News Rich Media Guidelines

This page provides news rich media guidelines for the Lightbox, Athena, branded hero, immersive mid-responsive, interscroller, miniscroller, native, social cards, expandable rectangles, billboards, filmstrips, and video wallpapers.

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Contact @NBC Uni Specs & Guidelines

Sites accepted	NBC News, CNBC, Today, MSNBC
Dimensions	300x250 300x600 970x250
Approved 3rd-party vendors	Celtra Interpolls Responsive ads
Max expandable creative size	Standard IAB (300x250, 300x600, 970x250) + LIGHTBOX with content (e.g., < 10 dynamic articles and carousel)
File types/formats	HTML5
Max initial file load size (includes creative & trackers)	200K
Additional file weight	1 MB polite load 2.2 MB (subsequent user-initiated load)
Max animation duration	Animation: 15 seconds Video: 30 seconds
Frame rate	24 FPS
Expansion enable	User initiated
Hot spots	Not to exceed 1/4 size of original ad Initiated only when cursor rests on hotspot for at least 1 second Must not initiate audio
Close button requirement	Control: Close X Font: 16 pt (21px) – 18 pt (11px)
In-banner video accepted	Yes
Audio	Must be user initiated; default state is muted
Z-index range	6,000,000+
Script calls on load	Initial: 2 or less Polite: 3 or less
CPU usage	Max spike of 20 to 40
Memory usage	3000K
Tags/tracking options	Production by NBCU-preferred vendor Layered PSD, vector logo, creative styling, and direction 1x1 tracking pixels and click-trackers SSL compliant HTTPS secure tags
Additional requirements	No 4th-party tags; all tags must be secure When the user’s browser does not support creative functionality (i.e., Flash, HTML5), a standard image file must be provided Ad creative and landing pages employing exit pop-ups are not permitted All ad units must have a 1 pixel black border surrounding the entire creative Max 3 revisions per creative We cannot accept blocking tags

Athena

Sites accepted	NBC News, CNBC, Today
Dimensions	Click here for additional specs & Athena offerings
Approved 3rd-party vendors	Vox
Max expandable creative size	N/A
File types/formats	Static/HTML5
Max initial file load size (includes creative & trackers)	Varies by size
Additional file weight	Varies by size
Max animation duration	Animation: 15 seconds Video: 30 seconds
Frame rate	24 FPS
Expansion enable	Auto-collapsed per user every 10 minutes
In-banner video accepted	Yes
Audio	Must be user initiated; default state is muted
Video	VAST
Additional requirements	Turnaround times for production: Template execution, with assets delivered to spec: 3-5 business days. Non-template executions, requiring resizing or asset creation: 5-7 business days Revisions: 2 business days Max 3 revisions per creative We cannot accept blocking tags Video units Video units share the same PSDs as the Athena Static, but should include a video asset that meets spec Functionality: First click plays the video, second click moves to the advertiser site, third click plays the video again Screen reader support enabled

Branded hero (edge-to-edge banners)

Sites accepted	NBC News, CNBC, Today, MSNBC
Dimensions	Desktop: 1900x280 Tablet: 980x250 Mobile: 375x300
Approved 3rd-party vendors	Interpolls https://cnbcguide.interpolls.com/cnbcformats/brandedhero
File types/formats	HTML5
Max initial file load size (includes creative & trackers)	200K
Additional file weight	2.2 MB (subsequent user initiated load)
Max animation/video duration	Animation: 15 seconds Video: 15 seconds
Frame rate	24 FPS
Expansion enable	N/A
Hot spots	Not to exceed 1/4 size of original ad Only initiated when cursor rests on hotspot for at least 1 second Must not initiate audio
Close button requirement	N/A
In-banner video accepted	Yes
Audio	Must be user initiated; default state is muted
Z-index range	Must be lower than 4,999 Script calls on load: Initial: 2 or less Polite: 3 or less
CPU usage	Max spike of 20 to 40
Memory usage	3000K
Tags/tracking options	Certified 3rd-party tags
Additional requirements	No 4th-party tags, all tags must be secure Expansion must be user initiated User initiation is the willful act of a user to engage with an ad. Users may interact by clicking on the ad and/or rolling over an ad (or a portion of an ad). For the purposes of these guidelines, a roll-over is defined as a willful pause of the user’s cursor on the target portion of the creative (i.e., the “hot spot”), with such pause lasting at least 1 second in duration before an action may be initiated by the ad (i.e., trigger an expand). This pause/delay prevents unwanted user initiated actions and false reporting of user engagement. We cannot accept blocking tags Ad creative and landing pages employing exit pop ups are not permitted All ad units must have a 1 pixel black border surrounding the entire creative 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 3 revisions per creative

