Track ads on Android

Last update: 2022-11-11
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The following instructions provide guidance for implementation using the 2.x SDKs.

IMPORTANT

If you are implementing a 1.x version of the SDK, you can download 1.x Developers Guides here: Download SDKs.

Ad tracking constants

Constant name Description
MediaHeartbeat.Event.AdBreakStart Constant for tracking AdBreak Start event
MediaHeartbeat.Event.AdBreakComplete Constant for tracking AdBreak Complete event
MediaHeartbeat.Event.AdStart Constant for tracking Ad Start event
MediaHeartbeat.Event.AdComplete Constant for tracking Ad Complete event
MediaHeartbeat.Event.AdSkip Constant for tracking Ad Skip event

Implementation steps

  1. Identify when the ad break boundary begins, including pre-roll, and create an AdBreakObject by using the ad break information.

    AdBreakObject reference:

    Variable Name Description Required
    name Ad break name such as pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll. Yes
    position The number position of the ad break within the content, starting with 1. Yes
    startTime Playhead value at the start of the ad break. Yes

    Ad break object creation:

    MediaObject adBreakInfo =
      MediaHeartbeat.createAdBreakObject(<ADBREAK_NAME>,
                                         <POSITION>,
                                         <START_TIME>);
    
  2. Call trackEvent() with AdBreakStart in the MediaHeartbeat instance to begin tracking the ad break:

    public void onAdBreakStart(Observable observable, Object data) {
        _heartbeat.trackEvent(MediaHeartbeat.Event.AdBreakStart,
                              adBreakInfo,
                              null);
    }
    
  3. Identify when the ad starts and create an AdObject instance using the ad information.

    AdObject reference:

    Variable Name Description Required
    name Friendly name of the ad. Yes
    adId Unique identifier for the ad. Yes
    position The number position of the ad within the ad break, starting with 1. Yes
    length Ad length Yes

    Ad object creation:

    MediaObject adInfo =
      MediaHeartbeat.createAdObject(<AD_NAME>
                                    <AD_ID>,
                                    <POSITION>,
                                    <LENGTH>);
    
  4. Optionally attach standard and/or ad metadata to the media tracking session through context data variables.

    help/use-cases/track-ads/impl-std-ad-metadata/impl-std-ad-metadata-android.md

    • Custom ad metadata - For custom metadata, create a variable object for the custom data variables and populate with the data for the current ad:

      // Setting Ad Metadata
      HashMap<String, String> adMetadata = new HashMap<String, String>();
      adMetadata.put("affiliate", "Sample affiliate");
      adMetadata.put("campaign", "Sample ad campaign");
      
  5. Call trackEvent() with the AdStart event in the MediaHeartbeat instance to begin tracking the ad playback.

    Include a reference to your custom metadata variable (or an empty object) as the third parameter in the event call:

    public void onAdStart(Observable observable, Object data) {
        _heartbeat.trackEvent(MediaHeartbeat.Event.AdStart,
                              adInfo,
                              adMetadata);
    }
    
  6. When the ad playback reaches the end of the ad, call trackEvent() with the AdComplete event:

    public void onAdComplete(Observable observable, Object data) {
        _heartbeat.trackEvent(MediaHeartbeat.Event.AdComplete, null, null);
    }
    
  7. If ad playback did not complete because the user chose to skip the ad, track the AdSkip event:

    public void onAdSkip(Observable observable, Object data) {
        _heartbeat.trackEvent(MediaHeartbeat.Event.AdSkip, null, null);
    }
    
  8. If there are any additional ads within the same AdBreak, repeat steps 3 through 7 again.

  9. When the ad break is complete, use the AdBreakComplete event to track:

    public void onAdBreakComplete(Observable observable, Object data) {
        _heartbeat.trackEvent(MediaHeartbeat.Event.AdBreakComplete, null, null);
    }
    

See the tracking scenario VOD playback with pre-roll ads for more information.

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