Interfaces to allow video ad serving into a mobile phone application video stream

1. A method for managing content provided to a mobile device, the method comprising:

requesting, by an application executing on the mobile device, a content item from a content server, wherein the application is native to a platform of the mobile device and operates using an operating system of the mobile device;

reporting, by a content manager object integrated with the application executing on the mobile device, a context of the application to the content server, wherein the context is a current state of the application executing on the mobile device;

receiving, by the content manager object, a content item selected by the content server based on the requesting, wherein the content manager object is targeted to a platform of the mobile device and integrated with the application executing natively on the mobile device using a software development kit prior to compiling the application by a developer of the application executing natively on the mobile device, wherein the content server selects the content item using the context of the application based on context parameters associated with the application and stored at the content server, wherein the context parameters are provided to the content server by the application developer using a context sharing component of the software development kit;

reconfiguring, by the content manager object, the content item received from the content server and controlling, by the content manager object, presentation of the content item via the mobile device, wherein the content manager object is native to a platform of the mobile device and operates using an operating system of the mobile device;

identifying, by the content manager object, metric associated with the content item; and

transmitting, by the content manager object, the metric to the content server.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content item comprises a video-content item.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content item is requested by the application in response to the application playing a video.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein reconfiguring and controlling presentation of the content item includes reconfiguring the content item for presentation during playback of the video and presenting the content item during playback of the video.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the content item is overlaid on the video during playback of the video.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein reconfiguring and controlling presentation of the content item includes reconfiguring the content item for presentation before playback of the video and presenting the content item before playback of the video.

7. The method of claim 3 , wherein reconfiguring and controlling presentation of the content item includes reconfiguring the content item for presentation after playback of the video and presenting the content item after playback of the video.

8. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

pausing playback of the video while the content item is presented.

9. The method of claim 3 , wherein the video includes a content item slot and the method further comprises:

presenting the content item in the content item slot.

10. The method of claim 3 , wherein the video includes a content item slot and wherein the content item is requested based on the content item slot.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content item comprises one or more of a text content item, a graphic content item, a still-image content item, a banner content item, and a link content item.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metric measures user interactions with the content item while the content item is presented.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the content item received from the content server based on the requesting comprises:

receiving a response from the content server based on the requesting;

parsing the response to obtain information for receiving the content item; and

receiving the content item based on the parsed response.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the response is a Video Ad Serving Template (VAST)-formatted extended markup language (XML) document.

15. A computer program product for managing content provided to a mobile device, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium comprising code for:

requesting, by an application executing on the mobile device, a content item from a content server, wherein the application is native to a platform of the mobile device and operates using an operating system of the mobile device;

reporting, by a content manager object integrated with the application executing on the mobile device, a context of the application to the content server, wherein the context is a current state of the application executing on the mobile device;

receiving, by the content manager object, a content item selected by the content server based on the requesting, wherein the content manager object is targeted to a platform of the mobile device and integrated with the application executing natively on the mobile device using a software development kit prior to compiling the application by a developer of the application executing natively on the mobile device, wherein the content server selects the content item using the context of the application based on context parameters associated with the application and stored at the content server, wherein the context parameters are provided to the content server by the application developer using a context sharing component of the software development kit;

reconfiguring, by the content manager object, the content item received from the content server and controlling, by the content manager object, presentation of the content item via the mobile device, wherein the content manager object is native to a platform of the mobile device and operates using an operating system of the mobile device;

identifying, by the content manager object, a metric associated with the content item; and

transmitting, by the content manager object, the metric to the content server.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the content item comprises a video content item.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the content item is requested by the application in response to the application playing a video.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the metric measures user interactions with the content item while the content item is presented.

19. A system for managing content provided to a mobile device, the system comprising:

a content manager object targeted to a platform of the mobile device and integrated with an application executing natively on the mobile device prior to compiling the application, wherein the application is native to a platform of the mobile device and operates using an operating system of the mobile device, wherein the content manager object is configured to

report a context of the application to a content server, wherein the context is a current state of the application executing on the mobile device,

receive a content item requested by the application and selected by the content server, wherein the content server selects the content item using the context of the application based on context parameters associated with the application and stored at the content server,

reconfigure the content item received from the content server, and

control presentation of the content item via the mobile device; and

a metric tracking engine included with the content manager object and configured to

collect a metric associated with the content item, and

provide the metric to the content server,

wherein the content manager object is native to a platform of the mobile device and operates using an operating system of the mobile device.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the content item comprises a video content item.

21. The system of claim 19 , wherein the content item is requested by the application in response to the application playing a video.

22. The system of claim 19 , wherein the metric measures user interactions with the content item while the content item is presented.

23. A system for managing content provided to a mobile device, the system comprising:

a software development kit for creating a content manager object targeted to a platform of the mobile device and for integrating the content manager object into an application developed for the mobile device prior to compiling the application, wherein the application is native to a platform of the mobile device and operates using an operating system of the mobile device;

wherein the software development kit configures the content manager object to

report a context of the application to a content server, wherein the context is a current state of the application executing on the mobile device,

receive a content item requested by the application and selected by the content server when the application is executed by the mobile device, wherein the content server selects the content item using the context of the application based on context parameters associated with the application and stored at the content server,

control presentation of the content item via the mobile device,

collect a metric associated with the content item, and

provide the metric to the content server,

wherein the content manager object is native to a platform of the mobile device and operates using an operating system of the mobile device.

24. The system of claim 23 , wherein the content item comprises a video content item.

25. The system of claim 23 , wherein the content item is requested by the application in response to the application playing a video.

26. The system of claim 23 , wherein the metric measures user interactions with the content item while the content item is presented.