By author "Jan Ozer"

Ad insertion isn’t just a technical choice; it’s an economic one. Each architecture defines a different balance between cost and yield. Client-Side Ad Insertion (CSAI) minimizes infrastructure expense but limits coordination and scale. Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) improves reliability and ad completion but is expensive and offers weak personalization. Server-Guided Ad Insertion (SGAI) rebalances control between server and player, delivering SSAI-quality playback at far lower cost than SSAI while restoring real-time targeting and client-side measurement.

SGAI’s efficiency comes from architectural simplicity: one shared manifest, just-in-time ad calls, and player-level beaconing. As the article shows, the result is higher CPMs, stronger fill and match rates, and lower total cost of ownership.