Paramount+ Platform Strategy & Technical Assessment

Jungho Lee

Product Manager — CTV & Streaming Platforms

Product Manager with 5 years in product and 10 years in technology, specializing in media and streaming. Multi-platform streaming across mobile (iOS, Android) and Connected TV (Roku, tvOS, Tizen, webOS, Vizio). Experienced in ad technology (CSAI/SSAI), Agile/Scrum SDLC, stakeholder management, and AI-powered automation. Proven track record in product roadmaps, user stories, acceptance criteria, and cross-platform release management using cloud-native tools.

✉ kezameske@gmail.com ☎ (714) 588-3394 🔗 LinkedIn 🤖 ask.jungholee.com

2 Apps

OnDemandKorea + Amasian TV

9 Platforms

iOS, Android, AndroidTV, FireTV, tvOS, Roku, Tizen, webOS, SmartCast

Ad Tech

VAST/VPAID troubleshooting, ad parameter debugging, REST API integration

QA & UI/UX

Cross-platform QA, regression testing, Figma review, App Store certification

AI & Automation

Claude Code, Google Gemini, n8n workflows, RAG agents, rapid prototyping

★ Why I Built This

◆ Why Paramount+ CTV & Streaming

I built this dashboard by reverse-engineering Paramount+'s entire streaming infrastructure through network traffic analysis — inspecting CDN routing, DRM license exchanges, ad insertion flows, and analytics pipelines across VOD, Live TV, and Home Page. This isn't theoretical knowledge: it reflects the same hands-on debugging and API-level investigation I do daily at ODK Media across 9 CTV and mobile platforms. I identified real findings like the FreeWheel ↔ OneTrust GPP gap, the Shaka v5.0 migration blocker, and the dual-player architecture trade-off — the kind of product-impacting technical insights a Senior TPM needs to surface and drive.

💼 Professional Experience

🎞

ODK Media Inc. — Product Manager

Video Streaming Service for Asian Americans · Fullerton, CA · June 2021 – Present

• Cross-Platform Release Management: Own end-to-end release cycles across 7 platforms (iOS, Android, Roku, tvOS, Tizen, webOS, Vizio). Manage App Store submissions, platform certification, and device-specific QA. Define user stories with acceptance criteria and drive backlog prioritization through sprint planning.

• API & Backend Collaboration: Work with backend engineers on EPG channel API responses and video playback request parameters in Django. Identify missing or invalid ad parameters (us_privacy, npa, lat, did) across the ad delivery chain, define fixes, and validate via Postman. Resolved a hardcoded parameter issue, increasing CTV ad impressions by 50%.

• Content Feeds & FAST Distribution: Own MRSS feed generation for FAST channel distribution and manage content feed delivery (XML/JSON) to platform partners including Google, Roku, and Android. Collaborate with content operators across OnDemandKorea and AmasianTV to audit metadata, subtitles, and media assets. Built n8n automation to audit registered posters and logos.

• Frontend, UI/UX & User Journey: Partner with frontend and UI/UX teams to design user journey flows for new features from wireframe through UAT. Debug subtitle delivery by inspecting HLS manifests (m3u8) using browser dev tools.

• Data-Driven Roadmap & Stakeholder Management: Built playback health dashboards using MUX Analytics and Google Data Studio, tracking KPIs across devices to inform roadmap decisions. Provide daily updates on product health, timelines, and feature performance to leadership.

⚙

ODK Media Inc. — IT Systems Lead

March 2019 – June 2021

• Enterprise Migration: Led migration to Google Workspace across 30+ SaaS apps and AWS infrastructure, reducing licensing costs by 15%. Primary point of contact for internal client groups across Sales, Ops, and Engineering.

• Process Improvement & AI Adoption: Redesigned Jira/Confluence workflows for cross-functional teams, increasing tool adoption by 60%. Championed internal AI adoption with training programs and AI-assisted workflows.

🤖

Independent Projects — AI, Automation & Product Development

Product Builder & AI Specialist · Stanton, CA · January 2024 – Present

• RAG Recruitment Agent (ask.jungholee.com): Architected a conversational AI agent using Next.js, TypeScript, and n8n for RAG orchestration. Integrated Google Gemini with Supabase (PostgreSQL/pgvector) for vector retrieval and Airtable as headless CMS. Managed with Git and deployed on Vercel.

• Business Directory Platform (hanin.store): Shipped a bilingual (Korean/English) business directory with Next.js, Supabase, and Airtable, featuring a job board, bounty system, and Instagram live feed integration.

• Python Scripting & Automation: Wrote Python scripts for web scraping and data aggregation pipelines. Designed n8n workflows for daily Slack/Gmail summarization and generative media tools, from ideation to production.

🏢

Hyundai America Technical Center Inc. — System Admin / Project Manager

R&D for Hyundai Motor Group · Irvine, CA · January 2016 – February 2019

• Administered virtualized server environments for 200+ users across 4 offices (99%+ uptime). Managed $400K+ annual software/hardware budget and vendor contracts. Worked directly with client user groups across departments to ensure operational needs were met.

🛠 Technical Skills

📋

Product & Ad Tech

Product Roadmap, Release Management, CTV/OTT Strategy, App Store Certification (Apple, Google, Roku, Samsung, LG, Vizio), Agile, Scrum, SDLC, User Stories, Acceptance Criteria, Sprint Planning, CSAI, SSAI, Ad Serving, Publica (SSP), CCPA

💻

Analytics & Engineering

MUX Analytics, Google Data Studio, Looker, SQL, PostgreSQL, Postman, BrowserStack, RAG Architecture, n8n, Supabase, pgvector, Google Gemini, Next.js, TypeScript, Python, Git, GitHub

⚡

Tools

Jira, Confluence, Figma, AWS, GCP, Vercel, Airtable, Google Workspace

🎓 Education

🏫

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, TN

Bachelor of Science in Recording Industry · December 2011

◆ Platform Architecture Analysis CTV & Streaming Strategy

A deep-dive into Paramount+'s streaming infrastructure through network traffic analysis, revealing how content reaches viewers across VOD, Live TV, and Home Page pipelines. The platform makes distinct CDN, DRM, and ad-insertion choices per content type — optimizing each pipeline while managing cross-cutting concerns like identity resolution, content protection, and user analytics. This analysis was conducted from the perspective of a Technical Product Manager evaluating platform architecture, CTV delivery strategy, and user experience quality.

Pipelines

CDN Vendors

20+

Edge Nodes

30+

3P Services

DRM (Widevine + PlayReady)

Ad Insertion (CSAI + SSAI + Pause)

🗺️ Executive Architecture — Data Flow

🖥️📱📺

Client Devices

⚡

Fastly CDN

🔀

Event Router

🖼️

Image Origin

🏗️

API Gateway

📊

Analytics Sinks

💰

Ad Tracking

👤

User Services

📚

Content APIs

🔐

DRM Server

📢

FreeWheel

💾

User DB

🗄️

Video CMS

🎯

Google DAI

📺

AVOD

📡

Live HLS

CBS News / Golazo

☁️

Akamai CDN

14 edge hosts

📺

Live DASH

8+ Linear Channels

Gateway

Microservices

Ad Tech

Telemetry

DASH Direct

Media Return

◈ Master Architecture — Three Pipelines

User / Browser

Chrome 145 / Win 11

VOD

DASH · HTTP/3

1,382 requests

LIVE HLS

HLS · Akamai

3,499 requests

LIVE DASH

DASH · Akamai

No ads observed

HOME

REST + Fastly CDN

1,348 requests

VOD Pipeline

Movies & Shows On-Demand

Protocol

DASH (fMP4)

Ad Insertion

SSAI (Google DAI)

Primary Ad Server: FreeWheel (varies by region)

CDN: Google Video Infra (r3/r4/r5---sn-*.googlevideo.com)

DRM: Widevine (Irdeto) + License Challenge/Response

Live TV — HLS

CBS News, Golazo, CBS Sports HQ (Event Channels)

Protocol

HLS (MPEG-TS)

Ad Insertion

SCTE-35 → FreeWheel → DAI

CDN: Akamai Airspace (*.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com)

DRM: Widevine (Irdeto) + AES-128 (Golazo)

Player: HLS.js v1.5.8 + Smart Tag v1.39.4

Ads: VAST 4.0 · 11 ID3 events · 7+ trackers

Live TV — DASH

Movies, Drama, Kids, Comedy, Reality (8+ Linear Channels)

Protocol

DASH (isoff-live)

Ad Insertion

None Observed

CDN: Akamai (20+ hosts) — Direct, no DAI proxy

DRM: MPEG-CENC — Widevine + PlayReady (Irdeto)

Player: Shaka Player v4.14.1

No ad breaks captured in DASH sessions

Home Page Pipeline

Content Discovery & Carousels

Primary Content

Images + API Data

CDN: Fastly (wwwimage-us.pplusstatic.com)

Video Previews: HLS via Fastly (splice-media)

Analytics: Adobe AEP + 30+ tracking pixels

Why Three Pipelines? Each content type has fundamentally different delivery requirements. VOD needs high-quality ABR with ad insertion — DASH + Google DAI + HTTP/3 QUIC. Live TV needs low-latency with real-time ad breaks — dual HLS/DASH protocols via Akamai with SCTE-35 signaling. Home Page needs fast image loading for content discovery — Fastly CDN with 873 images per session. All converge on Irdeto for DRM (Widevine + PlayReady) and Adobe AEP for analytics. The result: each pipeline is optimized for its job, but the operational complexity is significant — a key TPM consideration for platform maintenance and evolution.

⚠ Key Findings & Opportunities

Shaka v5.0 Migration Blocker

Web Player

manifest.hls.useSafariBehaviorForLive fires on every HLS channel load in the web player. Deprecated since Shaka v4.x and removed in v5.0 — v4.14.1 still supports it, but upgrading to v5.0 will break live HLS playback. CTV apps (Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV) use native player SDKs — this finding is web-specific. Migration path: adopt streaming.liveSync config.

★

Golazo: AES-128 DRM Path

All Platforms

Golazo and select event channels (UEFA, 48 Hours) use HLS AES-128 key delivery instead of Widevine. Endpoint: /licenseServer/hls/v1/cbsi/key. Golazo streams at 8,941 kbps — nearly 50% higher than other HLS channels (5,980 kbps). This is a manifest-level DRM decision — applies identically across web, CTV, and mobile since AES-128 key rotation is handled server-side via EXT-X-KEY tags.

◈

Dual Player Architecture

Web Only

The web player loads both Shaka Player (v4.14.1) and HLS.js (v1.5.8) simultaneously — adding ~354KB (gzipped) to the initial payload. This enables zero-reload protocol switching between DASH linear and HLS event channels. CTV apps use native platform player SDKs (e.g., Roku Media Player, ExoPlayer on Fire TV) and would not carry this dual-JS overhead. Web TPM decision: consolidate to one player (Shaka already supports HLS) vs. maintain dual-player for protocol-specific tuning.

◉

Dual Analytics Migration

Web SDKs

The web platform fires both legacy Adobe AppMeasurement (JS-2.23.0 via /b/ss/) and modern AEP Web SDK (Alloy) (via /ee/or2/v1/interact) simultaneously to saa.paramountplus.com. This indicates an active web migration to AEP. CTV apps use Adobe Experience Platform Edge SDKs (native per platform) and may already be on the modern stack. Completing the web migration would eliminate duplicate event collection on the browser surface.

🔒

GPP Privacy: FreeWheel ↔ CMP Gap

All Platforms

FreeWheel VAST macros [GPPSTRING] and [GPPSECTIONID] pass through unpopulated — yet DoubleClick correctly sends gpp=DBABLA~BVQqAAAAAWA.QA. This confirms OneTrust CMP generates GPP, but the FreeWheel ↔ OneTrust integration is not wired. This is not a timing issue — raw template brackets mean macro substitution is missing entirely. Separately, [IFA] / [IFATYPE] are expected empty on web (no device ad ID in browsers); on CTV these carry Roku RIDA, Fire TV Ad ID, etc. GPP is a compliance gap across all platforms.

☁

Dynamic CDN Allocation

All Platforms · 32 Akamai Hosts

32 unique Akamai Airspace hostnames observed across web sessions. Initial sessions showed host sharing (e.g., propeca301a3 serving both History Undiscovered and 80s Sitcoms), while extended sessions revealed near 1:1 channel-to-host mapping. CDN edge allocation is infrastructure-level — the same Akamai routing serves web, CTV, and mobile clients identically. This behavior is consistent with geo-based load balancing and session affinity at the CDN layer.

◆ VOD Architecture vs. Industry Competitive Position

Paramount+ VOD uses DASH with fMP4 via Google DAI — the same foundation as YouTube's delivery infrastructure. HTTP/3 (QUIC) for segment delivery puts P+ ahead of Disney+ and Hulu (still primarily HTTP/2). Server-side ad stitching (SSAI) via Google DAI is industry best practice, preventing ad-blockers and ensuring seamless playback. The CMCD (Common Media Client Data) implementation with 13 real-time metrics on every segment request enables sophisticated ABR — comparable to Netflix's adaptive algorithm approach. VOD uses a dual-layer security model: Widevine DRM via Irdeto (18 license requests observed per session) for content decryption, plus signed URL expiry for CDN access control — providing both content protection and delivery security.

