Ease Live Unlocks New On-Stream Video Ad Inventory Across Connected TV and OTT

VAST integration with Ease Live Graphical Overlay technology enables new contextual ad formats to appear on top of the stream for live and on-demand video.

Bergen, Norway, 28 January 2026: Ease Live, the provider of interactive graphical overlays for live and on-demand video, today announced support for VAST (Video Ad Serving Template), the common buying and reporting language used across ad servers and programmatic platforms. The update makes it easier for rights holders, broadcasters and streamers to monetise premium moments with on-stream video ad formats and sponsorships, without extending ad breaks or interrupting the content.

Ease Live delivers ads as a synchronised overlay layer on top of the stream – allowing video and interactive content to display as overlays or squeeze backs without disrupting the viewing experience. Because these overlays render on top of existing streams, they require minimal integration and do not rely on player-specific ad formats or stitching ads into the stream. Overlay ads can be triggered by approved metadata sources, from live sports feeds to scene-level signals and content keywords, enabling a wide range of contextual campaigns. This helps publishers scale contextual, moment-based advertising across web, mobile, over the top (OTT) and Connected TV (CTV) environments, including Apple TV and Roku.

How Ease Live enables additive advanced advertising monetisation:

• New, incremental inventory without longer ad breaks: Add premium units during the content, displayed as overlays or squeeze backs.

• On-stream video formats built for the moment: Squeeze-backs, side-by-side video, and other contextual placements that keep the action on screen.

• Flexible contextual triggers: Activate overlays from client-defined metadata inputs, including live data, scene cues, or content keywords.

• Faster activation using existing ad operations workflows: Campaigns can be trafficked using standard tags and familiar processes, for example displaying VAST ads from compatible ad servers

• Measurement that aligns with established video KPIs: Clear delivery, tracking and reconciliation that fits existing reporting expectations.

• Works for live and on-demand across sports and entertainment: Proven in live sports moments and equally effective in light entertainment and reality formats.

With this release, Ease Live customers can interpret standard ad responses, render creative within overlay placements, and apply standardised tracking so campaigns can be planned, measured and delivered across CTV, OTT, web and mobile.

Example use cases

• Live sports: Triggered overlays around goals, home runs, match highlights, substitutions, time-outs, live stats reveals, and post-play recaps.
  

• Light entertainment and reality: Sponsored prompts around contestant reveals, voting windows, results moments, live polls, recap beats, and next-episode hooks.
  

• Cross-genre commercial formats: Side-by-side and squeeze-back video placements during high-attention moments, with optional interactive calls to action such as scan, vote, learn more, or shop.

Availability and next steps

Support for standard video ad serving and tracking via VAST is available now within Ease Live’s graphical overlay advertising solutions. Ease Live can advise on supported placements, trafficking workflows, measurement outputs and activation best practices for sports and entertainment.

• Brands and agencies: Run contextual overlays that drive measurable actions such as voting, scanning or shopping.
  

• Leagues, teams, broadcasters and streamers: Package incremental overlay inventory as sponsorships or CPM-based placements around premium moments.
  

• Ad-tech partners: Discuss interoperability with standard ad responses and reporting expectations.

About Graphical Overlays
Interactive graphical overlays are dynamic layers placed over live or on-demand video that let viewers act without leaving the stream. They can deliver polls, trivia, live stats, predictions, highlights, QR prompts, sponsored messages, or calls to action while the content stays on screen. Ease Live enables teams to build and operate overlays through a browser-based studio and deliver them as a synchronised layer above video across OTT and Connected TV environments.

About Ease Live:
Ease Live, an Evertz company, is an award-winning interactive graphics platform, powering the largest sports leagues, broadcasters and streaming services worldwide. Every day, the Ease Live Platform distributes digital overlays to millions of end users on web, mobile and connected devices, enabling content owners to deliver audience engagement and targeted interactive content at scale. Ease Live enables the ultimate viewing experience for the next generation viewer across connected devices.

Media contacts:
Platform Communications
David Bramley, Hugh Filman and Azhar Uddin
Ease_Live@platformcomms.com