Long-Form Content Has the Highest Video Ad Completion Rates
According to a report from FreeWheel, which helps entertainment companies scale and syndicate their content, online video consumption seems to be a nice complement to linear television viewing and doesn’t eat into primetime viewing. Also, long-form content sees the highest video ad completion rates, regardless of ad length.
Online video viewing remains fairly constant during the week, with an uptick on Saturdays of 13 percent over Tuesday, the lowest point of the week for video views. Linear TV, on the other hand, is most popular during the week and has its lowest point on Saturdays. “Content owners and distributors are capitalizing on this online behavior with ad insertion, as video ad volume saw a 13% rise for Saturday over the lowest monetized day, Sunday,” according to FreeWheel.
Online video ad monetization is beginning to reflect the seasonality of television, as online video ad views peaked in the fourth quarter of 2010, just as TV ad spending typically peaks in that quarter due to the holiday season.
In the first quarter of 2011, pre-roll ads saw a completion rate of 60 percent, while mid-roll ads saw a completion rate of 94 percent and post-roll ads saw a completion rate of 54 percent. These numbers were 66 percent, 91 percent and 50 percent, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2010, and 66 percent, 95 percent and 68 percent in the first quarter of 2010.
When it comes to the popular topic of the relationship between ad length and video length, FreeWheel concludes that “in terms of effectiveness (measured by completion rates), ad length is much less important than the length of the content into which the ads are placed.”
Long-form content has the highest video ad completion rates, regardless of length. For 15-second ads, long-form content boasted a completion rate of 91 percent, while mid-form content had a completion rate of 60 percent and short-form content had a completion rate of 52 percent.
For 30-second ads, long-form content had a completion rate of 90 percent, while mid-form content had a completion rate of 73 percent and short-form content had a completion rate of 63 percent.
FreeWheel also notes that while small compared to wired video viewing, mobile video viewing is currently dominated by Apple, as 30 percent of wireless video views happen on iPhones, 30 percent on iPods, 20 percent on iPads and 20 percent on Android devices.
This reflects the number of Apple devices on the market, as well as the priority these devices had over Android devices for content producers and distributors.
Source:
http://www.freewheel.tv/docs/FreeWheelMonetizationReport_Q1_2011.pdf
