)

Expansion: No

Notes: Supplied to publisher as local, static image file plus optional 1×1 tracking.

 View example Parallax ad

Smartphone wide banner

Dimensions: 320×50

File load (max): 60K (HTML5) | 30K (Image)

Expansion (max): 300×250

Expansion direction – Down

onclick/touch – only. Must include button to contract back to initial size.

Notes: Smartphone Banners run on The Register’s Mobile site and/or our Mobile Apps (iOS and Android).

 View example Smartphone wide banner

Newsletter ad

Dimensions: 468 x 60

File load (max): 40K (Image only)

Notes: Newsletter sponsorships are sold on a per day or per week basis.
Click tracking only, no impression tracking – send ad and click-through.

Smartphone Interstitial

Dimensions: 300×250

File load (max): 100K (HTML5) | 40K (Image)

Notes: Smartphone Banners run on The Register’s Mobile site and/or our Mobile Apps (iOS and Android).

Smartphone Adhesion banner

Dimensions: 320 x 50 or 300 x 50

File load (max): 60K (HTML5) | 30K (Image)

Notes: Smartphone Adhesion Banners are one of the IAB’s ‘Mobile Rising Star’ units.They are the same size as a Smartphone Banner or Smartphone Wide Banner, but with slightly different specs. The main difference is that they occupy a fixed position at the bottom of the display device, such that they remain visible as the reader scrolls up or down the page.

Roadblocks
A Roadblock is not in itself an ad. A Roadblock means ‘all the ads on the page’. This can be any combination of :

  • Top Leaderboard / Super Leader / Billboard
  • Top MPU / Double MPU
  • Mid MPU (optional)
  • Bottom Leaderboard / Super Leader (optional)
We optionally also incorporate a ‘Skin‘ which sits to the left and right of the page in the otherwise unused space inside the browser window.

Skins must be supplied as a local, static image file, plus an optional 1×1 impression tracker.

Skins are 1920px x 1080px, and up to 200K. 1,000 pixels down the middle is obscured by the site itself and should be kept blank. Any important messaging/CTA should be clear on a 1280x768px res screen (1260x640px visible once you consider the browser menus, scroll bar etc). 

View Live example Roadblock

Dynamic Roadblock
Similar to the standard Roadblock, this means “all the ads on the page”. The Register site is dynamic, which means it has a different layout and different set of ads depending on the user’s screen resolution. A Dynamic Roadblock is able to reach all users on all screen resolutions.
 
The client should provide as many accepted ad sizes as possible: 970×90, 728×90, 300×600, 300×250, Skin. A Dynamical Roadblock would be served with whichever selection of these ads are allowed on a particular screen resolution.
 
Given all of these ads won’t be served on every Dynamic Roadblock impression, we advise providing a 1×1 pixel, which would appear against every Dynamic Roadblocked page for the purposes of 3rd party tracking.

 

Text links
Between 40 and 60 characters of plain text, inclusive of spaces and punctuation, and click-though URL.

Click counting only.

No impression tracking or reporting.
 

Bespoke ad units
If you don’t see the unit you’re looking for here, just ask.

We’ve run all kinds of ad units at various times, and we’re generally very accommodating.
 
We can deliver most of the IAB’s ‘Rising Stars’ ad units.
 
We may also be able to help you resize or re-purpose your existing assets to fit our specs. Just get in touch.