🌐 VOD Pipeline — Request Flow Click any node for details

🌐

Browser Request

GET /movies/video/
via Fastly CDN

click for details

➜

🔗

Parallel APIs

User, Content,
Privacy, FreeWheel

click for details

➜

📺

Google DAI

Stream Session
Network 8264

click for details

➜

📦

Segment Delivery

HTTP/3 DASH fMP4
+ CMCD metrics

click for details

➜

📢

Ad Impressions

3 ads, 7+ beacon
endpoints

click for details

➜

📊

Analytics & QoE

Conviva, Nielsen,
Adobe, Braze

click for details

1,382 requests · DASH fMP4 · HTTP/3 · 3 ads (SSAI) · 2m 42s

▶ VOD Pipeline Detail

VOD PIPELINE — END-TO-END FLOW

STEP 1 — AD CONFIG

FreeWheel

/freewheel/fms.json
userid, coppa, gdpr
Privacy flags fetched

➜

STEP 2 — DAI SESSION

Google DAI

Stream: 3c76d9c3-...
Network: 8264
Content: 2497752

➜

STEP 3 — SERVER DECISION

Segment Routing

dai.google.com/segments/redirect/c/
Each segment = ad OR content
Player cannot distinguish

➜

STEP 4 — CDN DELIVERY

Google Video CDN

HTTP/3 (QUIC)
r3/r4/r5 edge servers
Signed URLs + expiry

➜

STEP 5 — PLAYBACK

Shaka Player

DASH + fMP4
ABR via CMCD
IMA SDK for ads

▽

🎥 MEDIA TRACKS

Video: AVC High Profile
  1024×576 @ 2,600 kbps, 23.976fps
  Top available: 5,805 kbps
Audio: AAC-LC
  48kHz @ 128 kbps, Stereo
Container: fMP4 (fragmented MP4)
Segments: ~5s each, init.mp4 + numbered

🔗 SEGMENT URL ANATOMY

dai.google.com/segments/redirect/c/{n}.mp4
&orig={edge}.googlevideo.com
&id={video_id}
&itag=340 (quality tier)
&source=dclk_video_ads
&mime=video/mp4
&expire={ts} &signature={sig}

🔒 DRM & CONTENT PROTECTION

DRM: Widevine via Irdeto
(18 license requests/session)
CDN Auth: Signed URLs + expiry
Expiry: Time-limited access tokens
Transport: HTTPS required
Dual-layer security: DRM + signed URLs
(content protection + delivery security)

🎬 AD INSERTION (SSAI via DAI)

Model: Server-side stitching
Config: FreeWheel → GAM → DAI
Ads Served: 3 in this session
Tracking: HTTP 204 fire-and-forget
Edge Servers:
r1---sn-a5mekn6k · r1---sn-a5mlrnek · r1---sn-a5msener
r4---sn-a5mekn6s · r4---sn-a5mlrnll · r4---sn-qja5mc-5j
r5---sn-a5mekn6s · r5---sn-a5mekn6z · r5---sn-a5mlrnll (7+ edge servers, HTTP/3 QUIC)

📈 CMCD (ABR METRICS)

br: 2,699 kbps (current)
mtp: 19,800–28,700 (throughput)
bl: 9,600–10,000 ms (buffer)
tb: 5,805 kbps (top bitrate)
rtp: 6,800–7,000 (requested)
d: 5,005 ms (segment dur.)
+ nor, ot=v/a/i, sf=d, st=v, sid, su, dl

📊 SESSION STATS

Duration: 2m 42s
Requests: 1,382 total
Protocol: DASH (no m3u8)
Page CDN: Fastly (Varnish)
Video CDN: Google Video
Player JS: movieVideoTopEdge-*.min.js
IMA SDK: imasdk.googleapis.com

▽

IMPRESSION TRACKING FLOW

Ad segment plays ➜ dai.google.com/view/p/service/vod/impression/ ➜ stream/{id}/network/8264/content/2497752/vid/{vid}/stream_ad_id/{ad_id} ➜ HTTP 204 ✓

▶ VOD Ad Parameters

📢 VOD Ad Parameters

PRE-STREAM: FREEWHEEL AD CONFIG GET /freewheel/fms.json

Parameter	Value	Type	Description
dai	`0`	Integer	DAI mode — 0 = standard CSAI flow via Google IMA SDK
coppa	`0`	Integer	COPPA flag — 0 = not child-directed content
userid	`11ccb273-ef8a-4023-a472-20c0ddb6a328`	UUID	Paramount+ user ID — primary ad targeting key
gdpr	`0`	Integer	GDPR applicability — 0 = not in EU
gdpr_consent	`null`	String	IAB TCF consent string — null when GDPR=0

DAI STREAM SESSION Created after FreeWheel config fetched

Parameter	Value	Type	Description
Stream ID	`3c76d9c3-93c7-41e2-9096-30d847cdd729`	UUID	DAI stitched-stream identifier — ties all segments + ads together
Network ID	`8264`	Integer	Google Ad Manager network — Paramount's GAM publisher account
Content ID	`2497752`	Integer	GAM content asset ID — used for content-level ad targeting
DAI Session ID	`ca3bd550-0f7e-40b0-b832-84b9108c13db`	UUID	Client-side session ID for correlating requests
Service	`vod`	String	DAI service type — determines URL path structure

DAI SEGMENT URL PARAMETERS dai.google.com/segments/redirect/c/{n}.mp4

Parameter	Example Value	Description
orig	`https://r3---sn-a5msen7s.googlevideo.com/videoplayback`	Origin CDN edge server URL — actual media source
id	`2222756b23a632d9`	Video/creative ID — unique per ad or content asset
itag	`340`	Google quality tier index (maps to resolution + codec)
source	`dclk_video_ads`	Source identifier — "dclk_video_ads" = DoubleClick ad creative
requiressl	`yes`	Force HTTPS for segment delivery
mime	`video/mp4` or `audio/mp4`	MIME type — indicates video vs audio track
clen	`{content_length}`	Content length in bytes for the segment
expire	`{unix_timestamp}`	URL expiry — signed URL invalidation time
signature	`{sig}`	Cryptographic signature — prevents URL tampering

IMPRESSION TRACKING BEACON Fired per ad on playback start → HTTP 204

URL Path Segment	Value	Description
service	`vod`	Service type in impression URL path
impression	(path marker)	Indicates this is an impression beacon
stream/{stream_id}	`3c76d9c3-...`	Stream session this impression belongs to
network/{id}	`8264`	GAM network (Paramount's publisher ID)
content/{id}	`2497752`	Content asset being watched
vid/{id}	`2222756b23a632d9`	Ad creative video ID
media/{id}	`{media_id}`	Media rendition ID (quality-specific)
stream_ad_id/{id}	`{ad_id}`	Unique ad insertion ID within this stream

ADS OBSERVED IN VOD SESSION

Ad #	Video ID	Edge Server	CDN Region	Source
Ad 1	`2222756b23a632d9`	r4---sn-qja5mc-5j.googlevideo.com	US (Google POP)	dclk_video_ads
Ad 2	`b0c790e1d45c7b2d`	r3---sn-a5msen7s.googlevideo.com	US (Google POP)	dclk_video_ads
Ad 3	`81f568a32f216810`	r5---sn-a5meknzr.googlevideo.com	US (Google POP)	dclk_video_ads

CMCD (COMMON MEDIA CLIENT DATA) — ABR METRICS IN EVERY SEGMENT REQUEST

Param	Name	Observed Value(s)	Description
br	Bitrate	2699 (video), 132 (audio)	Current selected bitrate (kbps)
mtp	Measured Throughput	19,800 – 28,700 kbps	Actual measured download speed
bl	Buffer Level	9,600 – 10,000 ms	Current buffer depth in milliseconds
d	Duration	5,005 ms	Segment duration in milliseconds
nor	Next Object Request	"2.mp4", "3.mp4"	Prefetch hint — next segment filename
tb	Top Bitrate	5,805 (video), 143 (audio)	Highest available rendition bitrate
rtp	Requested Throughput	6,800 – 7,000 kbps	Throughput the player is requesting from CDN
dl	Deadline	9,600 – 10,000 ms	Time available before buffer underrun
ot	Object Type	v=video, a=audio, i=init	Type of media object being requested
sf	Stream Format	d (DASH)	Streaming protocol identifier
st	Stream Type	v (VOD)	Content type: v=VOD, l=live
sid	Session ID	`ca3bd550-...`	Player session UUID — correlates all segment requests
su	Startup	true (initial requests only)	Flag indicating first segment requests at session start

VOD Summary: The VOD pipeline is the most streamlined of the three. Content and ads flow through a single Google DAI endpoint — the player simply requests sequential numbered segments and Google's server transparently mixes in ad segments. The ad targeting chain starts with FreeWheel config (user ID + privacy flags), creates a DAI stream session (Network 8264, Content 2497752), then delivers segments from Google Video CDN edges where each segment's source=dclk_video_ads flag and unique video_id identify ad creatives. DRM is lightweight (signed URLs with expiration tokens rather than full MPEG-CENC). CMCD parameters on every segment request provide 13 real-time metrics for adaptive bitrate decisions.

◆ Live TV Architecture vs. Industry Competitive Position

Paramount+'s dual-protocol live architecture (HLS for event channels, DASH for linear) is architecturally unique — Netflix uses DASH-only, Disney+ primarily HLS. Loading both Shaka Player + HLS.js simultaneously enables zero-reload channel switching but adds ~354KB to payload. SCTE-35 → FreeWheel VAST 4.0 → DAI stitching for live ad breaks is industry-standard. The 20+ Akamai edge servers with dynamic channel-to-CDN allocation show mature live infrastructure. Golazo's unique HLS AES-128 DRM path (vs. Widevine for all others) suggests per-sport DRM licensing requirements.

🌐 Live TV Pipeline — Request Flow Click any node for details

🌐

Page Load

GET /live-tv/
640KB player assets

click for details

➜

🔗

APIs + Trackers

Channel Guide,
26 trackers, Adobe

click for details

➜

📡

Channel Tune-In

Protocol split:
HLS vs DASH

click for details

➜

HLS

📺

HLS + DAI

CBS News, Golazo
AES-128 / Widevine

click for details

DASH

📺

DASH + Irdeto

Movies, Drama, Kids
Widevine + PlayReady

click for details

➜

🎞

Live Segments

TS 4s (HLS)
fMP4 6s (DASH)

click for details

➜

📢

Ad Break

SCTE-35 → VAST
2 ads in 60s

click for details

➜

🔒

DRM Exchange

Irdeto Widevine
+ PlayReady

click for details

3,499 requests (4m 46s) · HLS + DASH · 54 DRM licenses · 2 ads in 60s · 26 trackers · 10 channels

◎ Live TV — Dual Protocol Detail

HLS EVENT CHANNELS — CBS News, Golazo, CBS Sports HQ

PACKAGER

Unified Streaming

v1.15.5-31515

➜

DAI PROXY

Google DAI

3 Event IDs

➜

AD SERVER

FreeWheel

VAST 4.0 + SCTE-35

➜

CDN

Akamai Airspace

*.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com

➜

DRM

Widevine / AES-128

Irdeto (Golazo = AES)

➜

PLAYER

HLS.js v1.5.8

Smart Tag v1.39.4

Segments

MPEG-TS (.ts), ~4s each

Max Quality

1080p — News 5,980 / Golazo 8,941 kbps

Renditions

7 video + 1 audio + 7 I-frame

Audio

AAC-LC 128kbps + CC1 captions

DVR

Program-Date-Time (time-shift)

Manifest Cache

no-cache (live edge)

▽ same page loads both ▽

DASH LINEAR CHANNELS — Movies, Drama, Kids, Comedy, Reality (8+ channels)

MANIFEST

Dynamic MPD

isoff-live:2011

➜

CDN

Akamai (20+ hosts)

Direct — no DAI proxy

➜

DRM

MPEG-CENC

Widevine + PlayReady

➜

LICENSE

Irdeto

cbsi.live.ott.irdeto.com

➜

PLAYER

Shaka v4.14.1

Smart Tag v1.39.4

Segments

fMP4 (.mp4), ~6s each

Max Quality

1080p @ 8,000 kbps (AVC High 4.0)

Renditions

8 video (270p–1080p)

Audio + Subs

AAC-LC 128k + TTML/WebVTT

Time-Shift

55.5s buffer, 15s MPD update

Dual DRM in MPD

Widevine PSSH + PlayReady PSSH

★ Ad Break Flow (SSAI — CBS News HLS)

SCTE-35 SIGNAL

CUE-OUT: 60.03s

Break: 0000408279
DATERANGE: 33075399-...
Signal: time_signal
Type: Mid-roll

➜

FREEWHEEL DECISION

VAST 4.0 Response

2 ad slots filled
InLine ads (direct)
Quartile tracking
OMID verification

➜

Ad 1: Stamps.com 30.03s

Creative 68179315 · 5 renditions · Extreme Reach CDN

Ad 2: Star Trek Promo 30.03s

Creative 305071423 · 7 renditions · CBS Internal CDN

➜

CUE-IN

Resume Content

Seamless stitch

▽

TRACKING PER AD (11 ID3 events × 7+ tracker endpoints)

start ➜ progress ×5 ➜ firstQuartile ➜ midpoint ➜ thirdQuartile ➜ complete

FreeWheel Extreme Reach (OMID) Google DAI Google DFP Nielsen DCR TV Scientific Advertiser Pixels

Privacy: us_privacy=1YNN · GDPR=0 · GPP=[GPPSTRING] (not populated) · + mute/pause/resume/close/clickTracking events

⚿ DRM License Exchange (Irdeto)

1 — CORS PREFLIGHT

OPTIONS → 204
CORS validation for cross-origin DRM request

➜

2 — LICENSE CHALLENGE

POST + auth header
Binary protobuf challenge (4,296 bytes)

