Select your cookie preferences

We use essential cookies and similar tools that are necessary to provide our site and services. We use performance cookies to collect anonymous statistics, so we can understand how customers use our site and make improvements. Essential cookies cannot be deactivated, but you can choose “Customize” or “Decline” to decline performance cookies.

If you agree, AWS and approved third parties will also use cookies to provide useful site features, remember your preferences, and display relevant content, including relevant advertising. To accept or decline all non-essential cookies, choose “Accept” or “Decline.” To make more detailed choices, choose “Customize.”

Using player variables

Focus mode
Using player variables - AWS Elemental MediaTailor

To configure AWS Elemental MediaTailor to send data received from the player to the ADS, in the template ADS URL, specify player_params.<query_parameter_name> variables. For example, if the player sends a query parameter named user_id in its request to MediaTailor, to pass that data in the ADS request, include [player_params.user_id] in the ADS URL configuration.

This allows you to control the query parameters that are included in the ADS request. Typically, you add a special query parameter that the ADS recognizes to the ADS request URL and provide key-value pairs as the value of the parameter.

The examples used in the following procedure use the following key-value pairs:

  • param1 with a value of value1:

  • param2 with a value of value2:

To add query parameters as key-value pairs

  1. In AWS Elemental MediaTailor, configure the ADS request template URL to reference the parameters. The following URL shows the inclusion of the example parameters:

    https://my.ads.com/path?param1=[player_params.param1]&param2=[player_params.param2]
  2. (Optional) For server-side ad-tracking reporting, URL-encode the key-value pairs on the player. When MediaTailor receives the session initialization request, it URL-decodes the values once before substituting them into the ADS request URL.

    Note

    If your ADS requires a URL-encoded value, URL-encode the value twice on the player. This way, the decoding done by MediaTailor results in a once-encoded value for the ADS.

    For example, if the decoded representation of the values sent to the ADS is param1=value1:&param2=value2:, then the URL-encoded representation is param1=value1%3A&param2=value2%3A.

  3. In the session initialization call from the player, pass the key-value pairs to MediaTailor as the value of a single query parameter. The following example calls provide the example key-value pairs for server- and client-side ad tracking reporting.

    • Example requests for server-side ad-tracking reporting - using URL-encoded pairs

      HLS:

      <master>.m3u8?ads.param1=value1%3A&ads.param2=value2%3A

      DASH:

      <manifest>.mpd?ads.param1=value1%3A&ads.param2=value2%3A
    • Example request for client-side ad-tracking reporting - with no URL-encoding

      HLS:

      POST <master>.m3u8 { "adsParams": { "param1": "value1:", "param2": "value2:" } }

      DASH:

      POST <manifest>.mpd { "adsParams": { "param1": "value1:", "param2": "value2:" } }

For server-side reporting, MediaTailor decodes the parameters when the player request is received. For client-side reporting, it doesn't alter the parameters received in the JSON payload. MediaTailor sends the following request to the ADS:

https://my.ads.com/<path>?param1=value1:&param2=value2:

In this way, the param1 and param2 key-value pairs are included as first-class query parameters in the ADS request.

PrivacySite termsCookie preferences
© 2025, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.