One format, three names
Search for this format and you will meet L-shape ads, L-band ads, L-bar ads and frame ads. They describe the same thing: the programme is scaled down, and a sponsor fills the L-shaped space along one edge and the bottom. It does not interrupt the content, which is why connected-TV and FAST operators are looking at it as extra inventory that does not mean a longer ad break.
The useful distinction is not the name. It is whether the L belongs to the video or to something sitting on top of it.
Three ways to deliver it
This is a description of the approaches in general, not a review of any one product. The practical point for a FAST operator is the first row: when the banner is part of the video, it behaves the same on a smart TV, a set-top box, a phone browser and a cast session, and nothing on the platform side needs to support it. That is the approach StreamAdsPro uses, through server-side insertion.
What a FAST operator should check before buying
Ask to see it on a set-top box and on a cast session, not on a laptop. Those are the screens where overlays most often vanish.
Agree up front how appearances and viewers are reported. A burned-in ad is counted from the schedule and your platform analytics.
Swapping artwork should be a file change, not a re-integration of the channel.
Selling it without a programmatic stack
A burned-in L-band sponsor is sold the way a TV sponsor has always been sold: a named advertiser, a fixed schedule, a flat fee. The arithmetic you take to the advertiser is simple. At 30 seconds every 10 minutes across an 18-hour day, the banner appears 108 times, and three sponsors in rotation get 36 appearances each per day. The cost side of this is on L-band advertising cost in India.
The banner can also be driven by markers. If your chain carries SCTE-35, see SCTE-35 ad insertion for how a cue becomes a break, and send us a stream URL on the contact page to have us look at yours.
Frequently asked questions
Is an L-band ad the same as an L-shape ad?+
Yes. L-shape, L-band, L-bar and frame ad are different names for the same format: the programme is scaled down and a sponsor fills the L-shaped space along one side and the bottom of the screen. Search results use all of them, which is why we use both L-shape and L-band on this site.
Can an L-band ad run on a FAST channel?+
Yes. A FAST channel is a live stream, and the L is a layout applied to that stream. If you can give us the live HLS or RTMP source, we return a monetised HLS output with the sponsor built in. The platform that carries the channel does not need to support anything special.
What is the difference between burned-in and player-side L-band ads?+
A burned-in ad is drawn into the video frames before the stream is delivered, so every device shows it. A player-side ad is drawn by the app or player on top of the video, so it only appears where that player runs the code, and it can be hidden or blocked.
How do I count impressions for a burned-in L-band ad?+
From the schedule and your platform analytics. The schedule tells you how many times the banner appeared. Your platform tells you how many viewers were watching at those moments. Multiplying the two gives the exposures. There is no click, because a burned-in ad is part of the picture and not a page element.
Does an L-band ad need SCTE-35 markers?+
No. It can run on a clock, for example 30 seconds every 10 minutes, with no markers at all. If your chain carries reliable SCTE-35 cues, the same banner can be triggered by them instead, and the pipeline does not change.
Keep reading
The anatomy of the format, why channels sell it and a worked example of exposures per day.
Pixel geometry for 720p, 1080p and 4K, with the arithmetic shown.
Why direct sponsorship suits regional channels and the device mix that favours server-side delivery.
Video-technology engineer in Thane, India. Send me one live stream URL and I will run a free test on your own feed. You get my reply within one working day (IST), from the person who builds it, not a sales queue.
Bring us your stream.
Send us one live URL and what you want on it. We will put a demo on your own feed before you commit to anything.