➜

3 — LICENSE RESPONSE

application/octet-stream
Protobuf license (672 bytes) / (672+720 dual)

➜

4 — CDM DECRYPT

Widevine CDM v19.0.6
Server: alcatraz_test_drm_server

📢 Live TV Ad Parameters

DAI EVENT & STREAM SESSION Created per live channel tune-in

Parameter	Value	Type	Description
Event ID	`Sid4xiTQTkCT1SLu6rjUSQ`	String (Base64)	DAI live event — maps to specific channel (CBS News). Each channel has a unique event ID
Stream ID	`b16dc19f-2b50-4a20-8e82-59963ee772b8:CBF2`	UUID:Suffix	Session-specific stream ID — suffix may indicate CDN region or stream variant
Network ID	`8264`	Integer	GAM publisher network — same as VOD (Paramount's unified account)
Service	`linear`	String	DAI service path — "linear" for live (vs "vod" for on-demand)
Packager	Unified Streaming Platform v1.15.5-31515	String	Server-side packager that generates HLS manifests from live source
DAI Manifest	`dai.google.com/linear/hls/pa/event/{eventId}/master.m3u8`	URL	DAI-proxied HLS master playlist — Google proxies manifest to inject ad segments

SCTE-35 AD BREAK SIGNALING In-band HLS playlist tags

Parameter	Value	HLS Tag	Description
Break ID	`0000408279`	—	Ad break ID
DATERANGE ID	`33075399-1772081897`	`#EXT-X-DATERANGE:ID`	HLS break ID for player sync
Start Date	`2026-02-26T04:58:17.226433Z`	`START-DATE`	Break start time (UTC)
Planned Duration	`60.026633` seconds	`PLANNED-DURATION`	Break duration
CUE-OUT Duration	`60.026633`	`#EXT-X-CUE-OUT`	SCTE-35 splice-out marker — triggers ad break
SCTE35-OUT	`0xFC304E...`	`SCTE35-OUT` attr	Raw SCTE-35 binary (hex-encoded)
Signal Type	`time_signal`	—	Provider Placement Opportunity Start
Break Type	Mid-roll	—	Break position within live stream
Ad Count	2	—	Number of ad slots filled in this break

AD POD SEGMENT URL PARAMETERS dai.google.com/linear/pods/v1/p/

Path Segment	Value	Description
{eventId}	`Sid4xiTQTkCT1SLu6rjUSQ`	DAI event — identifies which live channel
{streamId}	`b16dc19f-...:CBF2`	Viewer's stream session for this channel
{breakId}	`0000408279`	Break reference — matches SCTE-35 break ID
{variant}	(quality index)	HLS variant stream — matches master playlist rendition
{segment}	(segment index)	Sequential segment number within the ad pod
Container	`.ts` (MPEG-TS)	Same container format as content segments — seamless stitching

VAST 4.0 RESPONSE PARAMETERS (FROM FREEWHEEL)

Parameter	Ad Slot 1	Ad Slot 2	Description
Ad System	FreeWheel	FreeWheel	Ad server / decision engine
VAST Version	4.0	4.0	VAST specification version
Ad Type	`<InLine>`	`<InLine>`	Inline (direct) vs Wrapper (redirect chain)
Advertiser	Stamps.com	CBS News (Star Trek: Starfleet Academy)	Advertiser name
Creative ID	`68179315`	`305071423`	Unique creative identifier
Duration	30.03s	30.03s	Ad slot duration
Creative Format	Progressive MP4	Progressive MP4	Ad creative container format
Renditions	5 (375–25,000 kbps)	7 (482–22,876 kbps)	Available quality tiers for the creative
Creative CDN	`cdn1.extremereach.io`	`p-ause1-adops-output.cbsivideo.com`	CDN serving the ad creative files
Verification	Extreme Reach OMID	—	Viewability verification SDK
Click-Through	URL (advertiser site)	URL (P+ content page)	Destination on ad click

AD TRACKING EVENTS & BEACONS

Event	Tracker(s)	Trigger	Count per Ad
impression	FreeWheel, DAI, Extreme Reach, Advertiser	Ad render start	Up to 10 beacons
start	FreeWheel, Extreme Reach	First frame displayed	2–3
firstQuartile	FreeWheel, Extreme Reach	25% of ad played	2–3
midpoint	FreeWheel, Extreme Reach	50% of ad played	2–3
thirdQuartile	FreeWheel, Extreme Reach	75% of ad played	2–3
complete	FreeWheel, Extreme Reach	100% of ad played	2–3
mute / unmute	FreeWheel	Mute/unmute during ad	1 each
pause / resume	FreeWheel	Pause/resume during ad	1 each
rewind	FreeWheel	User rewinds during ad	1
close	FreeWheel	Player close during ad	1
acceptInvitation	FreeWheel	User clicks interactive ad overlay	1
clickTracking	FreeWheel, DoubleClick	Ad click-through	1–2

ID3 IN-BAND METADATA dai.google.com/.../id3-events.json — 35.9 KB

Parameter	Value	Description
Total Tags	22	In-band ID3 metadata events for the observed ad break
Tags per Ad	11	start + progress×5 + firstQuartile + midpoint + thirdQuartile + complete
Progress Events	5 per ad	Fired at regular intervals within each quartile
Payload Format	JSON	Array of timed events the player uses to fire tracking beacons
Delivery	Polled by client	Player fetches ID3 event manifest and fires beacons at specified times

PRIVACY PARAMETERS IN AD REQUESTS

Parameter	Value	Standard	Status
us_privacy	`1YNN`	CCPA (USP)	✓ Populated — "1" notice given, "Y" yes opt-out, "NN" no sale/no sharing
gdpr	`0`	IAB TCF	✓ Populated — not in EU jurisdiction
[GPPSTRING]	Template placeholder	IAB GPP	✗ NOT populated — GPP integration incomplete
[GPPSECTIONID]	Template placeholder	IAB GPP	✗ NOT populated
[IFA]	Empty (web)	Identifier for Advertising	⚠ Expected — IMA SDK on web has no device ad ID (CTV/mobile only)
[IFATYPE]	Empty (web)	IFA Type	⚠ Expected — no IFA on web browsers

AD TRACKING ENDPOINT STACK

Tracker	Endpoint	Purpose	Beacons per Break
FreeWheel	`7f077.v.fwmrm.net`	Primary ad server — quartile events, completion, slot tracking	~20+
Extreme Reach	`beacons.extremereach.io`	Creative tracking + OMID verification	~10
Google DAI	`dai.google.com/view/p/service/linear/impression/`	Impression beacon	1 per ad
Google DFP	`securepubads.g.doubleclick.net`	Companion / display ad serving	~2
Nielsen	`secure-dcr.imrworldwide.com`	Audience measurement (DCR) during ad playback	~2
Stamps.com Horizon	`stamps.hrzn-nxt.com`	Advertiser-specific conversion pixel (varies per creative)	1
TV Scientific	`tvspix.com`	CTV/OTT ad attribution — live-only tracker	1+

CMCD PARAMETERS (LIVE STREAMS)

Param	Name	Observed Value(s)	Description
bl	Buffer Level	10,700 – 15,300 ms	Current buffer depth (higher than VOD — live safety margin)
br	Bitrate	128 – 5,980 kbps	Current rendition bitrate (audio low, video high)
d	Duration	0 – 6,016 ms	Segment duration (0 for manifest, ~4–6s for segments)
mtp	Measured Throughput	10,000 – 77,900 kbps	Actual measured download speed (wider range than VOD)
ot	Object Type	m, v, i, k, a	m=manifest, v=video, i=init, k=key (DRM), a=audio
sf	Stream Format	h (HLS), d (DASH)	Both formats observed on live — dual protocol
sid	Session ID	UUID	Player session — new UUID per channel switch
st	Stream Type	l (live)	Live stream indicator
tb	Top Bitrate	128 – 5,980 kbps	Highest available rendition
su	Startup	true	Present on initial segment requests after channel switch

Live TV Summary: The Live TV page is architecturally the most complex — it loads both HLS.js and Shaka Player simultaneously to handle two different streaming protocols on the same page. CBS News uses HLS with server-side ad insertion (ads seamlessly stitched via SCTE-35 cue points), while entertainment channels like Survivor use DASH with full MPEG-CENC content protection (dual Widevine + PlayReady DRM). Ad breaks are signaled via SCTE-35 EXT-X-CUE-OUT with full DATERANGE metadata, triggering FreeWheel VAST 4.0 ad decisioning that returns creative IDs, advertiser names, renditions (up to 25,000 kbps), and OMID viewability verification. Each ad fires 11 ID3 tracking events across 7+ tracking endpoints (FreeWheel, Extreme Reach, DAI, DFP, Nielsen, advertiser pixels, TV Scientific). Privacy parameters show CCPA compliance (us_privacy=1YNN) but 4 GPP/IFA placeholders remain unpopulated. Extended analysis covers 13 total channels across 3 DAI events.

◆ Channel Strategy Analysis Market Differentiation

Paramount+'s FAST/linear channel lineup of 32+ channels is a key differentiator — Netflix has no linear offering, and Disney+ has limited live content. The channel mix spans 8 categories (News, Sports, Entertainment, Kids, Drama, Reality, Comedy, Franchise) and positions P+ competitively with Pluto TV (also Paramount-owned) and Tubi. The dual-protocol split — 9 HLS channels via Google DAI (news/sports/talk) and 23 DASH channels via AWS MediaPackage (entertainment/curated) — allows optimizing each pipeline independently. Dynamic CDN allocation across 23+ Akamai Airspace edge servers plus 14 CBS News local station feeds via SyncBak demonstrates mature infrastructure management at scale.

3,499

Total Requests

Channels Observed

DRM Requests

Airspace CDN Hosts

DAI Events (HLS)

CBS News Locals

Delivery Tiers

☆ HLS — Google DAI (9 Channels)

#	Channel	Category	DRM	CDN Origin	DAI Event ID
1	CBS News	News	None (clear)	news20e7hhcb	Sid4xiTQ...
2	CBS News Los Angeles	News	None (clear)	losandd87138	K_2aA7OV...
3	CBS Sports HQ	Sports	None (clear)	propee33f9c2	9Lq0ERvo...
4	Golazo	Sports	HLS AES-128	dai.google.com	RGKIw3F7...
5	UEFA Champions League	Sports	HLS AES-128	dai.google.com	e_J20hQl...
6	48 Hours	Entertainment	HLS AES-128	48hoa39aa69	JUr94WL2...
7	60 Minutes	Entertainment	None (clear)	60mi203g0hb	nrb-l85C...
8	Entertainment Tonight	Entertainment	None (clear)	enterbcef94b	xrVrJYTm...
9	Inside Edition	Entertainment	None (clear)	insidgfe884c	Y2DMgfcl...

☆ DASH — MediaPackage (23 Channels)

#	Channel	Category	DRM	Airspace CDN Host	MediaPackage Output ID
1	Movies	Entertainment	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope7000cg2	7327de9b...
2	All Day Drama	Drama	Widevine (Irdeto)	propeeh880hf	6478afc2...
3	Crime & Justice	Drama	Widevine (Irdeto)	propec8a8g5d	ea5a1b95...
4	History Undiscovered	Drama	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope828e699	51a87d4b...
5	Black Voices	Drama	Widevine (Irdeto)	propehd52184	971649db...
6	SpongeBob Universe	Kids	Widevine (Irdeto)	propehdbb66a	202a929c...
7	PAW Patrol	Kids	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope326ef10	c66b469c...
8	Animation Favorites	Kids	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope12dc513	9bf3c299...
9	Kids & Family Fun	Kids	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope7da52h4	65122b02...
10	Preschool Corner	Kids	Widevine (Irdeto)	propeh201d65	08d01a37...
11	RuPaul's Drag Race	Reality	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope26af1ac	1cc5d232...
12	Survivor	Reality	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope4h423g3	2dc3d623...
13	The Challenge	Reality	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope4h4545h	d79756ea...
14	Reality TV Competition	Reality	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope1b2ebf3	eb303946...
15	Reality TV Shores	Reality	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope6hd09cc	469ea5b2...
16	Adult Animation	Comedy	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope97d0g68	f85f9f08...
17	80s Sitcoms	Comedy	Widevine (Irdeto)	propeca301a3	d6c098d5...
18	90s Sitcoms	Comedy	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope8hfb933	dfb5a1e6...
19	24/7 Laughs	Comedy	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope7590e38	e782698a...
20	Nostalgic Hits	Comedy	Widevine (Irdeto)	propef5ch9b2	79b99cd4...
21	TV Classics	Comedy	Widevine (Irdeto)	propede8cf4h	10a73b1d...
22	Star Trek	Franchise	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope4197c75	33c91e46...
23	CSI	Franchise	Widevine (Irdeto)	prope664bgd7	0f983bdd...