Immersive mid-responsive

Sites accepted	CNBC
Dimensions	Desktop: 1240x400 Tablet:980x300 Mobile:375x200 Ad Slot:5x5
Approved 3rd-party vendors	Interpolls https://cnbcguide.interpolls.com/cnbcformats/immersive
Max expandable creative size	N/A
File types/formats	HTML5
Max initial file load size (includes creative & trackers)	200K
Additional file weight	2.2 MB (subsequent user-initiated load)
Max animation duration	Animation: 15 seconds Video: 15 seconds
Frame rate	24 FPS
Expansion enable	N/A
Hot spots	Not to exceed 1/4 size of original ad Initiated only when cursor rests on hotspot for at least 1 second Must not initiate audio
Close button requirements	N/A
In-banner video accepted	Yes
Audio	Must be user initiated; default state is muted
Z-index range	Must be lower than 4,999
Script calls on load	Initial: 2 or less Polite: 3 or less
CPU usage	Max spike of 20 to 40
Memory usage	3000K
Tags/tracking options	Certified 3rd-party tags
Additional requirements	No 4th-party tags, all tags must be secure Expansion must be user initiated User initiation is the willful act of a user to engage with an ad. Users may interact by clicking on the ad and/or rolling over an ad (or a portion of an ad). For the purposes of these guidelines, a roll-over is defined as a willful pause of the user’s cursor on the target portion of the creative (i.e., the “hot spot”), with such pause lasting at least 1 second in duration before an action may be initiated by the ad (i.e., trigger an expand). This pause/delay prevents unwanted user-initiated actions and false reporting of user engagement. We cannot accept blocking tags Ad creative and landing pages employing exit pop ups are not permitted All ad units must have a 1 pixel black border surrounding the entire creative 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 3 revisions per creative

Interscroller

Sites accepted	NBCNews, Today, and CNBC (mobile only)
Dimensions	300x250
Approved 3rd-party vendors	Celtra Interpolls: https://cnbcguide.interpolls.com/cnbcformats/mobilereveal
Max expandable creative size	N/A
File types/formats	HTML5
Max initial file load size (includes creative & trackers)	200K
Additional file weight	2.2 MB (subsequent user-initiated load)
Max animation duration	10 seconds, if no user interaction
Frame rate	24 FPS
Expansion enable	User initiated
Hot spots	Not to exceed 1/4 size of original ad Initiated only when cursor rests on hotspot for at least 1 second Must not initiate audio
Close button requirement	Control: Close X Font: 16 pt (21px) – 18 pt (11px)
In-banner video accepted	Yes
Audio	Must be user initiated; default state is muted
Z-index range	Must be lower than 4,999
Script calls on load	Initial: 2 or less Polite: 3 or less
CPU usage	Max spike of 20 to 40
Memory usage	3000K
Tags/tracking options	Certified 3rd-party tags
Additional requirements	No 4th-party tags, all tags must be secure Expansion must be user initiated User initiation is the willful act of a user to engage with an ad. Users may interact by clicking on the ad and/or rolling over an ad (or a portion of an ad). For the purposes of these guidelines, a roll-over is defined as a willful pause of the user’s cursor on the target portion of the creative (i.e., the “hot spot”), with such pause lasting at least 1 second in duration before an action may be initiated by the ad (i.e., trigger an expand). This pause/delay prevents unwanted user-initiated actions and false reporting of user engagement. We cannot accept blocking tags Ad creative and landing pages employing exit pop ups are not permitted All ad units must have a 1 pixel black border surrounding the entire creative 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 3 revisions per creative

