Magnite, an independent sell-side advertising platform, has unveiled Pause Ads, a new high-impact format designed to capitalise on natural breaks in streaming content.
The rollout includes major partners such as DIRECTV, DISH Media, and Fubo, and builds on the success of Magnite’s existing Home Screen and Tiles ad formats.
Pause Ads appear when viewers hit the pause button, offering brands a non-disruptive, contextually relevant opportunity to engage audiences at peak attention moments. The format is especially effective during live programming and is fully compatible with Magnite’s ClearLine automated workflow. Early adoption by DSPs including KERV.ai, MNTN, and Yahoo DSP signals strong market interest.
“Pause Ads create a new class of high-value inventory without disrupting the viewer experience,” said Mike Laband, Group SVP, US Revenue at Magnite. “As the CTV ecosystem matures, innovations like this will unlock meaningful revenue for media owners.”
The format is also being praised for its programmatic flexibility. “By enabling Pause Ads to be bought programmatically, Magnite is unlocking tremendous value for both traditional TV and digital advertisers,” said Rose McGovern, Head of Programmatic at DIRECTV Advertising.
Magnite’s move reflects a broader industry trend toward performance-driven ad experiences that align with how viewers consume content. “Pause Ads are built for how people actually watch TV—no disruption, just results,” added Marwan Soghaier, Chief Product Officer at MNTN.
