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How do I block an ad from appearing on my inventory?

You can block unwanted ads from appearing on your inventory using the Ad Quality tab in the Sovrn Platform. Sovrn Ad Exchange supports blocks at three levels: your entire account, a group of sites, or an individual site. You can block ads by IAB category, specialty category, creative attribute, advertiser URL, creative ID, or brand.

For a complete list of everything you can block, see What types of things can I block from appearing on my inventory?

How ad blocks affect your Ad Exchange revenue

Ad blocks filter unwanted ads, but excessive or overly broad blocks can significantly reduce demand and impact revenue. Blocking too many ad categories, attributes, or brands limits the variety of advertisers bidding on your inventory. Sovrn recommends applying blocks strategically — focus only on truly undesirable ads to maintain a balance between ad quality and earnings.

Creating account-level ad blocks in the Sovrn Platform

Account-level blocks apply to all sites under your Sovrn account. To set up account-level blocks:

  1. Log in to the Sovrn Platform and go to the Ad Quality tab.

  2. Click + Block to create a new block.

  3. Under Account, click Get started.

  4. Select the blocks you want to apply under the available tabs.

  5. Click Review and save, then confirm by clicking Save blocks.

To modify an existing account-level block, find the account entry in the Ad Quality table and click the edit icon.

Creating ad blocks for an individual site

To create ad blocks for one specific site:

  1. In the Ad Quality tab, click + Block.

  2. Under Site, select the site where you want to apply blocks.

  3. Click Get started and choose the ad blocks to apply.

  4. Click Review and save, then Save blocks to confirm.

To apply the same blocks across several sites at once, you can use Group Blocks — see How do I implement a blocklist across multiple accounts? for group setup steps.

Applying URL, Creative ID, or Brand blocks in bulk via CSV upload

For URL, Creative ID, or Brand blocks, you can upload a list in bulk instead of entering blocks one at a time:

  1. Navigate to the Ad Quality tab and click + Block.

  2. Choose whether to apply the block at the Account, Group, or Site level.

  3. Select the relevant block type tab (URL, Creative ID, or Brand).

  4. Download the provided .csv template and fill in the required details.

  5. Upload the completed file by clicking Browse, selecting the file, and clicking Upload blocks.

  6. Review and confirm the blocks by clicking Save blocks.

Viewing and editing existing ad blocks

To review and modify ad blocks you've already created:

  1. Go to the Ad Quality tab in your Sovrn account.

  2. Use the search bar or apply filters in the top-left corner to find specific blocks by type.

  3. Locate the block you want to update and click the pencil icon to edit it.

Once edited, review your changes and click Save to apply updates.

Removing ad blocks

To remove a previously created ad block:

  1. Navigate to the Ad Quality tab in your Sovrn account.

  2. Use the search bar or browse the table displaying all existing blocks.

  3. Locate the block you want to remove and click the trash can icon.

If you need to remove all blocks at once, click the gear icon in the upper right corner. This automatically downloads a backup of your current blocks in case you need to restore them later.

Blocking ads on CTV and In-App inventory

The Ad Quality tool works with CTV (Connected TV) and In-App integrations, but only at the account level. Bundle-level blocking — such as applying a category block or advertiser domain (adomain) block to a specific app bundle — is not currently supported.

If you need a block on CTV or In-App inventory that is narrower than account-wide, you should use a bid-level block in your bid requests, such as bcat (blocked categories) or badv (blocked advertiser domains). Otherwise, apply the block at the account level.

Troubleshooting ad blocks that may impact revenue

If you suspect your ad blocks are reducing revenue, review your active blocks — especially account-level blocks and large group blocks — and look for these opportunities:

  • Refine account-level blocks – If you have broad account-level blocks, consider converting them into more targeted group blocks. This can free up supply on certain sites while maintaining restrictions where necessary.

  • Optimize group blocks – If a group block has an extensive block list, review whether all blocks are necessary. Consider segmenting groups more specifically to allow greater flexibility.

  • Adjust category blocks – If an entire ad category is blocked, check whether a subcategory could be used instead. Alternatively, blocking ads from specific advertisers rather than an entire category may provide better control without over-limiting demand.

After adjusting your blocks:

  1. Monitor revenue trends to assess whether the changes have a positive impact.

  2. Watch for unwanted ads — if they start appearing, you may need to reinstate some blocks.

What ads are already automatically blocked for all publishers?

Certain ad types are automatically restricted across all Sovrn accounts, so you do not need to apply additional blocks for these categories. Sovrn proactively blocks ads containing:

  • Hate speech

  • Profanity

  • Violence

  • Illegal content

For the complete list of globally blocked ads, see the Global Blocks section in What types of things can I block from appearing on my inventory?

Can I create blocks that are zone (or ad tag) specific?

No — Sovrn does not support zone or ad tag level blocks. Sovrn recommends using a site-level block instead.

Questions? Concerns? Our team would be more than happy to help. Reach out to our Support Team here.