⚖ Three-Tier Delivery Architecture

Attribute	HLS — Google DAI	DASH — AWS MediaPackage	HLS — SyncBak Local
Channel Types	News, Sports, Talk Shows	Entertainment, Kids, Drama, Reality, Comedy, Franchise	CBS Local Affiliates
Count	9 channels	23 channels	14 stations
Protocol	HLS (MPEG-TS segments)	DASH (fMP4 segments)	HLS (master.m3u8)
Ad Insertion	Google DAI SSAI (server-side stitching)	FreeWheel / None observed	Local affiliate ads
DRM	None (clear) or AES-128 key rotation	Widevine via Irdeto	JWT auth token
License Server	`dai.google.com`	`cbsi.live.ott.irdeto.com`	`cbsplaylistserver.aws.syncbak.com`
Max Bitrate	8,941 kbps (Golazo)	~8,000 kbps	60fps enabled
CDN	Akamai Airspace + Google CDN	Akamai Airspace (unique host per channel)	SyncBak (AWS)
Player	HLS.js v1.5.8	Shaka v4.14.1	Shaka v4.14.1
DAI Events	9 unique event IDs	—	—
Geolocation	—	—	DMA-based (lat/long)

CDN Host Map, DAI Events, CBS Locals & Technical Debt

☁ CDN Host Map — 23 DASH Edge Servers

Airspace CDN Host	Channel	Category
prope7000cg2.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	Movies	Entertainment
propeeh880hf.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	All Day Drama	Drama
propec8a8g5d.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	Crime & Justice	Drama
prope828e699.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	History Undiscovered	Drama
propehd52184.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	Black Voices	Drama
propehdbb66a.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	SpongeBob Universe	Kids
prope326ef10.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	PAW Patrol	Kids
prope12dc513.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	Animation Favorites	Kids
prope7da52h4.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	Kids & Family Fun	Kids
propeh201d65.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	Preschool Corner	Kids
prope26af1ac.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	RuPaul's Drag Race	Reality
prope4h423g3.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	Survivor	Reality
prope4h4545h.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	The Challenge	Reality
prope1b2ebf3.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	Reality TV Competition	Reality
prope6hd09cc.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	Reality TV Shores	Reality
prope97d0g68.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	Adult Animation	Comedy
propeca301a3.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	80s Sitcoms	Comedy
prope8hfb933.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	90s Sitcoms	Comedy
prope7590e38.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	24/7 Laughs	Comedy
propef5ch9b2.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	Nostalgic Hits	Comedy
propede8cf4h.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	TV Classics	Comedy
prope4197c75.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	Star Trek	Franchise
prope664bgd7.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	CSI	Franchise

Key insight: Unlike the previous session where CDN hosts were shared across channels, this extended session reveals a 1:1 mapping — each DASH channel gets its own dedicated Airspace CDN hostname. The hostname format is {hash}.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com backed by AWS MediaPackage with unique output UUIDs per channel.

☁ HLS CDN Origins — Google DAI Channels

CDN Origin Host	Channel	Type
news20e7hhcb.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	CBS News	News
losandd87138.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	CBS News Los Angeles	News
propee33f9c2.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	CBS Sports HQ	Sports
48hoa39aa69.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	48 Hours	Entertainment
60mi203g0hb.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	60 Minutes	Entertainment
enterbcef94b.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	Entertainment Tonight	Entertainment
insidgfe884c.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	Inside Edition	Entertainment

Note: HLS channels route through dai.google.com for SSAI, but content segments originate from Airspace CDN hostnames. The hostname prefix encodes channel identity: news2 = CBS News, losand = LA, 48hoa = 48 Hours, 60mi = 60 Minutes, enter = ET, insid = Inside Edition.

★ DAI Event IDs — 9 National + 14 Local

DAI Event ID	Channel	DRM
Sid4xiTQTkCT1SLu6rjUSQ	CBS News	None
K_2aA7OVRTacJJli1oSi8w	CBS News Los Angeles	None
9Lq0ERvoSR-z9AwvFS-xYA	CBS Sports HQ	None
RGKIw3F7RVGzc5E9y8ElLQ	Golazo	AES-128
e_J20hQlRxGS_kxonmgm3A	UEFA Champions League	AES-128
JUr94WL2QAiVpGNHY5n5dA	48 Hours	AES-128
nrb-l85CR7SIr-rGXqz4zA	60 Minutes	None
xrVrJYTmTfitfXBQfeZByQ	Entertainment Tonight	None
Y2DMgfclT3S2nNxANeIawA	Inside Edition	None

★ CBS Local Stations — 14 DAI Feeds

Local Station	DAI Event ID	Provider
CBS News Baltimore	TMUt418sQMeu1QtneYJ9ag	Google DAI + SyncBak
CBS News Bay Area	laLJwH1nS2KQAUQTF8z1Cg	Google DAI + SyncBak
CBS News Boston	dHA193vxQ_WqZNVoC-W5MA	Google DAI + SyncBak
CBS News Chicago	_xQBtL7ZSEClkNebaXzn8w	Google DAI + SyncBak
CBS News Colorado	E9CkyheTSKeGiOiICU_JBQ	Google DAI + SyncBak
CBS News Detroit	xnyAMOsfSV2J1b-A3nROFQ	Google DAI + SyncBak
CBS News Los Angeles	K_2aA7OVRTacJJli1oSi8w	Google DAI + SyncBak (default)
CBS News Miami	_yODrBHESGSzPe3dqW4gGg	Google DAI + SyncBak
CBS News Minnesota	c0XucO32RNKG8oeQ351a4Q	Google DAI + SyncBak
CBS News New York	jeTDC610T-OSPdiWhcl0Pg	Google DAI + SyncBak
CBS News Philadelphia	R2Kw0uvnQIW7fUmOseurzA	Google DAI + SyncBak
CBS News Pittsburgh	mir-uZYjTu6-8JLMHBTKhQ	Google DAI + SyncBak
CBS News Sacramento	e7mp4YVGS7O_e7rqRNjKow	Google DAI + SyncBak
CBS News Texas	ogzLhRCkRbG3lFHHJwqaNw	Google DAI + SyncBak

Architecture note: Local stations are geo-targeted via DMA ID (e.g., DMA 803 = Los Angeles, KCBS). Stream authentication uses JWT tokens with baseChannelId: 29, mvpdId: pplusLCP, and 60FPS: true. CBS News LA and the default "locals" channel share the same DAI event ID, indicating the locals feed defaults to the user's nearest DMA.

⚠ Technical Debt Observations

Type	Count	Message	Impact
Error	7	"Script error." — cross-origin ad SDK errors masked by CORS during channel switches	Benign — playback unaffected
Warning	5	`manifest.hls.useSafariBehaviorForLive` deprecated in Shaka v4.14.1, removed in v5.0	Action required before Shaka v5.0 upgrade

Live Channels Summary: 32 channels across 8 categories organized into a three-tier delivery architecture: 9 HLS channels (news/sports/talk) via Google DAI with SSAI ad stitching (3 using AES-128 key rotation, 6 clear), 23 DASH channels (entertainment/kids/drama/reality/comedy/franchise) via AWS MediaPackage with Widevine DRM licensed through Irdeto, and 14 CBS News local station feeds via SyncBak with JWT authentication and DMA-based geolocation. Each DASH channel gets a dedicated Airspace CDN hostname (1:1 mapping). Session captured 3,499 requests including 54 DRM exchanges and 9 unique DAI event IDs. All channels share Shaka Player v4.14.1 with CMCD telemetry reporting.

1,348

Total Requests

30+

Tracking Pixels

Personalization Phases

108

Video Preview Clips

873

Image Requests (65%)

27s

Session Captured

Home Page: Personalization Engine + Tracking Ecosystem

A single Paramount+ home page load fires 30+ tracking pixels across analytics, ad attribution, social retargeting, and privacy consent — while simultaneously running a 6-phase personalization pipeline via Adobe AEP to determine what each user sees. The page generates 1,348 total requests in 27 seconds, with 873 image requests (65%) served through a CDN-edge resizing pipeline and 108 HLS video preview clips from Fastly. This is a textbook example of how modern streaming platforms balance content discovery (personalized carousels, video previews) with measurement infrastructure (cross-platform attribution, audience verification, QoE monitoring). Running Optimizely alongside Adobe Target indicates a dual-vendor experimentation strategy.

30+ Tracking Pixels 6-Phase Personalization Cross-Platform Retargeting CDN-Edge Image Pipeline HLS Video Previews OneTrust Consent

★ Personalization Pipeline — Adobe AEP Web SDK

🖥

Browser

Page Load

⚡

AEP Web SDK

alloy("sendEvent")

👤

User Context

8 Signals

Tier • Tenure • Profile • Device

🎯

Scope & Surface

decisionScopes + surfaces

web://paramountplus.com/home

🌐

Adobe Edge Network

OR2 (Oregon)

ECID → Segments → Rules → Allocate

📝 DOM Patch

📋 JSON Feed

💬 In-App Msg

🔀 Redirect

🧪 A/B Test

💻

Client Render

Apply Offers

DOM + Feed + IAM + Redirect

📊

Measurement

propositionDisplay events

Request

Context

Targeting

Edge Processing

Decisions

Render

Measurement

Click any node for detailed phase breakdown

📡 Tracking & Analytics — 30+ Pixels per Page Load

Every home page load triggers this massive tracking ecosystem. Each category serves a distinct business function — from content analytics to ad attribution to privacy compliance.

Adobe AEP — Primary Analytics

25 requests per page load. Core behavioral analytics: page views, content impressions, carousel interactions, video preview starts. First-party domain (saa.paramountplus.com) masks Adobe collection server.

Dual SDK: AppMeasurement JS-2.23.0 + AEP Web SDK (Alloy)

Sparrow — Internal Telemetry

Paramount's proprietary first-party telemetry system. Captures granular UI events, feature flag evaluations, and client performance data independently of Adobe.

Endpoint: sparrow.paramountplus.com

New Relic — Performance Monitoring

20 requests per page load. Real User Monitoring (RUM): JS errors, page load timing, AJAX performance, Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS).

Endpoint: bam.nr-data.net

Conviva — Video QoE

Video Quality of Experience: buffering ratio, bitrate shifts, startup time, playback failures. Industry standard for streaming QoE benchmarking.

Endpoint: *.cws.conviva.com

Nielsen — Audience Measurement

Currency-grade audience measurement for ad sales. Enables Nielsen ONE cross-platform ratings — critical for advertising revenue and content valuation.

Endpoint: secure-dcr.imrworldwide.com

Doppler — Internal Beacon

Internal telemetry beacon and configuration service. Collects custom Paramount-specific metrics outside the Adobe ecosystem.

Endpoint: doppler-beacon.cbsivideo.com

Cross-Platform Retargeting

Pinterest (26 req), DoubleClick (13 req), Facebook Meta Pixel, Twitter/X Conversion API, Reddit Conversion Pixel, Bing Ads UET Tag — social & search retargeting via Tealium TMS.

Pinterest highest volume — suggests active paid acquisition

Attribution & Ad Verification

Kochava (mobile/CTV install attribution), Flashtalking (ad serving & viewability), ScoreCard Research (cross-publisher audience verification).

DoubleClick: 13 req for impression tracking & frequency capping

Privacy & Consent

OneTrust CMP (3 consent-api + 3 geolocation requests) gates all pixel firing. Paramount Privacy CDN serves privacy policy assets. GDPR/CCPA compliance at consent layer.

Consent resolved before any tracking pixels fire

⚠ Dual Analytics Pipeline Detected: Both legacy Adobe AppMeasurement (JS-2.23.0) and modern AEP Web SDK (Alloy) are firing simultaneously. This indicates an active migration — AppMeasurement will likely be deprecated once AEP coverage is validated.

Carousel Layout, Content APIs & Image/Video Delivery Pipeline

⚙ Content APIs

GET /movies/xhr/moviepage/extras/{contentId}/offset/0/limit/20/
GET /movies/xhr/moviepage/ymal/{contentId}/ (You May Also Like)
GET /in-app-messaging/?pageType=movies×tamp={ts}&availableForProfileTypesOnMovies=ADULT

● Carousel API Structure

Homepage Carousel Layout

Hero Marquee

Full-width promotional banners
(School Spirits, Matlock)

Featured Shows

Show artwork tiles
(NCIS, FBI, King of Queens)

Channel Logos

Showtime, Nickelodeon
MTV, BET, Comedy Central

Tom Cruise Movies

Movie collection tiles

UFC Content

Sports collection tiles

Kids Programming

Transformers, PAW Patrol

NFL Banner

Dedicated sports promotion

◉ Content Delivery

🖼

Image Delivery — 873 Requests

wwwimage-us.pplusstatic.com

CDN Stack: OpenResty → Varnish (Chicago shield) → Varnish (Burbank edge)
Cache TTL: 30 days (max-age=2,592,000)
Format: WebP conversion at CDN edge (?format=webp)
Quality: q80 (80% JPEG quality equivalent)
CORS: access-control-allow-origin: *

IMAGE SIZE TIERS

w3200	Hero marquee banners	168–663 KB
w1920	Responsive hero fallback	~168 KB
w600	Carousel thumbnails	12–42 KB
w419	Show logo overlays	4–12 KB
w300	Smaller carousel items	10–24 KB
w200	Profile avatars	~6.7 KB

▶

Video Preview System (HLS)

splice-media.paramountplus.com

Protocol: HLS with MPEG-TS segments
Packager: Shaka Packager v3.2.2
CDN: Fastly — Burbank edge, Chicago shield
Cache TTL: 15 minutes (max-age=900)
Cache Hits: 764,031+ (heavily cached)

VARIANT STREAMS

Video (low)	514 kbps	.ts segments
Video (high)	3,133 kbps	.ts segments
Audio	128 kbps AAC	.aac segments

14 segments/variant · ~84s total preview · ~6s segment duration

Image Resizing & Transformation Pipeline Detail

🖼 Image Pipeline

CDN-Edge

Resize Method

6 Tiers

Width Breakpoints

WebP

Output Format

30 days

Cache TTL

TRANSFORMATION FLOW

Client requests
w600-q80/...jpg?format=webp ➜ Varnish Edge
cache-bur (Burbank) ➜ Varnish Shield
cache-chi (Chicago) ➜ OpenResty Origin
Resize + WebP convert

Resized output is cached at both Varnish tiers for 30 days. Subsequent requests for same width+quality hit cache directly.

