Video Events Spec

Learn the syntax and general conventions for sending events when tracking videos.

RudderStack’s video specification lets you capture data on how a customer engages with your videos and the related ad content.

This documentation lists the conventions and best practices for sending video tracking events. It also clarifies the overall structure and classification of these events.

warning
Not all RudderStack destinations support video tracking. Refer to the individual destination’s docs to check if it supports video tracking.

This guide is organized into the following three event categories:

  • Playback
  • Content
  • Ads

Playback

Playback events are associated with the actual playback of video content and track information about the video player.

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

If a web page has two video players, two separate sessions and session_id would be associated to them. But if two separate videos are played on the same video player that would be a single session with two contents associated to it.

info
All playback events are tracked and recorded at the session level.

Playback events

This section details all video playback events.

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

Video Playback Started

This event triggers when the user pressing the play button on the video player.

Here is a sample event:

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Playback Started",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "content_asset_ids": ["0129370"],
      "content_pod_ids": ["RudderA", "RudderB"],
      "ad_asset_id": ["ad1", "ad0"],
      "ad_pod_id": ["adRudderA", "adRudderB"],
      "ad_type": ["mid-roll", "post-roll"],
      "position": 0,
      "total_length": 300,
      "bitrate": 128,
      "framerate": 24.00,
      "video_player": "youtube",
      "sound": 68,
      "full_screen": true,
      "ad_enabled": true,
      "quality": "hd1080",
      "livestream": false
    }
}

Video Playback Paused

This event triggers when the user pauses the video.

Here is a sample event:

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Playback Paused",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "content_asset_ids": ["0129370"],
      "content_pod_ids": ["RudderA", "RudderB"],
      "position": 0,
      "total_length": 300,
      "bitrate": 128,
      "framerate": 24.00,
      "video_player": "youtube",
      "sound": 68,
      "full_screen": true,
      "ad_enabled": true,
      "quality": "hd1080",
      "livestream": false
    }
}

Video Playback Interrupted

This event triggers when video playback stops unintentionally. Common reasons include network loss, user closing the browser, and redirect. You can pass the cause within the property method.

Here is a sample event:

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Playback Interrupted",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "content_asset_ids": ["0129370"],
      "content_pod_ids": ["RudderA", "RudderB"],
      "position": 0,
      "total_length": 300,
      "bitrate": 128,
      "framerate": 24.00,
      "video_player": "youtube",
      "sound": 68,
      "full_screen": true,
      "ad_enabled": true,
      "quality": "hd1080",
      "livestream": false,
      "method":"network loss"
    }
}

Video Playback Buffer Started

This event triggers when content or an ad is buffering.

Here is a sample event:

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Playback Buffer Started",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "content_asset_ids": ["0129370"],
      "content_pod_ids": ["RudderA", "RudderB"],
      "position": 0,
      "total_length": 300,
      "bitrate": 128,
      "framerate": 24.00,
      "video_player": "youtube",
      "sound": 68,
      "full_screen": true,
      "ad_enabled": true,
      "quality": "hd1080",
      "livestream": false
    }
}

Video Playback Buffer Completed

This event triggers when buffering for content or an ad finishes.

Here is a sample event:

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Playback Buffer Completed",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "content_asset_ids": ["0129370"],
      "content_pod_ids": ["RudderA", "RudderB"],
      "position": 0,
      "total_length": 300,
      "bitrate": 128,
      "framerate": 24.00,
      "video_player": "youtube",
      "sound": 68,
      "full_screen": true,
      "ad_enabled": true,
      "quality": "hd1080",
      "livestream": false
    }
}

Video Playback Seek Started

This event triggers when a user starts manually seeking a certain position of the video or ad in the playback. The position property indicates where the user is seeking from (time in seconds) and the seek_position indicates the position in the playback where the user is seeking to.

Here is a sample event:

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Playback Seek Started",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "content_asset_ids": ["0129370"],
      "content_pod_ids": ["RudderA", "RudderB"],
      "position": 47,
      "seek_position": 120,
      "total_length": 300,
      "bitrate": 128,
      "framerate": 24.00,
      "video_player": "youtube",
      "sound": 68,
      "full_screen": true,
      "ad_enabled": true,
      "quality": "hd1080",
      "livestream": false
    }
}

Video Playback Seek Completed

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

Here is a sample event:

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Playback Seek Completed",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "content_asset_ids": ["0129370"],
      "content_pod_ids": ["RudderA", "RudderB"],
      "position": 120,
      "total_length": 300,
      "bitrate": 128,
      "framerate": 24.00,
      "video_player": "youtube",
      "sound": 68,
      "full_screen": true,
      "ad_enabled": true,
      "quality": "hd1080",
      "livestream": false
    }
}

Video Playback Resumed

This event triggers when the user resumes video playback after pausing.

