Outstream Video Ads: Earnings, Speed and Trade-offs
Outstream video plays inside your content without you needing any video of your own. A player appears between paragraphs or docks in a corner, starts when it comes into view and usually stays muted until the reader taps for sound.
Updated · Every figure on this page is an estimate from our benchmark tables, not a quote from any network.
Four of the six web networks in our tables offer it: Ezoic, Monumetric, Mediavine and Raptive. AdSense and Media.net do not, so if video matters to your plans it can decide which partner you choose.
What this format contributes on a website
Estimated monthly revenue for a general site with 50,000 sessions, with and without this format, by network.
| Network | With | Without |
|---|---|---|
| Google AdSense | Not offered | $266 |
| Ezoic | $503 | $359 |
| Media.net | Not offered | $212 |
| Monumetric | $554 | $396 |
| Mediavine | $896 | $640 |
| Raptive | $948 | $677 |
Adding this format lifts the estimate by about 40% on networks that support it.
How it earns
Video is the priciest inventory on a page, because brand advertisers pay for completed views and attention. Our model adds up to 40% on top of the reference RPM when it is switched on. On Raptive's Tier 1 reference of about $18.00 that is a modelled extra of about $7.20 per 1,000 pageviews, although real pages rarely capture all of it, since video competes with display for the same budgets.
What sets the price is how much of each ad is watched while in view. A player that starts while visible and stays visible earns far more than one that loads below the fold and plays to nobody.
What it does to the experience
Video is heavy. A player brings its own scripts and media files, and if it loads early it can drag down the whole page and your Core Web Vitals. On mobile it also uses the reader's data allowance, which some people notice and resent.
The Better Ads Standards list autoplaying video with sound on desktop among the experiences to avoid, and browsers commonly block unmuted autoplay in any case. Start muted, make pause and close controls easy to find, and check your network's current video policy alongside the latest standards.
Best practice
- Load the player only when the reader scrolls near it, not with the rest of the page.
- Keep video muted until the reader chooses to turn the sound on.
- Use a single player per page, placed after the reader is clearly engaged with the article.
- Track page speed and bounce rate when you enable video, not just RPM.
Common mistakes
- Reading the uplift from total RPM while display income quietly falls on the same pages.
- Letting a docked player cover text or buttons on small screens.
- Running a network player alongside your own embedded videos, so the page carries two heavy players.
All figures come from our benchmark tables: Android eCPMs by tier, category or niche multipliers, modelled fill and the iOS multiplier. They are estimates for planning, not quotes.
Questions people ask
Do I need my own videos to earn from video ads?
No. Outstream units bring their own ad content. If you do make videos, some networks can also sell ads around them, which is a separate instream setup.
Why do only some networks offer video?
It needs a player, video demand and quality controls that not every network provides. In our tables AdSense and Media.net do not offer outstream video, while Ezoic and the three managed networks do.
Will video slow my site down?
It can. Lazy loading and a player that waits until it is in view limit the damage, but measure with real page speed tools after you switch it on and compare against the calculator uplift.