URL PATTERN

https://wwwimage-us.pplusstatic.com/thumbnails/photos/w{WIDTH}-q80/{type}/{id}/{path}.jpg?format=webp
      

Parameter	Value	Description	Where Applied
w{WIDTH}	200, 300, 419, 600, 1920, 3200	Responsive width resize — origin scales to exact pixel width	OpenResty origin
q80	80	JPEG quality factor (80% — balances visual fidelity vs file size)	OpenResty origin
format=webp	webp	On-the-fly format conversion from JPEG source to WebP output	OpenResty origin
{type}	marquee, show_asset, movie_asset, pplcrn, profile	Content type prefix — routes to correct source image bucket	Origin path routing

Tier	Width	Use Case	Typical Size	Ratio vs Hero
Hero XL	w3200	Full-width marquee banners	168–663 KB	1x (baseline)
Hero Responsive	w1920	Responsive fallback for smaller viewports	~168 KB	~0.4x
Carousel	w600	Show/movie thumbnail tiles	12–42 KB	~0.05x
Logo Overlay	w419	Show logo overlays on marquee	4–12 KB	~0.02x
Small Tile	w300	Smaller carousel items, content rows	10–24 KB	~0.03x
Avatar	w200	Profile avatars, micro icons	~6.7 KB	~0.01x

★ Carousel Architecture

The home page is a series of content carousels, each populated by a combination of editorial curation and algorithmic personalization. Here is how the observed content rows map to personalization strategies.

Hero Marquee

Full-width banners (School Spirits, Matlock) — editorially curated but A/B tested via Adobe Target DOM actions. Creative swap, CTA text, and banner order are all variant-eligible.

Images: w3200 hero (168–663 KB each)

Brand Channels Row

Showtime, Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Comedy Central logos — segment-gated. Showtime shows only for users with Showtime add-on; Nickelodeon promoted for KIDS profiles.

Feed Item schema controls visibility per profile

Algorithmic Rows

"Because You Watched", "Trending Now", "You May Also Like" — populated by content affinity scores from the recommendation engine. Row order itself is personalized via CSS order property.

API: /movies/xhr/moviepage/ymal/{contentId}/

Curated Collections

"Tom Cruise Movies", "Transformers", "Gladiator", "Jack Reacher" — editorial collections that are time-gated around theatrical releases and cultural events.

Feed Items with metadata badges ("New Episode")

Sports & Live Content

UFC, NFL banners — geo-targeted and time-sensitive. Row visibility controlled by market (US-only for NFL), schedule proximity, and subscription tier.

AJO in-app messaging for live event alerts

Kids Programming

PAW Patrol, Transformers — profile-type gated. KIDS profiles see this promoted to top; ADULT profiles see it lower. Entire row hidden for non-family accounts.

profileCategory: KIDS triggers row promotion

📡 Media Session Tracking

Navigating between the video player and home page triggers session boundary events that close the measurement loop:

Video Player ➜ sessionEnd (playhead: 6s) ➜ stateEnd (streamFormatSDR) ➜ Home Page Load

Endpoint: POST /va/api/v1/sessions/{session_id}/events
These events feed into Conviva QoE dashboards and Adobe Analytics for content engagement scoring. The playhead position at session end (6s in this capture) indicates the user watched a preview clip, not a full episode — this data is used to distinguish browse-only sessions from viewing sessions in retention models.

Home Page Summary: The Paramount+ homepage is simultaneously a content discovery surface and a measurement data collection platform. In a single 27-second session, the page generates 1,348 requests: 873 images through a CDN-edge resizing pipeline (OpenResty + dual Varnish caches, 30-day TTL), 108 HLS video preview clips from Fastly (764,000+ cache hits), and 30+ tracking pixels spanning Adobe AEP (25 req), New Relic (20 req), Pinterest retargeting (26 req), DoubleClick (13 req), plus Sparrow, Conviva, Nielsen, Facebook, Twitter/X, Reddit, Bing, Kochava, and ScoreCard Research. Personalization is powered by a 6-phase Adobe AEP pipeline delivering 5 decision schema types that control carousel ordering, hero banners, in-app messaging, redirects, and A/B test variants. An Optimizely experiment concurrently tests video preview auto-play timing. Privacy consent is managed by OneTrust CMP with geolocation-based GDPR/CCPA compliance.

Service Ecosystem Analysis vs. Industry

Paramount+ relies on 30+ external services — typical for a major streamer (Netflix operates more in-house, Disney+ uses a similar vendor-heavy approach). The multi-CDN strategy across 4 providers (Fastly, Google Video Infra, Akamai, CBS Airspace) is industry best practice for resilience and geographic optimization. Irdeto DRM consolidation across all content paths (Widevine, PlayReady, HLS AES-128) shows good architectural discipline — many competitors split DRM across multiple vendors. The dual tag management (Tealium + GTM) and dual analytics (Adobe AEP + Google Analytics) suggest an active migration or vendor evaluation period.

30+ Services 4-Provider Multi-CDN Unified DRM (Irdeto) Dual Tag Management

★ Ad Tech & Monetization 9 services

Service	Domain(s)	Role	VOD	Live	Home
Google DAI	dai.google.com	SSAI — VOD + Live HLS	✓	✓	—
FreeWheel	7f077.v.fwmrm.net	Ad server — VAST 4.0 (Live)	—	✓	—
Google IMA SDK	imasdk.googleapis.com	Client-side ad SDK (VOD)	✓	✓	—
DoubleClick	ad.doubleclick.net, googleads.g.doubleclick.net	Attribution & conversion	—	387	21
Google Ads	adservice.google.com	Remarketing & retargeting	—	180	6
Extreme Reach	beacons.extremereach.io, cdn1.extremereach.io	Creative delivery & OMID	—	✓	—
Flashtalking	servedby.flashtalking.com	Creative serving & attribution	—	60	2
TV Scientific	tvspix.com	CTV attribution (live-only)	—	30	—
Samba TV	ads.samba.tv	TV attribution	—	3	1

◉ Analytics & Measurement 7 services

Service	Domain(s)	Role	VOD	Live	Home
Adobe AEP	saa.paramountplus.com	Analytics & personalization	—	44	25
Google Analytics	www.google.com	Web analytics (secondary)	—	27	11
Nielsen	secure-dcr.imrworldwide.com	TV measurement (DCR)	—	88	1
Scorecard Research	sb.scorecardresearch.com	Audience measurement	—	14	6
Yahoo Analytics	sp.analytics.yahoo.com	Search analytics pixel	—	30	1
Sparrow	sparrow.paramountplus.com	Internal video telemetry (1P)	—	3	—
Doppler	doppler-beacon.cbsivideo.com	Video analytics (legacy)	—	4	3

◎ Video QoE 3 services

Service	Domain(s)	Role	VOD	Live	Home
Conviva	*.cws.conviva.com	Video QoE (buffering, bitrate, errors)	24	199	1
New Relic	bam.nr-data.net	APM	—	20	20
Scrapcranes	scrapcranes.com	Legacy monitoring	—	31	—

★ Retargeting 6 services

Service	Domain(s)	Role	VOD	Live	Home
Pinterest	ct.pinterest.com, s.pinimg.com	Retargeting (via Tealium)	—	137	28
Bing Ads	bat.bing.com	Search retargeting (UET tag)	—	82	16
Facebook	www.facebook.com, connect.facebook.net	Retargeting pixel	—	7	5
Amazon Ads	s.amazon-adsystem.com	E-commerce retargeting	—	40	2
Twitter/X	analytics.twitter.com	Social retargeting	—	2	2
Reddit	alb.reddit.com	Social retargeting	—	2	2

● Attribution 3 services

Service	Domain(s)	Role	VOD	Live	Home
Branch.io	api2.branch.io, cdn.branch.io	Deep linking & attribution (SDK v2.86.5)	—	31	3
Kochava	assets.kochava.com	Mobile attribution (SDK v2.2)	—	30	1
Impact Radius	d.impactradius-event.com	Affiliate tracking	—	1	1

⚙ Infra & Privacy 4 services

Service	Domain(s)	Role	VOD	Live	Home
OneTrust	cdn.cookielaw.org, consent-api.onetrust.com	Consent management (CMP)	—	16	17
Tealium	tags.tiqcdn.com	TMS — orchestrates 3P pixels	—	7	7
Google Tag Manager	www.googletagmanager.com	Tag management (secondary)	—	3	3
Braze	sdk.iad-03.braze.com	CRM & messaging (SDK v4.10.2)	—	65	3

Ad Parameters — VOD vs Live

📢 Ad Parameters — VOD vs Live

AD INSERTION MODEL COMPARISON

VOD — Client-Side (CSAI)

• Ad Server: Google Ad Manager (GAM)
• SDK: Google IMA SDK (client-side)
• Stitching: Google DAI — server stitches ads into DASH stream
• Config Source: FreeWheel /freewheel/fms.json
• Segment Delivery: dai.google.com/segments/redirect/c/
• Seamless — player can't distinguish ads from content

Live HLS — Server-Side (SSAI)

• Ad Server: FreeWheel (VAST 4.0)
• Stitching: Google DAI — ads spliced into HLS stream
• Signaling: SCTE-35 markers in HLS playlist
• Ad Pods: dai.google.com/linear/pods/v1/p/
• Creatives: Extreme Reach + CBS CDN
• Seamless mid-roll breaks stitched into stream

Live DASH — Minimal/None

• Ad Server: FreeWheel (if present)
• Observed: No ad breaks captured in DASH sessions
• Delivery: Direct Akamai CDN (no DAI proxy)
• Channels: Curated linear (Movies, SpongeBob, etc.)
• Possible: Ad-free tier or ads not triggered
• Possible SCTE-35 EventStream (not observed)

1. FREEWHEEL CONFIG Fetched pre-stream: GET /freewheel/fms.json

Parameter	Value (Observed)	Description	VOD	Live HLS	Live DASH
dai	`0`	DAI mode flag — 0 = standard, 1 = DAI-only	✓	✓	—
coppa	`0`	COPPA compliance — 0 = not child-directed	✓	✓	—
userid	`11ccb273-ef8a-4023-a472-20c0ddb6a328`	User UUID — ad targeting ID	✓	✓	—
gdpr	`0`	GDPR flag — 0 = not in EU jurisdiction	✓	✓	—
gdpr_consent	`null`	TCF consent string — null when GDPR=0	✓	✓	—

2. DAI SESSION Created on stream init

Parameter	VOD Value	Live HLS Value	Description
Stream ID	`3c76d9c3-93c7-41e2-9096-30d847cdd729`	`b16dc19f-2b50-4a20-8e82-59963ee772b8:CBF2`	Stream session ID
Network ID	`8264`	`8264`	GAM network ID
Content ID	`2497752`	N/A (event-based)	Content asset ID (GAM)
Event ID	N/A	`Sid4xiTQTkCT1SLu6rjUSQ`	Live DAI event — maps to a live channel (CBS News, Golazo, etc.)
Service Type	`vod`	`linear`	DAI service path
DAI Session ID	`ca3bd550-0f7e-40b0-b832-84b9108c13db`	(embedded in stream)	Client session ID

3. IMPRESSION & TRACKING URLs

VOD IMPRESSION BEACON

GET dai.google.com/view/p/service/vod/impression/stream/{stream_id}/network/8264/content/2497752/vid/{video_id}/media/{media_id}/stream_ad_id/{ad_id}
        

stream_id network=8264 content=2497752 vid (video creative ID) media_id stream_ad_id

Response: HTTP 204 (fire-and-forget) · Each ad fires this on playback start

LIVE HLS IMPRESSION BEACON

GET dai.google.com/view/p/service/linear/impression/stream/{stream_id}/...

