Advertising, or ad-based, video-on-demand (AVOD) meaning

advertising, or ad-based, video-on-demand (AVOD) describes an on-demand audiovisual service in which users choose when to watch content, rather than at a scheduled broadcast time, and do not pay to view; revenue is generated from advertising (for example, pre-roll/mid-roll adverts, sponsorship or product placement). Examples include free tiers of broadcaster players and ad-supported libraries on platforms such as YouTube. AVOD is an industry term, not defined in statute or case law. In practice, AVOD services in the UK and Ireland are usually regulated as on-demand programme/audiovisual media services under the Communications Act 2003 and retained AVMS rules (UK, enforced by Ofcom) or the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 (Ireland, enforced by Coimisiún na Meán). Key legal issues include compliance with on-demand content standards (including sponsorship and product-placement rules), advertising standards (ASA CAP Code in the UK; ASAI Code in Ireland), and data protection and e-privacy when using cookies or profiling for targeted ads (UK GDPR/GDPR and PECR/ePrivacy). The term is used consistently across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. AVOD is distinct from subscription (SVOD) and transactional (TVOD) models; hybrid services may offer both.