Here is a sample event:

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Playback Resumed",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "content_asset_ids": ["0129370"],
      "content_pod_ids": ["RudderA", "RudderB"],
      "position": 120,
      "total_length": 300,
      "bitrate": 128,
      "framerate": 24.00,
      "video_player": "youtube",
      "sound": 68,
      "full_screen": true,
      "ad_enabled": true,
      "quality": "hd1080",
      "livestream": false
    }
}

Video Playback Completed

This event triggers when playback is complete and only when the session is finished. Note that the position property is equal to the total_length property.

Here is a sample event:

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Playback Resumed",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "content_asset_ids": ["0129370"],
      "content_pod_ids": ["RudderA", "RudderB"],
      "position": 300,
      "total_length": 300,
      "bitrate": 128,
      "framerate": 24.00,
      "video_player": "youtube",
      "sound": 68,
      "full_screen": true,
      "ad_enabled": true,
      "quality": "hd1080",
      "livestream": false
    }
}

Playback event properties

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

Here are the properties of this playback event:

PropertyTypeDescription
session_idStringUnique ID that ties all events generated from a specific playback session. These events include playback, content, and ad events.
content_asset_id or content_asset_idsString or Array [String]Content asset ID/s of the video/s playing or about to play. For Video Playback Started events, an array of unique asset IDs should be sent. For other playback events, a single content asset ID at the time of the event should be sent.
content_pod_id or content_pod_idsString or Array [String]Content pod ID/s of the video/s playing or about to play. For Video Playback Started events, an array of unique pod IDs should be sent. For other playback events, a single content pod ID associated with the current content pod at the time of the event should be sent.
ad_asset_idString or Array [String]Ad asset ID/s of the video/s playing or about to play. For Video Playback Started events, an array of unique ad asset IDs should be sent. For other playback events, a sinule ad asset ID at the time of the event should be sent.
ad_pod_idString or Array [String]Ad pod ID/s of the video/s playing or about to play. For Video Playback Started events, an array of unique ad pod IDs should be sent. For other playback events, a single ad pod ID at the time of the event should be sent.
ad_typeEnumType of ad playing. The values can be pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll.
positionIntegerCurrent index position of the playhead in seconds. It includes the time of any seen ads. If the playback is a livestream, refer to the documentation of the relevant destination for steps on correctly passing the playhead position.
seek_positionIntegerIndex position of the playhead the user is seeking to. Only available for Video Playback Seek Started events. On Video Playback Seek Completed events, the seek_position should be equal to position.
total_lengthIntegerTotal duration of the video playback in seconds. Includes the total time of all content and ads in the session. Set to null in case of livestream playback.
bitrateIntegerBit rate of the video playback in kbps.
framerateFloatAverage frame rate of the video playback in fps.
video_playerStringName of the video player. Example: youtube, vimeo, etc.
soundIntegerSound level of the video playback. Range is from 0-100, where 0 is mute and 100 is full volume.
full_screenBooleantrue if the playback is in fullscreen mode.
ad_enabledBooleanfalse if the user has an ad blocker. If the user can view your video ads, it is set to true.
qualityStringQuality of the video. Examples: hd1080, highres
methodStringFor the Video Playback Interrupted events, you can send this property noting how the playback was interrupted. Some examples include device lock, call, and browser redirect.
livestreamBooleantrue if the playback is live stream.

Content

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

Suppose a video playback session has a video and one mid-roll advertisement. The mid-roll ad splits the playback into two separate content pods and a single ad pod.

The flow is:

  • First Content Pod: from the start of the playback to the start of the mid-roll ad
  • Ad Pod: from the start to finish of the ad
  • Second Content Pod: from the the restart of the playback to completion
info
All of these events happen within the flow of one playback start.

Content events

This section details all video content events.

info
For more information on the properties associated with these events, refer to the Content Event Properties section.

Video Content Started

This event triggers when a video content segment starts within a playback.

Here is a sample event:

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Content Started",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "asset_id": "123",
      "pod_id": "RudderA",
      "program": "Planet of the Apes",
      "title": "Introduction",
      "description": "Sample description",
      "season": "3",
      "position": 0,
      "total_length": 300,
      "genre": "SciFi",
      "publisher": "Amazon",
      "full_episode": true,
      "keywords": ["apes", "forests", "zoo"]
    }
}

Video Content Playing

These events are heartbeats triggering every n seconds to track the user’s current position in the video content, determined by the position property.

Here is a sample event:

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Content Playing",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "asset_id": "123",
      "pod_id": "RudderA",
      "program": "Planet of the Apes",
      "title": "Introduction",
      "description": "Sample description",
      "season": "3",
      "position": 234,
      "total_length": 300,
      "genre": "SciFi",
      "publisher": "Amazon",
      "full_episode": true,
      "keywords": ["apes", "forests", "zoo"]
    }
}

Video Content Completed

This event triggers once the video segment, within playback, is completed. Note that the position property is equal to the total_length property.

