Remember, you are in control of whether the extra midroll gets added to an episode - the next time you go to upload a new episode, you will see the possibility of activating two midrolls and increasing your show’s potential for ad revenue.
A few important things to mention:
The new extra midroll behaves just like the current midroll - it needs to be activated by you in order for it to appear on the episode.
The extra midroll is only available on episodes longer than 20 minutes, so any shorter episodes will still only have one midroll available
There is also the option to have our support team automatically enable the extra midroll on old episodes in the back catalogue
From the moment an extra midroll is placed in an episode and any changes are published, there is the potential for ads to begin running in the new slot - there’s nothing more you need to do
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Acast creators are now able to have four ad markers instead of the previous three. We're introducing an extra midroll ad slot. This means more potential for ad revenue, while still safeguarding the experience for your valuable listeners. A "bonus roll" if you will.
How the extra midroll works
A summary of how the all the markers now work together:
Preroll markers are placed at the beginning by default, and can be moved up to 25% from the start of the episode.
First midroll markers need to be activated in episode settings, and can be placed in episodes 10 minutes or longer. The midroll can go anywhere between pre and postroll.
Extra midroll markers also need to be activated, and can be placed in episodes 20 minutes or longer. It can go anywhere between pre and postroll, and it can go before or after the existing midroll in the episode.
Acast’s systems will take care of assigning first or second midroll. So, a sponsorship or ad targeting ‘first midroll’ will automatically play in the earliest midroll in the episode.
Postroll markers are placed at the end by default, and can be moved up to 50% from the end of your episode.
Episode threshold
The extra midroll can be placed in episodes that are 20 minutes or longer. If the episode is shorter than 20 minutes, only one midroll will be available - this is to protect the listener experience and manage the ad load of your episode.
Updating Back Catalogue
You also have the option to have our support team automatically enable the extra midroll on old episodes in the back catalogue.
We strongly recommend doing so - this is an important step to maximize the revenue potential of your show and make your show more attractive for sponsorship opportunities.
The automatic enablement process will select a suitable silent position in the episode, at an adequate distance from the existing midroll marker.
If you are making manual adjustments to a second midroll marker in the back catalogue, please remember to save your changes to ensure they are properly reflected in the published episode.
Please ensure that any second midrolls are moved away from existing branded content segments within your episode content.
Reach out to our support team via Chat to automatically enable the extra midroll on old episodes in the back catalogue.
Getting the extra midroll added to your show
We're in the process of rolling out the extra midroll to all our creators monetising their show. If it's not yet available n your show, reach out to our support team and they can get you set up.
Part of the Creator Network? Reach out to your dedicated partner manager to start the process of getting set up with an extra midroll.
Still have second midroll timestamps from a previous platform? If you have recently joined Acast, you might still have access to second midroll placements from your old host. If you send them to us as an excel or .csv, we can import them automatically.
Moving forward, the second midroll slot will be available and functioning in the exact same way as the existing midroll slot. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team via chat.