Miniscroller

Sites accepted	Mobile only: CNBC MSNBC Desktop & mobile: NBCNews Today
Dimensions	300x250
Approved 3rd-party vendors	Celtra
Max expandable creative size	N/A
File types/formats	HTML5
Max initial file load size (includes creative & trackers)	200K
Additional file weight	2.2 MB (subsequent user-initiated load)
Max animation duration	10 seconds, if no user interaction
Frame rate	24 FPS
Expansion enable	User initiated
Hot spots	Not to exceed 1/4 size of original ad Initiated only when cursor rests on hotspot for at least 1 second Must not initiate audio
Close button requirement	Control: Close X Font: 16 pt (21px) – 18 pt (11px)
In-banner video accepted	Yes
Audio	Must be user initiated; default state is muted
Z-index range	Must be lower than 4,999
Script calls on load	Initial: 2 or less Polite: 3 or less
CPU usage	Max spike of 20 to 40
Memory usage	3000K
Tags/tracking options	Certified 3rd-party tags
Additional requirements	No 4th-party tags; all tags must be secure

Native

Sites accepted	NBCNews, Today, MSNBC, CNBC
Dimensions	For CNBC only Traditional native sizes: 2x2, 315x90 Standard ROS sizes: 728x90, 300x250, 300x600 For the rest of news: Today: 2x2 MSNBC: 2x2 NBCNews: 2x2
Approved 3rd-party vendors	Polar
Max expandable creative size	N/A
File types/formats	HTML5
Max initial file load size (includes creative & trackers)	200K
Additional file weight	2.2 MB (subsequent user-initiated load)
Max animation duration	10 seconds, if no user interaction
Frame rate	24 FPS
Expansion enable	User initiated
Hot spots	Not to exceed 1/4 size of original ad Initiated only when cursor rests on hotspot for at least 1 second Must not initiate audio
Close button requirement	Control: Close X Font: 16 pt (21px) – 18 pt (11px)
In-banner video accepted	Yes
Audio	Must be user initiated; default state is muted
Z-index range	Must be lower than 4,999
Script calls on load	Initial: 2 or less Polite: 3 or less
CPU usage	Max spike of 20 to 40
Memory usage	3000K
Tags/tracking options	No 3rd-party tracking allowed
Additional requirements	No 4th-party tags, all tags must be secure Expansion must be user initiated User initiation is the willful act of a user to engage with an ad. Users may interact by clicking on the ad and/or rolling over an ad (or a portion of an ad). For the purposes of these guidelines, a roll-over is defined as a willful pause of the user’s cursor on the target portion of the creative (i.e., the “hot spot”), with such pause lasting at least 1 second in duration before an action may be initiated by the ad (i.e., trigger an expand). This pause/delay prevents unwanted user-initiated actions and false reporting of user engagement. We cannot accept blocking tags Ad creative and landing pages employing exit pop ups are not permitted All ad units must have a 1 pixel black border surrounding the entire creative 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 3 revisions per creative

