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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryAdtech & ProgrammaticRewarded Video Ad

Adtech & Programmatic

Rewarded Video Ad

An opt-in video ad users choose to watch in exchange for an in-app reward, such as extra lives or content access.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

A rewarded video ad is an opt-in video ad that app users choose to watch in exchange for an in-app reward, such as extra lives, in-game currency, or access to content. Because viewers opt in, these ads tend to achieve high completion rates and are common in mobile games and free apps.