Dive Brief:
- Google says its Chrome browser will begin blocking automatic play on Flash ads today, blaming the format for slow page loads and increased mobile battery consumption.
- Adobe’s Flash has been the dominant format for online banner and video ads since the beginning of the Internet age, but has recently ceded its primacy to HTML5.
- Google offers tool to assist in the conversion of Flash ads into HTML5; prior to the move, Chrome carried about 36% of all Flash ads.
Dive Insight:
Flash may soon be a relic of the Internet age. Google’s Chrome browser will no longer support the longtime software standard for banner and video ads, blocking automatic play for ads built in it. Google cited Flash’s cumbersome page-load speeds and increased battery consumption on mobile devices as reasons behind its decision.
HTML5, which tends to function across devices with more stability, appears to be the new standard. Last month, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) updated its Creative Guidelines with a suggestion that advertisers move from Flash to HTML5. Apple hasn’t supported Flash for years on non-desktop devices, and even Flash parent Adobe is building HTML tools in preparation for the shift.