Sites accepted	NBCNews, Today, MSNBC, CNBC
Dimensions	5x5
Approved 3rd-party vendors	Polar
Max expandable creative size	N/A
File types/formats	HTML5
Max initial file load size (includes creative & trackers)	200k
Additional file weight	2.2 MB (subsequent user-initiated load)
Max animation duration	10 seconds, if no user interaction
Frame rate	24 FPS
Expansion enable	User initiated
Hot spots	Not to exceed 1/4 size of original ad Initiated only when cursor rests on hotspot for at least 1 second Must not initiate audio
Close button requirement	Control: Close X Font: 16 pt (21px) – 18 pt (11px)
In-banner video accepted	Yes
Audio	Must be user Initiated; default state is muted
Z-index range	Must be lower than 4,999
Script calls on load	Initial: 2 or less Polite: 3 or less
CPU usage	Max spike of 20 to 40
Memory usage	3000K
Tags/tracking options	No 3rd-party tracking allowed
Additional requirements	No 4th-party tags, all tags must be secure Expansion must be user initiated User initiation is the willful act of a user to engage with an ad. Users may interact by clicking on the ad and/or rolling over an ad (or a portion of an ad). For the purposes of these guidelines, a roll-over is defined as a willful pause of the user’s cursor on the target portion of the creative (i.e., the “hot spot”), with such pause lasting at least 1 second in duration before an action may be initiated by the ad (i.e., trigger an expand). This pause/delay prevents unwanted user-initiated actions and false reporting of user engagement. We cannot accept blocking tags Ad creative and landing pages employing exit pop ups are not permitted All ad units must have a 1 pixel black border surrounding the entire creative 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 3 revisions per creative

Expandable rectangle

Sites accepted	NBCNews, Today, MSNBC, CNBC
Dimensions	300×250
Approved 3rd-party vendors	Sizmek
Max expandable creative size	600×250
File types/formats	HTML5
Max initial file load size (includes creative & trackers)	200K
Additional file weight	2.2 MB (subsequent user-initiated load)
Max animation duration	10 seconds, if no user interaction
Frame rate	24 FPS
Expansion enable	User initiated
Hot spots	Not to exceed 1/4 size of original ad Initiated only when cursor rests on hotspot for at least 1 second Must not initiate audio
Close button requirement	Control: Close X Font: 16 pt (21px) – 18 pt (11px)
In-banner video accepted	Yes
Audio	Must be user initiated; default state is muted
Z-index range	Must be lower than 4,999
Script calls on load	Initial: 2 or less Polite: 3 or less
CPU usage	Max spike of 5 to 10%
Memory usage	3000K
Tags/tracking options	Certified 3rd-party tags; rich media
Additional requirements	No 4th-party tags, all tags must be secure Expansion must be user initiated User initiation is the willful act of a user to engage with an ad. Users may interact by clicking on the ad and/or rolling over an ad (or a portion of an ad). For the purposes of these guidelines, a roll-over is defined as a willful pause of the user’s cursor on the target portion of the creative (i.e., the “hot spot”), with such pause lasting at least 1 second in duration before an action may be initiated by the ad (i.e., trigger an expand). This pause/delay prevents unwanted user-initiated actions and false reporting of user engagement. We cannot accept blocking tags Ad creative and landing pages employing exit pop ups are not permitted All ad units must have a 1 pixel black border surrounding the entire creative 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 3 revisions per creative

Billboard

Sites accepted	NBCNews, Today, MSNBC, CNBC
Dimensions	970×250
Approved 3rd-party vendors	Celtra Interpolls: https://cnbcguide.interpolls.com/cnbcformats/billboard Sizmek
Max expandable creative size	Ad should serve as 970×250 and remain that size
File types/formats	HTML5
Max initial file load size (includes creative & trackers)	200K
Additional file weight	1 MB polite load 2.2 MB (subsequent user-initiated load)
Max animation duration	10 seconds, if no user interaction
Frame rate	24 FPS
Expansion enable	User initiated
Hot spots	Not to exceed 1/4 size of original ad Initiated only when cursor rests on hotspot for at least 1 second Must not initiate audio
Close button requirement	No close button required – only noncollapsible units allowed
In-banner video accepted	Yes
Audio	Must be user initiated; default state is muted
Z-index range	Must be lower than 4,999
Script calls on load	Initial: 2 or less Polite: 3 or less
CPU usage	Max spike of 20 to 40%
Memory usage	3000K
Tags/tracking options	Certified 3rd-party tags; rich media
Additional requirements	No 4th-party tags, all tags must be secure Expansion must be user initiated User initiation is the willful act of a user to engage with an ad. Users may interact by clicking on the ad and/or rolling over an ad (or a portion of an ad). For the purposes of these guidelines, a roll-over is defined as a willful pause of the user’s cursor on the target portion of the creative (i.e., the “hot spot”), with such pause lasting at least 1 second in duration before an action may be initiated by the ad (i.e., trigger an expand). This pause/delay prevents unwanted user-initiated actions and false reporting of user engagement. We cannot accept blocking tags Ad creative and landing pages employing exit pop ups are not permitted All ad units must have a 1 pixel black border surrounding the entire creative 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 3 revisions per creative