Here is a sample event:

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Content Completed",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "asset_id": "123",
      "pod_id": "RudderA",
      "program": "Planet of the Apes",
      "title": "Introduction",
      "description": "Sample description",
      "season": "3",
      "position": 300,
      "total_length": 300,
      "genre": "SciFi",
      "publisher": "Amazon",
      "full_episode": true,
      "keywords": ["apes", "forests", "zoo"]
    }
}

Content event properties

All content events share the same properties describing the current state of the video content being viewed by the user.

Here are the content event properties:

PropertyTypeDescription
session_idStringUnique ID that ties all events generated from a specific playback session. The value should be same for playback, content, and ad events from the same session.
asset_idStringUnique ID of the video content asset
pod_idStringUnique ID of the video content pod
titleStringTitle of the video content
descriptionStringShort description of video content
keywordsArray [String]Array of keywords to describe or categorie the video content
seasonStringSeason number, if applicable
episodeStringEpisode number, if applicable
genreStringGenre of the video content asset
programStringName of the program/show, if applicable
publisherStringPublisher/creator/author of the video content asset
channelStringChannel the video content is playing
full_episodeBooleanTrue if the video content asset is a full episode
livestreamBooleanTrue if a live stream
airdateISO 8601 Date StringOriginal date of the video content airing/publishing
positionIntegerCurrent index position of the video content in seconds. This does not include any ads played in this duration. In case of live streams, refer to the specific destination’s docs for details on how to pass position.
total_lengthIntegerTotal length of video content in seconds. This does not include any ads in the playback. For livestream playback this should be set to null.
bitrateIntegerCurrent bit rate in kbps.
framerateFloatFrame rate in fps.

Ads

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 triggers when an ad starts playing in the video playback.

Here is a sample event:

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Ad Started",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "asset_id": "123",
      "pod_id": "RudderA",
      "type": "mid-roll",
      "title": "Our Planet",
      "position": 0,
      "total_length": 25,
      "publisher": "BBC",
      "load_type": "linear"
    }
}

Video Ad Playing

This event triggers every n seconds while the ad is playing and is determined by the position property.

Here is a sample event:

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Ad Playing",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "asset_id": "123",
      "pod_id": "RudderA",
      "type": "pre-roll",
      "title": "Our Planet",
      "position": 3,
      "total_length": 25,
      "publisher": "BBC",
      "load_type": "linear"
    }
}

Video Ad Completed

This event triggers after the ad is complete. Note that the position property is equal to the total_length property.

{
    "type": "track",
    "event": "Video Ad Completed",
    "userId": "user12345",
    "properties": {
      "session_id": "12345",
      "asset_id": "123",
      "pod_id": "RudderA",
      "type": "pre-roll",
      "title": "Our Planet",
      "position": 25,
      "total_length": 25,
      "publisher": "BBC",
      "load_type": "linear"
    }
}

Ad event properties

All the ad events share the same properties that describe the current state of the video ad content in the playback.

Here are the ad event properties:

PropertyTypeDescription
session_idStringUnique ID that ties all events generated from a specific playback session. The value should be same for playback, content, and ad events from the same session.
asset_idStringUnique ID of the ad asset
pod_idStringUnique ID of the ad pod
pod_positionIntegerPosition of the ad asset relative to other ads in the same pod
pod_lengthIntegerNumber of ad assets in the current ad pod
typeEnumType of ad. Values can be either pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll.
titleStringTitle of the ad
publisherStringAuthor/creator/publisher of the ad
positionIntegerCurrent position in the ad, in seconds.
total_lengthIntegerLength of the ad asset in seconds.
load_typeEnumIf the ad is loaded dynamically or is the same for all users. Values can be dynamic or linear.
contentObjectSome destinations require content metadata to be sent with ad events. Send all metadata as a Content Event Object under this property.
quartileIntegerFor Video Ad Playing events, indicates 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 RudderStack automatically tracks the ad quartiles.

Resuming playback

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

Video quality

RudderStack lets you track and analyze the performance and quality of your video content during playback.

When a user changes the video quality during playback, a Video Quality Updated event triggers along with the following properties:

  • bitrate: Updated bit rate in kbps.
  • framerate: Updated frame rate in fps.
  • startupTime: Time when the video quality was changed by the user.
  • droppedFrames: If any frames were dropped during the video quality change.

