Local Sports Guidelines

Regional Sports Network	Livestream Sports

Regional Sports Network

This page provides creative standard guidelines and specifications for local digital video inventory across connected TV (CTV), desktop, and mobile on NBCUniversal’s Regional Sports Network properties.

Questions?

Contact your Account Management team or email localspecs@nbcuni.com

Ad specs by creative format

Creative component	Single bitrate	Multi bitrate
Asset type	Video Asset (Must provide 1×1)	VAST/VPAID JS (shortform only)
Format	Preferred: Full-frame uncompressed Quicktime (MOV) file  MPEG-2 (.mpg) MPEG-4 (MP4)	HDS + HLS + MP4
Length	15 seconds or 30 seconds	15 seconds or 30 seconds
Resolution	1920×1080	1920×1080/ 1280×720
File types/formats	Secure HTTPS	Secure HTTPS
Aspect ratio	16:09	16:09
Frame rate	29.97fps, 23.98fps, or 25fps	29.97
Video codecs	Preferred: Apple ProRes 422 HQ codec (video bitrate of at least 800 Kbps) H.264 video bitrate of at least 50 Mbps (Accepted profiles: High, Main, Baseline) DV/DVCPro NTSC (DV25) or DVC Pro NTSC (DV50)	Preferred: H.264 (Accepted profiles: High, Main, Baseline) DV/DVCPro NTSC (DV25) or DVC Pro NTSC (DV50)
Minimum bitrate	10 Mbps	10 Mbps
Audio codecs	AAC- Stereo 16 bit 48 or 56 KHz Sudio sample rate: 44.1 kHz	AAC- Stereo 16 bit 48 or 56 KHz Audio sample rate: 44.1 kHz
Video editing	The file should include only the ad (15/30 seconds) and not require any editing or clipping before transcoding (e.g., no bars/tones, slates)	The file should include only the ad (15/30 seconds) and not require any editing or clipping before transcoding (e.g., no bars/tones, slates, etc.)
Video tracking	Impressions: 3rd-party tracking pixel (noscript tag) Research tracking: pixel tags only Clicks: click- redirect/click command to track clicks on the video window	VAST/VPAID vendor must be verified by NBCU

Creative guidelines

Creative due to NBC Account Management team 5 business days prior to launch.
Ad unit content must be clearly distinguishable from normal webpage content (i.e., ad unit must have clearly defined borders and not be confused with normal page content).
Max allowance of 3 site-served creatives per size per placement at a time with a max of 3 swaps per quarter.
All ad units must have a 1 pixel black border surrounding entire creative.
All tags must be secure.
Research tracking must be approved prior to launch (i.e., no ad blocking, bank end targeting, user tracking).
One or all of the resolutions mentioned can be used.

Multiple durations are not allowed within the same tag. All creatives of the same duration must be on one tag. For example, all 30-second creatives must rotate on the back end of one tag instead of being split out into several tags.

3rd-party requirements
- All click-thru URLs must open in a new browser window unless using an in-site URL.
- Must code to GPT asynchronous tags in order to detect the amount of iFrames to bust.
- Ad creative and landing pages that employ exit pop-ups are not permitted.
- We cannot accept blocking tags.
Technical guidelines
- Z-index: 0-4,999
- W-model transparents
- Standard display click tag instructions: getURL (clickTag, "_blank")

Livestream Sports

This page provides standard creative guidelines and specifications for NBCUniversal’s local and national digital video inventory on connected TV (CTV, including set-top box VOD), desktop, and mobile.

The specifications on this page apply to the following NBCUniversal brands:

Bravo
CNBC
E!
Fandango

MSNBC
NBC
NBC News
NBC Sports

NBCUniversal-owned stations (NBC and Telemundo)
Peacock
Oxygen
Rotten Tomatoes

SYFY
Telemundo
TODAY
USA

Questions?

Contact @NBC Uni Specs & Guidelines

Effective August 2025, NBCU does not permit wrapped VAST tags on sports-specific and/or live specific placements/deals for standard digital and programmatic digital video.

Specs and creative guidelines by ad format

The following table provides a comprehensive list of specifications and guidelines for each creative format we accept.

Supported ad lengths

The following ad lengths are accepted across NBCUniversal’s digital video portfolio (depending on content type).

Pre-roll – 6 seconds, 15 seconds, and 30 seconds
Mid-roll – 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds, and 60 seconds
Peacock accepts 90 seconds upon request

Livestream

Pre-roll – 15 seconds
Mid-roll – 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds, and 60 seconds (limited inventory for 60)

Speak to your account representative for more information.

Standard digital

This page provides creative guidelines for standard digital buying across NBCU’s streaming portfolio.

