Video ads by channel / Spotify
Video ads for Spotify.
Never silent, mixed to sit between songs, and written for a listener who chose the music.
The medium
Spotify is the one screen on this list that refuses a silent film. Its spec sheets say every file must include sound and that silent videos will not be accepted, and its video plays only when the app is open and in view, between songs and podcasts the listener picked. The mix is judged against music: normalized to minus 14 dBFS RMS with peaks at minus 0.2, a level set for a playlist rather than for television.
The formats ask different things. In-stream video, the family Spotify calls Video Takeover, is its sound-on unit; in-feed video first appears in a square container the listener can expand; Opt-In Video plays without sound in the Now Playing view. A Sponsored Session asks for up to thirty seconds at the start of a mobile session and gives the listener thirty minutes without ads in return.
Spotify reports more than 777 million monthly users. Ads Manager is self-serve with minimums from 250 US dollars, and trade press reported its launch in India in April 2026.
The specs
Quoted from the platforms' own pages. The source and the date each was read are under the table.
| Placement | Ratio | Resolution and file | Length | Sound and captions | Safe zone and rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-stream video (the Video Takeover family) | 9:16 or 16:9; desktop accepts 16:9 only | 720 x 1280 or 1280 x 720 or similar; MOV or MP4; up to 500 MB; NTSC or PAL frame rate, not interlaced | Up to 30 seconds on the spec sheet (the video ads guide says Video Takeover can run 60) | Sound required, silent files rejected; RMS normalized to minus 14 dBFS, peak minus 0.2 dBFS | No black bars, slates or countdowns; advertiser name 25 characters, tagline 40; 1:1 companion at least 600 x 600; serves only when the app is in focus |
| In-feed video and Opt-In Video | 9:16, 16:9 or 1:1; first shown in a 1:1 container | 720 x 1280, 1280 x 720 or 960 x 960 or higher; MOV or MP4; 500 MB | Up to 30 seconds | Same mix targets; Opt-In Video plays sound off in the Now Playing view on mobile | Desktop and mobile; one click-through URL; no black bars or leaders |
| Sponsored Session (direct sales) | 9:16 and 16:9 | 720 x 1280 or 1280 x 720; MOV or MP4; 500 MB; branded end card 640 x 640 JPG up to 200 KB | Maximum 30 seconds | Sound required; minus 14 dBFS RMS, peak minus 0.2 | Served at the start of mobile sessions with the app in view; the listener then gets 30 minutes of uninterrupted listening |
| Sponsored Playlist (direct sales only) | Playlist page video 9:16 only; in-stream 9:16 or 16:9 | 720 x 1280 or similar; MOV or MP4; 500 MB; logo at least 600 x 600 | Playlist page video up to 30 seconds; in-stream 15 to 30 | Not stated | Tagline up to 30 characters; desktop and mobile |
- Spotify Advertising, in-stream video ad specs, read October 27, 2026
- Spotify Advertising, in-feed video ad specs, read October 27, 2026
- Spotify Advertising, Sponsored Session specs, read October 27, 2026
- Spotify Advertising, video ads guide, read October 27, 2026
- Spotify Advertising, advertising policies, read October 27, 2026
- Spotify Advertising, how it works, read October 27, 2026
- Spotify Advertising, audience (home page), read October 27, 2026
Spotify's spec sheet caps in-stream video at 30 seconds while its video ads guide says Video Takeover can run 60; both are recorded. The Sponsored Session sheet was read on the Singapore site because the US and Canadian addresses now show Sponsored Playlist specs. The India launch of Ads Manager comes from trade press; no Spotify announcement was found.
How we build an ad for it
Directed by people, made with AI, finished by hand. You approve the script and the sound before any footage is made.
Never a silent cut
Spotify rejects files without sound, so every version ships with a full mix, including the one bound for the sound-off Opt-In placement. The silent reading is designed in with supers, and the soundtrack is still finished as if everyone will hear it.
Mixed against the playlist
Video is normalized to minus 14 dBFS RMS with peaks at minus 0.2, the level of music rather than of broadcast. We mix to those numbers and play the cut between real tracks before delivery, so the ad arrives at the listener's level instead of jumping out of their music.
Phone first, desktop as its own frame
The phone gets 9:16; desktop accepts only 16:9, and in-feed video opens in a square container first. Key action stays in the center square of the vertical frame, and the landscape version is recomposed rather than cropped from it.
Thank them for the quiet
A Sponsored Session is the ad people watch to earn thirty minutes without ads. The film runs under thirty seconds and ends on the offer and a thank-you, because the listener has just traded attention for the next half hour of music.
Music that implies nothing
Spotify does not allow an ad to imply an endorsement by any artist, label, album or track, or to mimic its interface. Our scores are original or licensed without suggesting anyone backs the brand, and no play bar or Now Playing screen is drawn into the film.
One end frame, one companion
The end frame and the 1:1 companion are designed together: at least 600 by 600, the advertiser name under 25 characters, a tagline under 40, a call to action from Spotify's fixed list, and for a Sponsored Session a 640 by 640 end card under 200 KB.
Films that fit
Finished Filmito films, labeled with what each one is. Hover or tap to play.
What to order
A listener hears the same advertiser between many songs, so a month of different thirties and fifteens keeps one voice from wearing thin.
30 seconds to tell the story and earn the click. First cut in 3 days, 2 revision rounds, 16:9 and 9:16 included.
Launch on the pricing page4 unique ads every month. Different angles, not shorter cuts.
Growth on the pricing pageQuestions about Spotify ads
Can a Spotify video ad be silent?
No. Spotify's spec sheets say every file must include sound and silent videos will not be accepted. Even the Opt-In Video placement, which plays without sound, takes a file with a full mix, so we finish every version with its soundtrack.
Does a Spotify video ad play when the phone is in a pocket?
No. In-stream video serves only when the app is in focus, and a Sponsored Session appears only when the app is in view at the start of a mobile session. The film is written for someone looking at the screen, usually choosing what to play next.
What is a Sponsored Session on Spotify?
A video of up to thirty seconds at the start of a mobile session. After watching it, the listener gets thirty minutes of uninterrupted listening and the brand is the only commercial message in that time. It is sold through Spotify's direct sales, not Ads Manager.
What loudness should a Spotify video be mixed to?
Spotify normalizes video to minus 14 dBFS RMS with peaks at minus 0.2 dBFS, a music level rather than the minus 24 LKFS of television and open-web video. We mix to Spotify's numbers and check the cut between real tracks.
Does Spotify need a separate desktop version?
Yes, if desktop is in the plan: Spotify accepts only 16:9 landscape for desktop, while phones take 9:16 or 16:9. We recompose the landscape version rather than crop the vertical one.
Can a Spotify ad use a famous song?
Not in a way that implies the artist backs you. Spotify's policy bars ads from implying an endorsement by any artist, label, album or track, and from mimicking its interface. We use original or properly licensed music and keep Spotify's own screens out of the film.
Keep planning
Other screens, the craft behind the films, and the public prices.
Other channels
- Podcast and video podcast adsA host read the host can honestly say, a produced spot mixed to the network, and a video package for the episode on camera.
- Pre-roll and online video adsOne film, two sound strategies: heard in the player, read in the article, seen inside two seconds.
- Every channelThe index and the glossary of format terms.
Craft and proof
Plan your ad
Filmito
Tell us the screen. We build the film.
Six short questions about your brand and where the ad will run. A person replies within one business day with the idea, the price and the date.
Since 2017 · 9,700+ films · 4.8 from 970+ reviews, every one readable