Events lifecycle

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

1. User presses play on a video player

rudderanalytics.track("Video Playback Started", {
  session_id: "12345",
  content_asset_ids: ["123"],
  content_pod_ids: ["RudderA"],
  ad_asset_ids: ["ad1"],
  ad_pod_ids: ["adRudderA"],
  ad_types: ["mid-roll"],
  position: 0,
  total_length: 300,
  bitrate: 128,
  video_player: "youtube",
  sound: 66,
  full_screen: true,
  ad_enabled: false,
  quality: "hd1080",
})

2. Video playback starts playing the content

rudderanalytics.track("Video Content Started", {
  session_id: "12345",
  asset_id: "123",
  pod_id: "RudderA",
  title: "Our Planet!",
  description: "Deep look into our amazing planet",
  keywords: ["nature", "entertainment"],
  season: "1",
  episode: "90",
  genre: "entertainment",
  program: "BBC",
  publisher: "BBC",
  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

rudderanalytics.track("Video Content Playing", {
  session_id: "12345",
  asset_id: "123",
  pod_id: "RudderA",
  title: "Our Planet!",
  description: "Deep look into our amazing planet",
  keywords: ["nature", "entertainment"],
  season: "1",
  episode: "90",
  genre: "entertainment",
  program: "BBC",
  publisher: "BBC",
  position: 10,
  total_length: 300,
  channel: "ten",
  full_episode: true,
  livestream: false,
  airdate: "2020-04-23",
})

4. Video playback is paused

rudderanalytics.track("Video Playback Paused", {
  session_id: "12345",
  content_asset_id: "123",
  content_pod_id: "RudderA",
  ad_asset_id: null,
  ad_pod_id: null,
  ad_type: null,
  position: 11,
  total_length: 300,
  video_player: "youtube",
  sound: 66,
  bitrate: 128,
  full_screen: true,
  ad_enabled: false,
  quality: "hd1080",
})

5. User resumes the video playback

rudderanalytics.track("Video Playback Resumed", {
  session_id: "12345",
  content_asset_id: "123",
  content_pod_id: "RudderA",
  ad_asset_id: null,
  ad_pod_id: null,
  ad_type: null,
  position: 11,
  total_length: 300,
  video_player: "youtube",
  sound: 66,
  bitrate: 128,
  full_screen: true,
  ad_enabled: false,
  quality: "hd1080",
})

6. Ad (mid-roll) starts playing

rudderanalytics.track("Video Ad Started", {
  session_id: "12345",
  asset_id: "ad1",
  pod_id: "adRudderA",
  type: "mid-roll",
  title: "Thumbs Up",
  publisher: "Coca Cola",
  position: 0,
  total_length: 15,
  load_type: "linear",
})

7. Ad 10 second heartbeat

rudderanalytics.track("Video Ad Playing", {
  session_id: "12345",
  asset_id: "ad1",
  pod_id: "adRudderA",
  type: "mid-roll",
  title: "Thumbs Up",
  publisher: "Coca Cola",
  position: 10,
  total_length: 15,
  load_type: "linear",
})

8. Ad plays completely

rudderanalytics.track("Video Ad Completed", {
  session_id: "12345",
  asset_id: "ad1",
  pod_id: "adRudderA",
  type: "mid-roll",
  title: "Thumbs Up",
  publisher: "Coca Cola",
  position: 15,
  total_length: 15,
  load_type: "linear",
})

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

rudderanalytics.track("Video Content Playing", {
  session_id: "12345",
  asset_id: "123",
  pod_id: "RudderA",
  title: "Our Planet!",
  description: "Deep look into our amazing planet",
  keywords: ["nature", "entertainment"],
  season: "1",
  episode: "90",
  genre: "entertainment",
  program: "BBC",
  publisher: "BBC",
  position: 11,
  total_length: 300,
  channel: "ten",
  full_episode: true,
  livestream: false,
  airdate: "2020-04-23",
})

10. User finishes watching the video content

rudderanalytics.track("Video Content Completed", {
  session_id: "12345",
  asset_id: "123",
  pod_id: "RudderA",
  title: "Our Planet!",
  description: "Deep look into our amazing planet",
  keywords: ["nature", "entertainment"],
  season: "1",
  episode: "90",
  genre: "entertainment",
  program: "BBC",
  publisher: "BBC",
  position: 300,
  total_length: 300,
  channel: "ten",
  full_episode: true,
  livestream: false,
  airdate: "2020-04-23",
})

11. Video playback finished

rudderanalytics.track("Video Playback Completed", {
  session_id: "12345",
  content_asset_id: null,
  content_pod_id: null,
  ad_asset_id: "ad1",
  ad_pod_id: "adRudderA",
  ad_type: null,
  position: 300,
  total_length: 300,
  sound: 66,
  bitrate: 128,
  full_screen: true,
  video_player: "youtube",
  ad_enabled: false,
  quality: "hd1080",
})

FAQ

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

  • Pre-roll: Ads that appear before the start of the video playback
  • Mid-roll: Ads that appear in the middle of the video playback
  • Post-roll: Ads that appear after the video playback

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


Questions? Contact us by email or on Slack