Ad format	Site-served	VAST 2.0	VAST 3.0 (YouTube skippable only)	VPAID (desktop + mobile web only)
Creative rotation	The maximum creatives allowed in rotation at one time is six. NBCU will review any additional creative requests on an as-needed basis. No dark dates are permitted at a client level. In the event no brands are live, evergreen creative will run until brands start running again. NBCU requires one tag to run across all platforms and devices. For creative swaps, NBCU must receive assets at least five days before swap.	The maximum unique creatives allowed in rotation is less than 20.
Ad units	Pre-roll / Mid-roll	Pre-roll / Mid-roll	Pre-roll skippable	Pre-roll / Mid-roll
Renditions	N/A	4 total: mezzanine (mezz), high, medium, and low	N/A	N/A
Dimensions	1920×1080 HD	Mezz – 1920×1080 HD High – 1920×1080 HD Medium – 960×540 or 640×480 Low – 640×360 or 416×234	16:9 – 854×480; 1280×720; 1920×1080 4:3 – 480×360; 720×540; 960×720	1920×1080
Max file size	10 GB	Mezz – 10GB High – Variable based on bitrate Medium – Variable based on bitrate Low – variable based on bitrate	10MB	2MB
File format	MP4 or MOV Livestream - MOV strongly preferred; MPEG-2 (.mpg) The file should include the ad creative only and must not require any editing or clipping before transcoding (no bars/tones, slates, etc.). Video duration must be the same length as the audio track or else the video cannot be transcoded	Mezz – MP4 or MOV High – MP4 Medium – MP4 Low – MP4 High, medium, and low rendition VAST tags can also include MOV files, but they must include an MP4. If an MP4 is not included for each, then the asset will not pass QC and must be revised in order to run.	MP4 Other formats such as WebM can be included but may not be used.	HTML5 VPAID 2.0, Flash VPAID 2.0, or Dynamic VPAID 2.0 (containing both Flash and HTML5) Most NBCUniversal players are HTML5 compliant, but there are some exceptions. Backup site-served or VAST 2.0 file required.
Video bitrate	Greater than 10 Mbps	Mezz – 10-30 Mbps High – 3.25-5 Mbps Medium – 1-1.5 Mbps Low – 340-460 Kbps	Must contain at least one media file under 1 Mbps	420 Kbps
Frame rate	Preferred: 29.97 fps based on native frame rate Accepted: 23.98 or 25 fps based on native frame rate To ensure creatives are ingested and fulfilled in the most efficient and reliable manner, deliver content in native frame rate and scan mode. NBCUniversal doesn’t accept any pre-processing of creatives (i.e., apply telecine, inverse telecine, scan mode conversion), as pre-processing degrades the creative renditions, which can negatively impact monetization and viewer experience.	Preferred: 29.97 fps based on native frame rate Accepted: 23.98 or 25 fps based on native frame rate To ensure creatives are ingested and fulfilled in the most efficient and reliable manner, deliver content in native frame rate and scan mode. NBCUniversal doesn’t accept any pre-processing of creatives (i.e., apply telecine, inverse telecine, scan mode conversion), as pre-processing degrades the creative renditions, which can negatively impact monetization and viewer experience.	Up to 30 fps	Preferred: 29.97 fps based on native frame rate Accepted: 23.98 or 25 fps based on native frame rate To ensure creatives are ingested and fulfilled in the most efficient and reliable manner, deliver content in native frame rate and scan mode. NBCUniversal doesn’t accept any pre-processing of creatives (i.e., apply telecine, inverse telecine, scan mode conversion), as pre-processing degrades the creative renditions, which can negatively impact monetization and viewer experience.
Aspect ratio	16:9	Mezz – 16:9 High – 16:9 or 4:3 Medium – 16:9 or 4:3 Low – 16:9 or 4:3	16:9 or 4:3	16:9
Video codec	Preferred: Apple ProRes 422 HQ codec with minimum bitrate of 800 Kbps H.264 with minimum bitrate of 50 Mbps (Accepted profiles: High, Main, Baseline) DV, DVC Pro NTSC (DV25), DVC Pro NTSC (DV50) Interlaced video is not accepted.	Mezz – Apple ProRes 422 HQ or H.264 (Accepted profiles: High, Main, Baseline) High – H.264 only (Accepted profiles: High, Main, Baseline) Medium – H.264 only (Accepted profiles: High, Main, Baseline) Low – H.264 only (Accepted profiles: High, Main, Baseline) Interlaced video is not accepted.	H.264 (Accepted profiles: High, Main, Baseline) Interlaced video is not accepted.	H.264 (Accepted profiles: High, Main, Baseline) Interlaced video is not accepted.
Audio codec	Audio is required 2 channels only PCM preferred; AAC accepted 192 Kbps minimum Stereo 16-bit or 24-bit 48 kHz sampling frequency 115 KB sample size Audio track must be the same length as the video duration or else the video cannot be transcoded.	Minimum of 192 Kbps 48 kHz sampling frequency Creative volume should not exceed content volume and must be under 2dB Must follow CALM compliance loudness average of –24LKFS +/-2 Secure HTTPS only	MP3 or AAC preferred	96 Kbps 48 kHz sampling frequency Creative volume should not exceed content volume and must be under 2dB Must follow CALM compliance loudness average of –24LKFS +/-2