Similar structure but uses service/linear path · Stream-level impression tied to DAI event

4. VAST 4.0 RESPONSE (LIVE HLS) From FreeWheel ad server

Parameter	Value (Observed)	Extractable Data
Ad System	FreeWheel	Ad server identity
VAST Version	4.0	VAST specification version
Ad Format	`<InLine>`	Inline (direct) vs Wrapper (redirect)
Creative ID	`68179315`, `305071423`	Creative ID
Advertiser	Stamps.com, CBS News (Star Trek promo)	Advertiser name
Duration	30.03s per slot	Slot duration
Renditions	5–7 per creative (375–25,000 kbps)	Quality tiers
Verification	Extreme Reach OMID	Viewability verification vendor + SDK
Click-Through	URL per ad	Destination URL on ad click
Tracking Events	start, firstQuartile, midpoint, thirdQuartile, complete	Full quartile tracking + mute/pause/resume/close

5. SCTE-35 SIGNALING (LIVE HLS)

Parameter	Value (Observed)	Description
Break ID	`0000408279`	Ad break ID
Planned Duration	`60.026633`s	Total break duration (from `EXT-X-CUE-OUT`)
Break Type	Mid-roll	Break position — mid-roll (during content)
Signal Type	`time_signal`	SCTE-35 splice type — Provider Placement Opportunity Start
Number of Ads	2	Slots filled in this break
SCTE35-OUT	`0xFC304E...`	Raw SCTE-35 binary (hex-encoded)
Start Date	`2026-02-26T04:58:17.226433Z`	UTC timestamp of break start (from `EXT-X-DATERANGE`)
EXT-X-DATERANGE ID	`33075399-1772081897`	Unique break identifier in the HLS playlist

6. AD POD SEGMENT URLs

VOD — DAI REDIRECT SEGMENTS

dai.google.com/segments/redirect/c/{segment_number}.mp4
  ?orig=https://{edge_server}.googlevideo.com/videoplayback
  &id={video_id}&itag={itag}&source=dclk_video_ads&requiressl=yes
  &mime={video/mp4|audio/mp4}&clen={content_length}&expire={timestamp}&signature={sig}
        

segment_number edge_server (Google CDN) video_id (ad creative) itag (quality tier) source=dclk_video_ads expire + signature (auth)

LIVE HLS — DAI AD POD SEGMENTS

dai.google.com/linear/pods/v1/p/{eventId}/{streamId}/{breakId}/0/0/{variant}/{segment}.ts
        

eventId (DAI event) streamId (session) breakId (SCTE-35 ref) variant (quality) segment (index)

7. PRIVACY & CONSENT

Parameter	Value (Observed)	Standard	Status
us_privacy	`1YNN`	CCPA/USP string	✓ Populated
gdpr	`0`	IAB TCF GDPR flag	✓ Populated
gdpr_consent	`null`	IAB TCF consent string	N/A (GDPR=0)
[GPPSTRING]	Placeholder (not populated)	IAB GPP consent string	✗ Empty
[GPPSECTIONID]	Placeholder (not populated)	IAB GPP section ID	✗ Empty
[IFA]	Empty (web)	Identifier for Advertising	⚠ Expected — IMA SDK on web has no device ad ID (CTV/mobile only)
[IFATYPE]	Empty (web)	IFA type (DPID, SSID, etc.)	⚠ Expected — no IFA on web browsers

8. ID3 EVENT TAGS (LIVE HLS) From dai.google.com/.../id3-events.json — 35.9 KB payload

Parameter	Value	Description
Total Tags	22	In-band metadata events for ad tracking
Tags per Ad	11	start, progress×5, firstQuartile, midpoint, thirdQuartile, complete
Event Types	start, progress, firstQuartile, midpoint, thirdQuartile, complete	VAST-standard quartile tracking events embedded as ID3 tags
Delivery	JSON payload via DAI API	Client polls for ID3 events to fire tracking beacons at correct times

9. TRACKING ENDPOINTS

Tracker	Endpoint	Purpose	VOD	Live
Google DAI	`dai.google.com/view/p/service/.../impression/`	Impression beacon	✓	✓
FreeWheel	`7f077.v.fwmrm.net`	Primary ad server — quartile events, completion	—	✓
Extreme Reach	`beacons.extremereach.io`	Creative tracking + OMID	—	✓
Google DFP	`securepubads.g.doubleclick.net`	Companion/display ads	✓	✓
DoubleClick	`ad.doubleclick.net`	Attribution & conversion	✓	✓
Nielsen	`secure-dcr.imrworldwide.com`	Audience measurement	✓	✓
Advertiser Pixel	`stamps.hrzn-nxt.com` (example)	Conversion pixel (per creative)	—	✓
TV Scientific	`tvspix.com`	CTV attribution (live-only)	—	✓

10. CREATIVE DELIVERY

Source	Host	Content	Renditions
Google Video CDN	`r{n}---sn-*.googlevideo.com`	VOD ad segments (stitched via DAI redirect)	Matched to content quality
Extreme Reach CDN	`cdn1.extremereach.io`	Third-party ad creatives (e.g., Stamps.com)	5 renditions (375–25,000 kbps)
CBS Internal CDN	`p-ause1-adops-output.cbsivideo.com`	House ads / promos (e.g., Star Trek)	7 renditions (482–22,876 kbps)
Google DAI Pods	`dai.google.com/linear/pods/v1/p/`	Live HLS ad pod segments (.ts)	Matched to stream variant

11. ADS OBSERVED

Pipeline	Ad	Video/Creative ID	Duration	CDN / Edge Server	Advertiser
VOD	Ad 1	`2222756b23a632d9`	~30s	r4---sn-qja5mc-5j.googlevideo.com	—
VOD	Ad 2	`b0c790e1d45c7b2d`	~30s	r3---sn-a5msen7s.googlevideo.com	—
VOD	Ad 3	`81f568a32f216810`	~30s	r5---sn-a5meknzr.googlevideo.com	—
Live HLS	Slot 1	`68179315`	30.03s	cdn1.extremereach.io	Stamps.com
Live HLS	Slot 2	`305071423`	30.03s	p-ause1-adops-output.cbsivideo.com	CBS (Star Trek promo)

⚠ Privacy Template Gaps: [GPPSTRING] and [GPPSECTIONID] FreeWheel macros are unpopulated (GPP is sent via DoubleClick but not wired to VAST templates). [IFA] and [IFATYPE] are expected empty on web — the IMA SDK has no device ad ID in browsers; IFA is populated only on CTV (Roku RIDA, Fire TV Ad ID) and mobile (IDFA, GAID).

☁ CDN Architecture — Multi-CDN

CDN Provider	Hostname(s)	Content Type	Protocol	Cache Strategy
Fastly (Varnish)	wwwimage-us.pplusstatic.com	Images	HTTPS	30 days
Fastly (Varnish)	splice-media.paramountplus.com	HLS previews	HTTPS	15 min
Fastly (Varnish)	player-services.paramountplus.com	Player JS/CSS	HTTPS	5 min + stale-while-revalidate 5 min + stale-if-error 24 h
Google Video Infra	r3/r4/r5---sn-*.googlevideo.com	VOD segments	HTTP/3 QUIC	Private, signed URLs
Akamai	prope4h423g3.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com	Survivor DASH	HTTPS	no-cache
Akamai	propede8cf4h.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com	Linear DASH	HTTPS	no-cache
Akamai	propefe9ga3a.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com	Linear DASH	HTTPS	no-cache
Akamai	prope34d46hh.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com	Golazo (HLS)	HTTPS	no-cache
Akamai	propee33f9c2.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com	CBS Sports HQ	HTTPS	no-cache
Akamai	prope7000cg2.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com	Movies, CBS Sports HQ	HTTPS	no-cache
Akamai	propeeh880hf.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com	Movies, All Day Drama	HTTPS	no-cache
Akamai	propehdbb66a.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com	SpongeBob Universe	HTTPS	no-cache
Akamai	prope12dc513.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com	SpongeBob, Animation Fav	HTTPS	no-cache
Akamai	prope26af1ac.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com	RuPaul's Drag Race	HTTPS	no-cache
Akamai	prope828e699.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com	History Undiscovered	HTTPS	no-cache
Akamai	propeca301a3.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com	History, 80s Sitcoms	HTTPS	no-cache
Akamai	prope97d0g68.airspace.cdn.cbsivideo.com	80s Sitcoms, Adult Anim	HTTPS	no-cache
CBS Airspace (Fastly)	news20e7hhcb.airspace-cdn.cbsivideo.com	CBS News HLS	HTTPS	no-cache, no-store
Google DAI	dai.google.com	Ad pods + proxy	HTTPS	no-store
Extreme Reach	cdn1.extremereach.io	3rd party ad creatives	HTTPS	Standard
CBS Internal	p-ause1-adops-output.cbsivideo.com	House ads/promos	HTTPS	Standard

DRM & Player Components

🔒 DRM Detail Table

Parameter	VOD	Live HLS	Live DASH	Golazo (HLS AES-128)
DRM System	Widevine	Widevine	Widevine + PlayReady	HLS AES-128
License Server	Irdeto	Irdeto	Irdeto	Irdeto
Endpoint	cbsi.live.ott.irdeto.com	cbsi.live.ott.irdeto.com	cbsi.live.ott.irdeto.com	cbsi.live.ott.irdeto.com
License Path	/widevine/getlicense	/widevine/getlicense	/widevine/getlicense	/licenseServer/hls/v1/cbsi/key
CrmId/AccountId	cbsi/cbsi	cbsi/cbsi	cbsi/cbsi	cbsi/cbsi
Protection Method	Signed URLs + expiry	DAI session tokens	MPEG-CENC (dual PSSH)	AES-128 key fetch
Content-Type	application/x-protobuf	application/x-protobuf	application/x-protobuf	application/octet-stream
Widevine Scheme URI	—	edef8ba9-...	edef8ba9-...	—
PlayReady Scheme URI	—	—	9a04f079-...	—
CDM Version	—	19.0.6	19.0.6	—
License Challenge	—	4,296 bytes	4,296 bytes	N/A (key fetch)
License Response	—	672 bytes	672 + 720 bytes	Raw AES key bytes
Server Name	—	alcatraz_test_drm_server	alcatraz_test_drm_server	—

▶ Player Components Detail

Component	File	Size (gzip)	Version	Used In
Smart TV SDK (Core)	smart.tag.js	418 KB	v1.39.4	Live TV
Smart TV SDK (Skin)	smart.tag.skin.js	194 KB	v1.39.4	Live TV
Smart TV CSS	smart.tag.skin.css	252 KB	v1.39.4	Live TV (433 cache hits)
Smart TV Plugin (Sidebar)	smart.tag.skin.plugin.sidebar.js	53 KB	v1.39.4	Live TV
Smart TV Plugin (Multi)	smart.tag.skin.plugin.multi.stream.js	62 KB	v1.39.4	Live TV
Smart TV SVG Plugin	smart.tag.skin.plugin.sidebar.svg.js	525 KB	v1.39.4	Live TV
HLS.js	hls.js	124 KB	v1.5.8	Live TV (News)
Shaka Player	shaka-player	230 KB	v4.14.1	Live TV (Linear) + VOD
Avia Loader	avia.js	83 KB	v2.54.0	Live TV
Google IMA SDK	imasdk.googleapis.com	—	—	VOD
Movie Player (Top Edge)	movieVideoTopEdge-*.min.js	—	—	VOD
Movie Player (Bottom)	moviesBottom-*.min.js	—	—	VOD

Shared Services Summary: Across all three pipelines, Paramount+ relies on 30+ shared services: Irdeto for all DRM (Widevine, PlayReady, and HLS AES-128), OneTrust for consent, Conviva for video QoE, Adobe AEP for analytics, Tealium for tag management, Recurly for billing, Braze for messaging, Sparrow for internal telemetry, and TV Scientific for CTV ad attribution (live-only). The CDN strategy is multi-vendor: Fastly for images/previews/player assets, Google Video Infra for VOD segments, Akamai (14 edge hosts) for live linear/event channels, CBS Airspace for news. Smart Tag v1.39.4 (1.3+ MB) orchestrates live playback with Shaka Player v4.14.1 and HLS.js v1.5.8 running simultaneously.

Protocol & Header Analysis

Key protocol insights: VOD segments are served over HTTP/3 (QUIC) via Google Video Infra — cutting-edge transport that reduces latency vs. Netflix's HTTP/2 approach. Live channels use aggressive no-cache, no-store directives (correct for real-time content), while images leverage 30-day cache TTL with two-tier Varnish caching (best practice). Player assets use stale-while-revalidate + stale-if-error patterns for resilience. DRM license requests use bearer token auth with binary protobuf payloads through Irdeto.

HTTP/3 QUIC (VOD) Aggressive Live Caching 30-Day Image TTL Bearer Token DRM

Header Reference Tables

📥 VOD Segment Request Headers

Header	Value
User-Agent	Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) Chrome/145.0.0.0
Origin	https://www.paramountplus.com
Referer	https://www.paramountplus.com/
Accept-Encoding	gzip, deflate, br, zstd
Sec-Fetch-Site	cross-site
Sec-Fetch-Mode	cors
Sec-Fetch-Dest	empty

📥 VOD Segment Response Headers

Header	Value
Content-Type	video/mp4 or audio/mp4
Cache-Control	private, max-age=86400
Client-Protocol	quic (HTTP/3)
X-CDN	Fastly (page), Google Video Infra (segments)

📥 HLS Segment Headers (CBS News)

Request Headers:

Similar to VOD but Sec-Fetch-Site varies based on cross-origin context

Response Headers:

Header	Value
Cache-Control	no-cache, no-store, max-age=0, must-revalidate (manifest)
Content-Type	video/mp2t (segments)

📥 DASH Segment Headers (Linear)

Header	Value
Cache-Control	max-age=0, no-cache
X-CDN	Akamai

📥 DRM License Headers

Request Headers:

Header	Value
Method	POST
Authorization	[bearer token]
Content-Type	application/octet-stream (binary protobuf)

Response Headers:

Header	Value
Content-Type	application/octet-stream
Access-Control-Allow-Credentials	true
Access-Control-Expose-Headers	X-Irdeto-StreamId

📥 Fastly CDN Headers (Images)

Header	Value
x-real-server	us_www_web_prod_vip1
x-cache	HIT, HIT (shield + edge)
x-cache-hits	764031, 6
Cache-Control	max-age=2592000
access-control-allow-origin	*

📥 Fastly CDN Headers (Player Assets)

Header	Value
Cache-Control	max-age=300, stale-while-revalidate=300, stale-if-error=86400
x-cache	HIT (multi-tier)

💾 User Profile API Endpoints

GET /user-profile/xhr/user/?fetch=false
GET /user-profile/xhr/watchlist-ids/?nocache={timestamp}
GET /user-profile/xhr/content-preference-ids/?nocache={timestamp}
GET /user-profile/xhr/available-avatars/

💾 FreeWheel & Content APIs

GET /freewheel/fms.json?dai=0&coppa=0&userid={uuid}&gdpr_consent=null&gdpr=0
GET /movies/xhr/moviepage/extras/{contentId}/offset/0/limit/20/
GET /movies/xhr/moviepage/ymal/{contentId}/
GET /in-app-messaging/?pageType=movies×tamp={ts}&availableForProfileTypesOnMovies=ADULT

