It’s the end of an era: Google is banning ads that use multimedia software Flash from its internet ads, switching to HTML5 instead.
From 30 June, its AdWords and DoubleClick networks will no longer accept new “display ads” such as banners built in Flash.
From January 2017 it will stop displaying Flash ads on websites – but some video ads built with Flash will still be accepted.
Google said it wanted to “encourage” advertisers to switch to HTML5.
It’s been almost nine years since the original iPhone infamously turned up without Flash support. In that time, HTML% has emerged as a more robust, modern platform for advertisers to run their multimedia display ads.
In a recent Google+ post, the internet giant has announced that “the Google Display Network and DoubleClick Digital Marketing are now going 100% HTML5.”
Video ads built in Flash will still be allowed for now, but it seems likely that their days too are numbered.
There are three ways for developers to make the switch from Flash to HTML5, and Google has provided a link to an article that helps explain how these methods can be utilised.