Amazon Ads · Status at source date: Official announcement
Amazon DSP supports VAST 4 on third-party video inventory
Amazon DSP now supports VAST versions 4.0 to 4.3 on third-party publisher inventory worldwide, selecting the highest compatible version for each publisher’s player.
This update uses a PMC cover because no suitable source image was available when checked on 8 Sept 2026. Available source and video links are retained.
What changed
Amazon’s 2 September announcement adds support for VAST 4.0 through 4.3 on third-party publisher inventory in Amazon DSP. It says the DSP chooses the highest version compatible with the publisher’s player and continues to support players using VAST 2 or 3. Amazon-operated inventory, including Stores and Fire TV, remains on VAST 2 or 3 in this announcement.
The update is presented as available to managed-service and self-service DSP advertisers worldwide. Amazon-served campaigns select the compatible version automatically; advertisers using an external ad server can use VAST 4 tags on third-party inventory. This is a compatibility announcement. It does not verify that a particular advertiser’s tag, creative or measurement setup works with every publisher.
Why it matters for advertisers
PMC analysis: the practical distinction is between the supply being bought and the source of the creative tag. A media plan that combines third-party publishers with Amazon’s own inventory may still require different checks. Keep those environments separate in the trafficking brief so the expanded third-party support is not interpreted as a universal change to Amazon inventory requirements.
If a publisher previously could not accept the available delivery format, the update may remove one obstacle to testing that supply. It does not prove that the placement reaches the intended audience or delivers a better result. Start with compatibility, then assess delivery and measurement, and only then judge the commercial value of the new inventory. A successful ad request alone is insufficient evidence that the expected creative played and the reporting recorded the desired events.
What to check next
- Mark which video placements are third-party publisher supply and which are Amazon-operated, retaining the relevant creative requirements for each.
- For external ad-server tags, ask the trafficking owner to confirm the version and validate an appropriate test delivery with the intended publisher.
- Review playback, errors and measurement after activation before expanding the inventory allocation; treat performance improvement as a test outcome to establish.
Sources & contributor credit
- Newsletter coverage · Paid Media Collective newsletter
Original newsletter text, contributor labels and media for this update.
- Source referenced in newsletterAmazon Ads
Linked from the original newsletter. The source publication date has not been independently confirmed.
Source attribution checked
Amazon Ads is the official announcement publisher. The inspected page does not name an individual author.
Attribution evidence and limitations
Read full cached Amazon launch announcement including availability, third-party versus owned inventory limitation, automatic compatibility selection and external-ad-server distinction.
Preserved all original URLs. Inspected announcement links to DSP product and video-help destinations, without representing unvisited help content as tested requirements.
No attached newsletter or source visuals or video; no visual review claimed.
Attribution checked . This is a review date, not the original publication date.
- Published on this site
- Article updated
This update reflects the dated source reporting. Availability may have changed. Further coverage of this same development will be added to this page.
Original newsletter text and archive evidence
Amazon DSP supports VAST 4 on third-party video inventory.
Amazon DSP now supports VAST versions 4.0 to 4.3 on third-party publisher inventory worldwide, selecting the highest compatible version for each publisher’s player. Older versions remain supported, and Amazon-operated inventory, including Stores and Fire TV, continues to use VAST 2 or 3. For you, this means checking third-party video activation and ad-server tags against the expanded support while retaining the existing creative requirements for Amazon’s own inventory.
Source captured . No explicit first-contributor label was provided for this update.