💾 VOD Segment URL Parameters

Parameter	Description	Example Value
id	Video identifier	dQw4w9WgXcQ
itag	Format tag	340
source	Source origin	dclk_video_ads
requiressl	Enforce HTTPS	yes
mime	MIME type	video/mp4 or audio/mp4
xtags	Codec details	vc:avc, vccf:high, vfr:23.976, vsz:1024x576, vtbr:2600
clen	Content length in bytes	8472916
expire	Token expiration timestamp	1739289600
signature	Request authentication signature	[base64 encoded]

💾 Live TV DASH MPD Parameters

MPD Type: dynamic (live)
Profile: urn:mpeg:dash:profile:isoff-live:2011
Min Update Period: 15 seconds
Min Buffer Time: 10 seconds
Suggested Presentation Delay: 20 seconds
Time-Shift Buffer Depth: 55.5 seconds
Availability Start: 2025-02-11T22:36:40Z

💾 Google DAI Parameters

VOD:

Stream ID: 3c76d9c3-93c7-41e2-9096-30d847cdd729

Network: 8264

Content: 2497752

Live — 3 DAI Events:

CBS News: Sid4xiTQTkCT1SLu6rjUSQ

CBS Sports HQ: RGKIw3F7RVGzc5E9y8ElLQ

Golazo: 9Lq0ERvoSR-z9AwvFS-xYA

Network ID: 8264

Endpoint: dai.google.com/linear/hls/pa/event/

💾 Privacy Parameters

Parameter	Value / Status	Description
us_privacy	1YNN	CCPA: Yes notice, No opt-out, No restriction
GDPR	0	Not in EU (US user)
GPP	[GPPSTRING]	Template placeholder — NOT POPULATED
GPPSECTIONID	[GPPSECTIONID]	Template placeholder — NOT POPULATED
IFA	[IFA]	IFA — empty on web (expected)
IFATYPE	[IFATYPE]	IFA type — empty on web (CTV only)

API Headers Summary: Paramount+ uses HTTP/3 QUIC for VOD segment delivery from Google Video Infra, with CORS enabled. Live TV manifests use aggressive no-cache headers while segments use shorter TTLs. DRM license requests use binary protobuf in POST bodies with custom Irdeto headers. Fastly-delivered images maintain extremely high cache hit ratios (764,031+) with 30-day TTLs. Google DAI parameters are present for both VOD and live, with network ID 8264. Privacy parameters are partially incomplete (GPP, IFA placeholders not populated), indicating an incomplete Global Privacy Platform implementation.

📺 CTV Platform Architecture Matrix

How Paramount+ adapts its streaming stack per CTV platform — each with distinct rendering engines, DRM requirements, and certification processes.

Platform	Rendering Engine	Video Player	DRM	Streaming Protocol	Memory Limit	Certification Cycle
Roku	BrightScript / SceneGraph	roVideoPlayer (native)	PlayReady	HLS (primary), DASH (fallback)	~512 MB (varies by model)	2-4 weeks
Amazon Fire TV	Android (forked AOSP)	ExoPlayer / Shaka	Widevine L1	DASH (primary), HLS	1-2 GB	1-2 weeks
Apple TV	tvOS (UIKit + SwiftUI)	AVPlayer (native)	FairPlay	HLS (required)	~3 GB	5-10 days (App Store review)
Samsung Tizen	Tizen Web Engine (Chromium-based)	AVPlay / Shaka Player	Widevine L1 + PlayReady	DASH + HLS	~1 GB (2018+ models)	3-5 weeks
LG webOS	webOS Web Engine (Chromium-based)	Luna Service / Shaka Player	Widevine L1 + PlayReady	DASH + HLS	~1 GB	3-5 weeks
Android TV / Google TV	Android (full AOSP)	ExoPlayer / Shaka	Widevine L1	DASH (primary), HLS	1.5-4 GB	1-2 weeks (Play Store)
Chromecast / Built-in	Cast Web Receiver (Chromium)	Cast CAF (Shaka-based)	Widevine L1	DASH (primary)	~512 MB	Self-certified (Google Cast SDK)

CTV Summary: Paramount+ supports 7+ CTV platforms with a multi-player strategy (Shaka Player for web-based CTV, native players for Roku/Apple TV). Unified DRM via Irdeto reduces per-platform integration complexity. Key differentiators include FAST channel integration (vs. Netflix/Disney+), multi-CDN resilience (4 providers), and dual-protocol support (HLS + DASH) maximizing device compatibility.

📢 Ad Tech Architecture

Paramount+ runs a triple ad insertion architecture — VOD uses Google DAI (SSAI) with client-side IMA SDK integration, Live HLS uses SCTE-35 → FreeWheel VAST 4.0 → DAI stitching, and Pause Ads serve static PNG display creatives via FreeWheel VAST 4.1 on each user pause. Each Live DAI request sends 9+ identity signals (LiveRamp, UID2, PAIR, ConnectID, VIANT, Tinuiti) for cookie-less programmatic targeting. The ad tracking stack fires beacons to 7+ endpoints per ad (FreeWheel, Extreme Reach, Google DAI, DoubleClick, Nielsen, TV Scientific, advertiser pixels). 2 GPP template macros remain unpopulated in FreeWheel requests, while IFA/IFAType are expected empty on web (CTV/mobile only).

Triple Ad Pipeline 13+ Ad Services 7+ Tracking Endpoints 9+ Identity Signals Pause Ads (FreeWheel) GPP Template Gap

13+

Ad Tech Services

Insertion Models

Ads Captured

387

DoubleClick Reqs (Live)

20+

Tracking Endpoints

178

DAI Reqs (VOD)

★ Ad Insertion Model Comparison

VOD — Client-Side (CSAI)

Live HLS — Server-Side (SSAI)

Pause Ads — Display (FreeWheel)

• Ad Server: FreeWheel (VAST 4.1)
• Format: Static PNG images (1018×674)
• Slot: slid=pause_ads-1018x674
• Trigger: On-demand per pause event (not pre-fetched)
• Class: tpcl=PAUSE_MIDROLL, slau=PAUSE_AD
• Overlay with dismiss button

Live DASH — Minimal/None

▶ VOD Ad Pipeline

VOD AD INSERTION PIPELINE

STEP 1 — AD CONFIG

FreeWheel

/freewheel/fms.json
userid, coppa, gdpr
Privacy flags fetched

➜

STEP 2 — DAI SESSION

Google DAI

Network: 8264
Content: 2497752
Service: vod

➜

STEP 3 — SERVER DECISION

Segment Routing

dai.google.com/segments/redirect/c/
Each segment = ad OR content

➜

STEP 4 — DELIVERY

Google Video CDN

HTTP/3 (QUIC)
r3/r4/r5 edge servers
Signed URLs + expiry

◎ Live Ad Break — SCTE-35 → FreeWheel → DAI

SCTE-35 CUE-OUT 60s ➜ FreeWheel VAST 4.0 ➜ Ad 1: Stamps.com (30s) ➜ Ad 2: Star Trek (30s) ➜ CUE-IN ✓

Tracking per ad: 11 ID3 events (start → progress×5 → quartiles → complete) fired to 6+ endpoints

FreeWheel Extreme Reach (OMID) Google DAI DoubleClick Nielsen Advertiser Pixels TV Scientific

⏸ Pause Ad — FreeWheel Overlay

PAUSE AD INSERTION PIPELINE

TRIGGER

User Pause

btn-play-pause
SAA: pauseStart event
Comscore: ns_st_ev=pause

➜

VAST REQUEST

FreeWheel VAST 4.1

slid=pause_ads-1018x674
tpcl=PAUSE_MIDROLL
slau=PAUSE_AD

➜

CREATIVE DELIVERY

S3 + CloudFront

s1.fwmrm.net/m/1/520311/
PNG images (40–371 KB)
CDN: CloudFront (LAX54-P10)

➜

OVERLAY

Pause Panel

.pause-panel-return-button
“Click to return to the video”
Dismiss → SAA: play

FreeWheel Extreme Reach Samba TV iSpot.tv DoubleClick Demdex / LiveRamp StickyAdsTV (410 Gone)

Key Insight: Pause ads represent a 3rd ad insertion model alongside VOD CSAI and Live SSAI. Each user pause triggers a fresh FreeWheel VAST 4.1 request — not pre-fetched. The creative is a static PNG (not video), served from FreeWheel’s S3/CloudFront CDN. 5 creatives rotate: 2 external advertisers (Expedia, Bayer Aspirin) + 3 internal cross-promotions (Star Trek Shop). StickyAdsTV sync calls return 410 Gone — a deprecated endpoint still referenced in the ad response.

⚙ Ad Tech Services, FreeWheel Config & DAI Session Parameters

⚙ Ad Tech Stack 9 services

Service	Domain(s)	Role	VOD	Live	Home
Google DAI	dai.google.com	SSAI — VOD + Live HLS	✓	✓	—
FreeWheel	7f077.v.fwmrm.net	Ad server — VAST 4.0/4.1 (Live + Pause)	✓	✓	—
Google IMA SDK	imasdk.googleapis.com	Client-side ad SDK (VOD)	✓	✓	—
DoubleClick	ad.doubleclick.net, googleads.g.doubleclick.net	Attribution & conversion	—	387	21
Google Ads	adservice.google.com	Remarketing & retargeting	—	180	6
Extreme Reach	beacons.extremereach.io, cdn2.extremereach.io	Creative delivery & OMID verification	29	✓	—
Flashtalking	servedby.flashtalking.com	Creative serving & attribution	—	60	2
TV Scientific	tvspix.com	CTV attribution (live-only)	—	30	—
Samba TV	pixel.mtrcs.samba.tv	TV attribution	—	10	1
DoubleVerify	tpsc-uw1.doubleverify.com	Ad verification & brand safety	46	—	—
IAS	dt.adsafeprotected.com	Ad verification & viewability	26	—	—
Innovid	ag.innovid.com	Interactive TV ad serving	8	—	—
TradeDesk	enduser.adsrvr.org	Programmatic DSP	24	—	—

🔧 FreeWheel Config

Fetched pre-stream: GET /freewheel/fms.json — shared across VOD and Live pipelines

Parameter	Value (Observed)	Description	VOD	Live HLS	Live DASH
dai	`0`	DAI mode flag — 0 = standard, 1 = DAI-only	✓	✓	—
coppa	`0`	COPPA compliance — 0 = not child-directed	✓	✓	—
userid	`11ccb273-ef8a-4023-a472-20c0ddb6a328`	Paramount+ user UUID — primary ad targeting identifier	✓	✓	—
gdpr	`0`	GDPR flag — 0 = not in EU jurisdiction	✓	✓	—
gdpr_consent	`null`	TCF consent string — null when GDPR=0	✓	✓	—

🔗 DAI Session Parameters

Parameter	VOD Value	Live HLS Value	Description
Stream ID	`3c76d9c3-93c7-41e2-9096-30d847cdd729`	`b16dc19f-2b50-4a20-8e82-59963ee772b8:CBF2`	Stream session ID
Network ID	`8264`	`8264`	GAM network ID
Content ID	`2497752`	N/A (event-based)	Content asset ID (GAM)
Event ID	N/A	`Sid4xiTQTkCT1SLu6rjUSQ` (CBS News) `K_2aA7OVRTacJJli1oSi8w` (CBS News LA) `9Lq0ERvoSR-z9AwvFS-xYA` (CBS Sports HQ) `RGKIw3F7RVGzc5E9y8ElLQ` (Golazo)	DAI event ID — per-channel ad schedule
Service Type	`vod`	`linear`	DAI service path
DAI Session ID	`ca3bd550-0f7e-40b0-b832-84b9108c13db`	(embedded in stream)	Client session ID

📡 SCTE-35 Signaling, VAST 4.0 & URL Structures

📡 SCTE-35 Signaling Live HLS Only

Parameter	Value (Observed)	HLS Tag	Description
Break ID	`0000408279`	—	Ad break ID
DATERANGE ID	`33075399-1772081897`	`#EXT-X-DATERANGE:ID`	HLS break ID for player sync
Start Date	`2026-02-26T04:58:17.226433Z`	`START-DATE`	Break start time (UTC)
Planned Duration	`60.026633` seconds	`PLANNED-DURATION`	Break duration
CUE-OUT Duration	`60.026633`	`#EXT-X-CUE-OUT`	Splice-out marker
SCTE35-OUT	`0xFC304E...`	`SCTE35-OUT` attr	Raw SCTE-35 binary (hex-encoded)
Signal Type	`time_signal`	—	Provider Placement Opportunity Start
Break Type	Mid-roll	—	Break position within live stream
Ad Count	2	—	Number of ad slots filled in this break

📰 VAST 4.0 Parameters From FreeWheel

Parameter	Ad Slot 1	Ad Slot 2	Description
Ad System	FreeWheel	FreeWheel	Ad server / decision engine
VAST Version	4.0	4.0	VAST specification version
Ad Type	`<InLine>`	`<InLine>`	Inline (direct) vs Wrapper (redirect chain)
Advertiser	Stamps.com	CBS News (Star Trek: Starfleet Academy)	Advertiser name
Creative ID	`68179315`	`305071423`	Unique creative identifier
Duration	30.03s	30.03s	Ad slot duration
Renditions	5 (375–25,000 kbps)	7 (482–22,876 kbps)	Available quality tiers for the creative
Creative CDN	`cdn1.extremereach.io`	`p-ause1-adops-output.cbsivideo.com`	CDN serving the ad creative files
Verification	Extreme Reach OMID	—	Viewability verification SDK
Click-Through	URL (advertiser site)	URL (P+ content page)	Destination on ad click

📊 Tracking URL Structures

VOD IMPRESSION BEACON

GET dai.google.com/view/p/service/vod/impression/stream/{stream_id}/network/8264/content/2497752/vid/{video_id}/media/{media_id}/stream_ad_id/{ad_id}
        

stream_id network=8264 content=2497752 vid (video creative ID) stream_ad_id

Response: HTTP 204 (fire-and-forget) · Each ad fires this on playback start

LIVE HLS IMPRESSION BEACON

GET dai.google.com/view/p/service/linear/impression/stream/{stream_id}/...