Filmstrip

Sites accepted	NBCNews, Today, MSNBC, CNBC
Dimensions	300×600 viewable window in which total ad size of 300×3000 scrolls (5-300×600 segments)
Approved 3rd-party vendors	Interpolls: https://cnbcguide.interpolls.com/cnbcformats/300x600 Sizmek MarkIt on Demand
Max expandable creative size	Expansion not allowed for this unit
File types/formats	HTML5
Max initial file load size (includes creative & trackers)	200K
Additional file weight	1 MB polite load 2.2 MB (subsequent user-initiated load)
Max animation duration	Animation: 15 seconds Video: 30 seconds
Frame rate	24 FPS
Expansion enable	N/A
Hot spots	Expansion not allowed for this unit
Close button requirement	N/A
In-banner video accepted	Yes
Audio	Must be user initiated; default state is muted
Z-index range	Must be lower than 4,999
Script calls on load	Initial: 2 or less Polite: 3 or less
CPU usage	Max spike of 20 to 40%
Memory usage	1500K
Tags/tracking options	Certified 3rd-party tags
Additional requirements	No 4th-party tags; all tags must be secure For times when the user’s browser does not support creative functionality (i.e. Flash, HTML5), provide a standard image file 300×600 px We cannot accept blocking tags Ad creative and landing pages employing exit pop ups are not permitted All ad units must have a 1 pixel black border surrounding the entire creative 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 3 revisions per creative

Video wallpaper

Sites accepted	CNBC
Dimensions	Desktop: 1900x900 Tablet: 1600x900 Mobile: 375x667
Approved 3rd-party vendors	Interpolls: https://cnbcguide.interpolls.com/cnbcformats/videowallpaper
File types/formats	HTML5
Max initial file load size (includes creative & trackers)	200K
Additional file weight	1 MB polite load 2.2 MB subsequent user initiated load
Max animation duration	Full Background (rails): Animation: 8 seconds Video: 8 seconds In-Banner: Animation: 15 seconds Video: 15 seconds
Frame rate	24 FPS
Expansion enable	N/A
Hot spots	Not to exceed 1/4 size of original ad Initiated only when cursor rests on hotspot for at least 1 second Must not initiate audio
Close button requirement	N/A
In-banner video accepted	Yes
Audio	Must be user initiated; default state is muted
Z-index range	Must be lower than 4,999
Script calls on load	Initial: 2 or less Polite: 3 or less
CPU usage	Idle CPU: 8-12% Initial loading: 20-30% Initial spike of 60% is acceptable in the first 5 seconds
Memory usage	5000K
Tags/tracking options	Production by NBCU preferred vendor Layered PSD, vector logo, creative styling and direction 1×1 tracking pixels and click-trackers SSL compliant HTTPS secure tags
Additional requirements	No 4th-party tags; all tags must be secure For times when the user’s browser does not support creative functionality (i.e., Flash, HTML5), provide a standard image file We cannot accept blocking tags Ad creative and landing pages employing exit pop ups are not permitted All ad units must have a 1 pixel black border surrounding the entire creative Max 3 revisions per creative
Video wallpaper specs must adhere to the following business rules	This ad type can run once per 2 weeks. The size of the ad will run in proportion to the width of the respective site’s news content. The unit must initiate without any delays. Rails can be animated for 8 seconds and must then be static/disappear. Rails must fade to white as you scroll to the bottom of the page. For CNBC, the animated rails cannot be clickable.