Ad countdown clock	Safe area is a 320×80 box for the countdown and copy. Position box with the top left corner at X:128, Y:943; 128px from the left, 943 pixels from the top. Baked-in captions are allowed; however, if sending creative with captions, please be mindful of the countdown clock positioning. If your text is left aligned, it will be blocked by the countdown clock.
Additional notes	Additional specs for livestream: Field dominance - Upper odd (for 29.97fps) Color space - 4:2:2 Time code track & QuickTime wrapper All 29.97 content must be drop frame 23.98 must be non-drop frame	The mezz file required for NBCU can also be used for Hulu, but creative targeted directly to Hulu must follow Hulu’s technical specs and acceptance policy. NBCU cannot utilize Hulu’s programmatic offering; the “Third-Party Tags/Programmatic” section is not relevant. For TV shows and movies, DDT (day, date, and time) is not allowed. Flighting, frequency capping, and targeting to be applied by NBCU only to ensure contractual obligations and guaranteed delivery. URL cannot exceed 1024 characters. We cannot accept blocking or filtering tags of any kind. Stitched creatives are not accepted (e.g., we don’t accept two 15-second ads stitched together to create one 30-second ad). Multiple durations are not allowed within the same tag. All creatives of the same duration must be on one tag. For example, all 30-second creatives must rotate on the back end of one tag instead of being split out into several tags. Livestream: If using Extreme Reach VAST tags, site served assets must be provided as backup.	Advertising on NBCU on YouTube must follow NBCU’s specs and YouTube Ads Data Hub requirements specified on Approved DSPs, Creative Hosts, and Pixels. All tags must be secure and must comply with YouTube’s XML summary for VAST ad server response. All tags must be served via a linear VAST tag (pre-fetch tag) by a YouTube-approved vendor. Tags must not have geo, browser, or any other targeting on the third-party end. Ensure your ad server returns a valid crossdomain.xml file. If you choose to explicitly list domains, ensure all ad serving domains are included. Although most modern updated environments are supported, VAST-served video ads are not guaranteed to run on all mobile web browsers, game consoles, or CTV devices. URL cannot exceed 1024 characters. We cannot accept blocking or filtering tags of any kind. Stitched creatives are not accepted (e.g., we don’t accept two 15-second ads stitched together to create one 30-second ad). Multiple durations are not allowed within the same tag. All creatives of the same duration must be on one tag. For example, all 30-second creatives must rotate on the back end of one tag instead of being split out into several tags.	URL cannot exceed 1024 characters. We cannot accept blocking or filtering tags of any kind. Stitched creatives are not accepted (e.g., we don’t accept two 15-second ads stitched together to create one 30-second ad). Multiple durations are not allowed within the same tag. All creatives of the same duration must be on one tag. For example, all 30-second creatives must rotate on the back end of one tag instead of being split out into several tags.

Ad categories that require review

The following categories of creatives require prior approval of NBCUniversal—provided in its sole discretion—72 hours prior to campaign launch:

Require review by Standards

CBD products (topical, non-ingestible)
Controversial issues and political advertising
Dietary supplements (e.g., vitamins, supplements)
Fantasy sports
Gambling
Homeopathic remedies
Weight-loss products

Require review by Sales

Competitive television and streaming services

Approved creative, research, and verification vendors

Secure third-party impression tracking pixel tag (noscript tag) accepted
Secure research tracking pixel tag accepted (not STB)
Secure HTTPS tags only
Comcast X1 requires tracking pixels to support DualStack IPV4/IPV6 connectivity
Secure quartile tracking accepted
For a list of approved third-party vendors please reference NBCU’s Approved Creative, Research & Verification Vendors.

Regional Sports Network

Questions?

Ad specs by creative format

Creative guidelines

Livestream Sports

Questions?

Specs and creative guidelines by ad format

Standard digital

Ad categories that require review

Require review by Standards

Require review by Sales

Prohibited categories

Approved creative, research, and verification vendors