Similar structure but uses service/linear path · Stream-level impression tied to DAI event

🔗 Ad Pod Segments

VOD — DAI REDIRECT SEGMENTS

dai.google.com/segments/redirect/c/{segment_number}.mp4
  ?orig=https://{edge_server}.googlevideo.com/videoplayback
  &id={video_id}&itag={itag}&source=dclk_video_ads&requiressl=yes
  &mime={video/mp4|audio/mp4}&expire={timestamp}&signature={sig}
        

segment_number edge_server (Google CDN) video_id (ad creative) itag (quality tier) expire + signature (auth)

LIVE HLS — DAI AD POD SEGMENTS

dai.google.com/linear/pods/v1/p/{eventId}/{streamId}/{breakId}/0/0/{variant}/{segment}.ts
        

eventId (DAI event) streamId (session) breakId (SCTE-35 ref) variant (quality) segment (index)

📈 Tracking Events, Measurement Endpoints & Creative Delivery

📈 Tracking Events & Beacons

Event	Tracker(s)	Trigger	Count per Ad
impression	FreeWheel, DAI, Extreme Reach, Advertiser	Ad render start	Up to 10 beacons
start	FreeWheel, Extreme Reach	First frame displayed	2–3
firstQuartile	FreeWheel, Extreme Reach	25% of ad played	2–3
midpoint	FreeWheel, Extreme Reach	50% of ad played	2–3
thirdQuartile	FreeWheel, Extreme Reach	75% of ad played	2–3
complete	FreeWheel, Extreme Reach	100% of ad played	2–3
mute / unmute	FreeWheel	Mute/unmute during ad	1 each
pause / resume	FreeWheel	Pause/resume during ad	1 each
close	FreeWheel	Player close during ad	1
clickTracking	FreeWheel, DoubleClick	Ad click-through	1–2

📡 Measurement Endpoints

Tracker	Endpoint	Purpose	VOD	Live
Google DAI	`dai.google.com/view/p/service/.../impression/`	Impression beacon	✓	✓
FreeWheel	`7f077.v.fwmrm.net`	Ad server — quartile & completion	✓	✓
Extreme Reach	`beacons.extremereach.io`	Creative tracking + OMID	✓	✓
Google DFP	`securepubads.g.doubleclick.net`	Companion/display ads	✓	✓
DoubleClick	`ad.doubleclick.net`	Attribution & conversion	✓	✓
Nielsen	`secure-dcr.imrworldwide.com`	Audience measurement	✓	✓
Advertiser Pixel	`stamps.hrzn-nxt.com` (example)	Conversion pixel (per creative)	—	✓
TV Scientific	`tvspix.com`	CTV/OTT ad attribution	✓	✓
Innovid	`ag.innovid.com`	Interactive video ads	✓	—
Flashtalking	`servedby.flashtalking.com`	Creative serving & optimization	✓	—
The Trade Desk	`enduser.adsrvr.org`	DSP user sync & conversion	✓	—
Amazon Ads	`s.amazon-adsystem.com`	DSP attribution	✓	—
Samba TV	`ads.samba.tv`	Cross-device TV attribution	✓	—
iSpot.tv	`pi.ispot.tv`	TV measurement	✓	—
Tatari	`tatari-direct-*.telemetry.vaultdcr.com`	TV attribution & reach	✓	—

🎵 ID3 In-Band Metadata Live HLS Only

dai.google.com/.../id3-events.json — 35.9 KB payload per ad break

Parameter	Value	Description
Total Tags	22	In-band ID3 metadata events for the observed ad break
Tags per Ad	11	start + progress×5 + firstQuartile + midpoint + thirdQuartile + complete
Progress Events	5 per ad	Fired at regular intervals within each quartile
Payload Format	JSON	Array of timed events the player uses to fire tracking beacons
Delivery	Polled by client	Player fetches ID3 event manifest and fires beacons at specified times

🌐 Creative Delivery

Source	Host	Content	Renditions
Google Video CDN	`r{n}---sn-*.googlevideo.com`	VOD ad segments (stitched via DAI redirect)	Matched to content quality
Extreme Reach CDN	`cdn1.extremereach.io`	Third-party ad creatives (e.g., Stamps.com)	5 renditions (375–25,000 kbps)
CBS Internal CDN	`p-ause1-adops-output.cbsivideo.com`	House ads / promos (e.g., Star Trek)	7 renditions (482–22,876 kbps)
Google DAI Pods	`dai.google.com/linear/pods/v1/p/`	Live HLS ad pod segments (.ts)	Matched to stream variant

🔒 Privacy, Consent & Identity Resolution (9+ Identity Signals)

🔒 Privacy & Consent

Parameter	Value (Observed)	Standard	Status
us_privacy	`1YNN`	CCPA (USP)	✓ Populated — notice given, opt-out yes, no sale/no sharing
gdpr	`0`	IAB TCF	✓ Populated — not in EU jurisdiction
gdpr_consent	`null`	IAB TCF consent string	N/A (GDPR=0)
[GPPSTRING]	Placeholder (not populated)	IAB GPP consent string	✗ Empty
[GPPSECTIONID]	Placeholder (not populated)	IAB GPP section ID	✗ Empty
[IFA]	Empty (web context)	Identifier for Advertising	⚠ Expected — IMA SDK on web has no device ad ID (see note below)
[IFATYPE]	Empty (web context)	IFA Type (DPID, SSID, etc.)	⚠ Expected — no IFA means no IFAType to declare

💡 IFA / IFAType — IMA SDK Web Behavior: The [IFA] and [IFATYPE] placeholders are expected to be empty on web. The Google IMA SDK on desktop browsers has no access to a device advertising identifier — IFA is a CTV/mobile concept (Roku RIDA, Amazon Ad ID, Apple IDFA, Android GAID). The ad request templates are cross-platform (shared between web, mobile, and CTV), so these macros exist for CTV/mobile but correctly resolve to empty strings on web. On CTV, these would be populated by the native app SDK.

CTV / Mobile (IFA populated)
Roku → RIDA • Fire TV → Amazon Ad ID • Apple TV → IDFA • Android TV → GAID

Web Browser (IFA empty — expected)
No device ad ID • Relies on first-party cookies, PPID, Topics API • IMA SDK correctly omits IFA

⚠ GPP Template Gap: The [GPPSTRING] and [GPPSECTIONID] FreeWheel template macros remain unpopulated, despite GPP being sent separately via DoubleClick (gpp=DBABLA~BVQqAAAAAWA.QA, gpp_sid=7). This suggests the FreeWheel ↔ CMP (OneTrust) integration may not be fully wired to pass GPP into the VAST request template.

👥 Identity Resolution — Ad Targeting IDs in Live DAI Requests

Extracted from POST pubads.g.doubleclick.net/ssai/event/{eventId}/streams — each live channel switch sends 6+ identity types for cross-platform ad targeting

Identity Type	Parameter	Provider	Purpose
LiveRamp RampID	`imafw_fms_ramp_id`	LiveRamp	Deterministic cross-device identity — people-based targeting
LiveRamp Household ID	`imafw_fms_hh_ramp_id`	LiveRamp	Household-level targeting — frequency cap across family devices
Unified ID 2.0	`imafw_fms_uid2`	The Trade Desk (UID2)	Open-source encrypted email identity for programmatic buying
Google PAIR ID	`imafw_fms_pair`	Google (PAIR)	Publisher Advertiser Identity Reconciliation — 1:1 match without 3P cookies
Yahoo ConnectID	`imafw_fms_connectid`	Yahoo DSP	Yahoo’s identity solution for demand-side buying
RampID Envelope	`imafw_fms_ramp_envelope`	LiveRamp	Encrypted envelope containing full RampID for DSP decryption
VIANTP	`__fw_3P_UID: VIANTP`	VIANT (Adelphic DSP)	VIANT’s people-based identity for programmatic CTV
TINUITI	`__fw_3P_UID: TINUITI`	Tinuiti	Performance marketing agency identity for unified reporting
IDL (LiveRamp)	`__fw_3P_UID: IDL`	LiveRamp (IdentityLink)	Legacy IdentityLink envelope — interoperable with FreeWheel
VCId2	`imafw__fw_vcid2`	FreeWheel / LiveRamp	Video context identity — cookie-less cross-site targeting
Bid ID Types	`imafw_fms_bididtype`	FreeWheel	Supported bid ID formats: `1010, 1030, 1040, 1050, 1070, 1080`
Rule ID	`imafw_fms_ruleid`	FreeWheel	Identity resolution rule: `10000` — determines priority cascade

Key Insight: Paramount+ sends 9+ identity signals per live stream request, making it one of the most identity-rich ad implementations observed. This multi-ID strategy ensures ad targeting works across cookie-less environments (CTV, Safari ITP) and maximizes programmatic demand by supporting every major identity provider: LiveRamp (deterministic), UID2 (Trade Desk), PAIR (Google), ConnectID (Yahoo), VIANT (CTV DSP), and Tinuiti (agency). The __fw_3P_UID field bundles multiple IDs in a single FreeWheel parameter with IDL:, PAIRID:, connectid:, UID2:, VIANTP:, and TINUITI: prefixes.

🎬 Ads Observed in Captured Sessions

Pipeline	Ad	Video/Creative ID	Duration	CDN / Edge Server	Advertiser
VOD	Ad 1	`2222756b23a632d9`	~30s	r4---sn-qja5mc-5j.googlevideo.com	—
VOD	Ad 2	`b0c790e1d45c7b2d`	~30s	r3---sn-a5msen7s.googlevideo.com	—
VOD	Ad 3	`81f568a32f216810`	~30s	r5---sn-a5meknzr.googlevideo.com	—
VOD	Ad 4	`66266564` (reid: 276502044)	~5s	r4---sn-qja5mc-5j.googlevideo.com	—
VOD	Ad 5	`7df398c869b72aec` (reid: 1164819249)	~15s	r4---sn-a5mekn6s.googlevideo.com	—
Live HLS	Slot 1	`68179315`	30.03s	cdn1.extremereach.io	Stamps.com
Live HLS	Slot 2	`305071423`	30.03s	p-ause1-adops-output.cbsivideo.com	CBS (Star Trek promo)
Pause	Pause 1	`90598183` (reid: 1202013972)	PNG 1018×674	s1.fwmrm.net → CloudFront	Expedia (BEX Q1 2026)
Pause	Pause 2	`90597745` (reid: 1165760354)	PNG 1018×674	s1.fwmrm.net → CloudFront	Bayer Aspirin
Pause	Pause 3	`193124147` (reid: 754599923)	PNG 1018×674	s1.fwmrm.net → CloudFront	Star Trek Shop (TOS Uniforms)
Pause	Pause 4	`309603850` (reid: 1201710563)	PNG 1018×674	s1.fwmrm.net → CloudFront	Star Trek Shop (Tricorder)
Pause	Pause 5	`150591479` (reid: 604234729)	PNG 1018×674	s1.fwmrm.net → CloudFront	Star Trek Shop (Badges)

⚙ CMCD (Common Media Client Data) — ABR Metrics in Ad Segment Requests

📈 CMCD Parameters — VOD vs Live

VOD CMCD

br = 2,699 kbps (video), 132 (audio)
mtp = 19,800–28,700 kbps throughput
bl = 9,600–10,000 ms buffer
d = 5,005 ms segment duration
tb = 5,805 kbps top bitrate
sf = d (DASH) · st = v (VOD)
nor = prefetch hints ("2.mp4", "3.mp4")
13 metrics per segment request

Live CMCD

br = 128–5,980 kbps
mtp = 10,000–77,900 kbps throughput
bl = 10,700–15,300 ms buffer (higher safety margin)
d = 0–6,016 ms (0 for manifest)
tb = 128–5,980 kbps
sf = h (HLS), d (DASH) · st = l (live)
ot = m (manifest), v, i, k (DRM key), a
10 metrics per segment request

Advertisement Summary: Paramount+ operates a sophisticated dual ad insertion pipeline — VOD content uses Google DAI (SSAI) with FreeWheel config to seamlessly stitch ads into DASH segments (player can't distinguish ad from content), while Live HLS channels use SCTE-35 signaling → FreeWheel VAST 4.0 → DAI stitching for mid-roll breaks. The tracking stack is extensive: each ad fires up to 11 ID3 events across 7+ measurement endpoints including FreeWheel, Extreme Reach OMID, Google DAI, DoubleClick, Nielsen, TV Scientific, and advertiser-specific pixels. Ad creatives are delivered from 4 CDN sources (Google Video CDN, Extreme Reach, CBS internal CDN, DAI Pods). The most notable finding is the incomplete GPP privacy integration — four IAB GPP/IFA template placeholders remain unpopulated in ad request URLs, creating potential compliance risk for CTV ad operations under evolving state privacy laws.

Paramount+ Streaming Infrastructure