Which VAST versions does FreeWheel Buyer Cloud accept?

The Demand Creative Management API lists VAST 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 as supported audio and video creative subtypes, plus a wrapper subtype for each of those versions.

Can a FreeWheel VAST wrapper carry a skip offset?

Buyer Cloud's VAST 3.0 support note says skipoffset is not supported via wrappers, matching the VAST 3.0 specification. The Video VAST Wrapper template does not support skip offsets. Inline VAST 3.0 creatives can set a custom skip offset, and the default is a 5 second non-skippable window.

Does every FreeWheel publisher accept VPAID?

The demand API subtype list does not publish a VPAID policy. Publisher guides can be stricter. The Peacock buyer's guide on the FreeWheel hub says a VAST response that contains VPAID fails that publisher's quality check.

FreeWheel VAST validator guide

Short answer: FreeWheel Buyer Cloud's demand creative API accepts VAST 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0, and a wrapper subtype for each of those versions. Skip offsets belong on inline VAST 3.0 creatives. The wrapper template does not carry skipoffset. Validate the XML you upload, then confirm any extra rule the publisher attached to the deal.

Need a FreeWheel VAST validator?

Paste the inline XML, or resolve a third-party wrapper URL first so the report matches the creative Buyer Cloud will store.

Validate the creative XML →Inspect a wrapper URL →Wrapper chain guide →

Quick reference

Documented surface	Buyer Cloud Demand Creative Management API, for programmatic guaranteed deals and pre-approved private marketplace deals
Supported subtypes	VAST 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0, each also as a wrapper
VAST 3.0 skip offset	Custom offset on inline creatives. Default is a 5 second non-skippable window. Wrappers do not support skipoffset.
Publisher extras	A publisher guide can reject creatives the demand API would otherwise store. Peacock's guide rejects VPAID.

Creative subtypes on the demand API

The Demand Creative Management API is the path demand partners use to upload a creative and attach it to a deal. Its audio and video subtype list marks all of the following as supported: VAST 1.0, VAST 2.0, VAST 3.0, VAST 4.0, and the wrapper form of each version.

Upload the subtype that matches the XML. A VAST 4.0 inline submitted as a VAST 2.0 wrapper is a trafficking error even when the document is schema-valid. vastlint reads the version on the root element and checks the structure against that version. Run it before the creative is associated with the deal.

Skip offset on VAST 3.0

Buyer Cloud's VAST 3.0 note says an inline video creative can set a custom skip offset. If the offset is omitted, the default is a 5 second non-skippable window. Custom offsets are not used on AdX delivery, where that same 5 second window applies.

The note also says skipoffset is not supported via wrappers, which is how VAST 3.0 itself defines the attribute. The Video VAST Wrapper template in Buyer Cloud does not carry a skip offset. If the skip control matters, traffic an inline creative, or accept that the wrapper will not express it. The skippable linear guide covers the skipoffset attribute and the skipped tracking event.

Publisher guides can be stricter

The subtype list is a Buyer Cloud storage contract. It is not a promise that every FreeWheel publisher will play the file. The Peacock buyer's guide, hosted on the FreeWheel hub, says buyers must meet that publisher's creative quality requirements, and that a VAST response containing VPAID is flagged and fails the quality check. Peacock also requires an Ad-ID on the creative before submission.

Treat that as Peacock inventory, not as a FreeWheel-wide VPAID ban. When a deal names a publisher, read that publisher's guide after the XML validates. Mezzanine files, duration menus, and registered ad IDs show up there more often than they show up in the demand subtype table.

Pre-flight checklist

The root version is 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, or 4.0, matching the subtype you will upload.
Wrappers are uploaded as the wrapper subtype, and they do not rely on skipoffset.
Inline VAST 3.0 skip offsets are explicit when the 5 second default is wrong for the placement.
The XML passes the validator before it is attached to the deal.
The publisher guide for the deal is checked for VPAID, Ad-ID, and mezzanine rules.

What this guide does not assume

These sources describe Buyer Cloud demand creatives. They do not publish a wrapper-depth cap for the FreeWheel publisher ad server, and they do not publish a single codec ladder for every network on the platform. Confirm those with the publisher on the deal.