DISH on Viewability and Completion Rates

According to a recent Insights report from FreeWheel quotThe Power Of OTT Audiences ampamp Engagementquot 75 of the OTT audience is in the 1849 demo a key audience for many brandsamp160 OTT also effectively delivers what many consider the amp8220hardtoreach audienceamp8221 1824 year oldsamp160 While we know that they are not watching as much traditional linear TV they are clearly watching a great deal of live and ondemand content through their OTT devicesThe report also showcases why OTT is becoming so valuable for advertisers statingamp160amp160quotOTT allows marketers to reach viewers who are harder to find on traditional TV including affluent Millennials and cord cutters amp160The median OTT viewer is 23 years younger than TV viewers and their median household income is nearly 10000 higher per year than traditional TV householdsquot amp160Additionally according to the Freewheel Video Monetization Report OTT premium video monetization grew 32 year over year claiming the top platform growthJon Anselmo Chief Digital Officer and President at Omnicom Media Group commenting about the value of OTT in the FreeWheel report believes quotthe rise of video consumption in the living room through OTT devices provides great opportunities for advertisers new sources of premium inventory coupled with the ability to align delivery with changing consumption habits allows us to better connect with the consumer and ultimately drive more brand value for our clientsquotViewabilityBack in 2011 the ANA 4As and the IAB worked together to create better standards for digital measurement amp160According to the IAB State of Viewability quotit was determined that the single most important need is shifting currency from served impressions to viewable impressionsquot amp160The original standards called for then called for quot50 of their pixels are in view for a minimum of one second and for desktop video that standard is 50 for two seconds amp160In addition the standard stipulates that for larger desktop ad units 30 of pixels in view for one second constitutes a viewable adquotIn a recent MediaVillage article on new viewability requirements from GroupM they quotnow require a display ad be 100 in view for one second to count as a viewable impressionquotamp160 For native and outstream videos they keep the 100 in view requirement but add that at least 50 of the video be viewed for it to be counted amp160The most stringent requirements are for preroll and midroll video which stay at their 2014 levelsamp160amp160quot100 in view 50 complete and played at the user39s initiation and with the sound onquotOTT and Sling TV in particular have really solved the viewability issue due to the nature of viewing on their platforms amp160From a viewability perspective it39s a fullscreen television viewing experienceamp160 The IAB reports that quotOTT video ads tend to be 100 inview because there is no player to minimize in this fullscreen experiencequotBut David Smith writing It39s Time to Tighten Up Digital POP for MediaVillage said that in his opinion quotviewability is now just table stakesquot amp160He added that what was also needed was quotproof that the ad was seen by a humanquot amp160And that39s where the added element of completion rate perfects the value propositionAdamp160Completion Higheramp160with OTTA Magna report from March of this year entitled the quotOn Demand Imperativequot describes the challenges that many advertisers face today in engaging audiences with only a 35 completion rate on average amp160However while viewing time can be as short as 23 seconds for other digital ad units the recent FreeWheel study shows a 98 completion rate for ads on OTT platforms amp160The same study in 2016 showed a 93 completion rate indicating the ads on OTT platforms are continuing to grow in their performanceLooking at the definitions companies are using to define completion further illustrates the power that OTT brings to advertisers amp160In a recent MediaVillage video interview Dave Penski from Publicis asks the very critical question quotif the viewing time is only two or three seconds what is that value exchange with the clientquotSpeaking about their report Kara Manatt Magna Senior Vice President Intelligence Solutions Strategy said quotWhile skipping is an ingrained behavior more succinct ads coupled with human connection and good storytelling will help brands more deeply engage with their audiencesquot amp160That is evidenced in OTT where people are watching a specific piece of content and much less likely to be channel surfing adding to the higher completion rate amp160In addition the ads are frequently high quality with strong storytellingAdditionally the growing number of households able to receive addressable advertising means audiences will be able to receive ads that are much more relevant to them also helping to create higher engagement and completion ratesConcluding ThoughtsSince we started this series with Creating Clarity in a Changing Media Landscape we have outlined the many ways that OTT brings value to advertisersamp160 OTT combines the best of both digital and linear TV and brings in an audience that39s highly sought after by advertisersDISH Media Sales has looked very closely at the challenges facing the digital advertising world and has built their platform with those issues in mindSling TV is premium content and delivers a premium audience amp160Viewers are watching live TV and ads are running during those highquality viewing experiences amp160This is particularly important at a time when brands are worried about brand safety and where their ads are being placed online amp160With the live TV that the viewer is watching brands can have confidence that they don39t have to be concerned about this issue with ads placed on Sling TVA recent Business Insider report on ad fraud estimates that 64 billion could be wasted on ad fraud this year amp160A poll by MyersBizNet shows that 78 of brand marketers are concerned with ad fraud and bot traffic amp160Sling TV has seen zero ad fraud or bots with most of its content streamed via a cookieless app environmentFrom a viewability perspective it39s a fullscreen television viewing experience amp160You don39t have to worry about viewability as you do in other digital spaces amp160Ads on Sling TV are viewed on 100 of the screen and ads have a 98 completion rate amp160By contrast for an ad to be considered viewed in the digital space 50 of the pixels must be viewable and they must be watched for a minimum of three secondsamp160During the recent Advertising Week panelamp160A Bird39s Eye View into OTTamp160 Adam Lowy Director of Advanced TV and Digital Sales at DISH Media Sales discussed his overall feelings on OTT and what it takes to be successful advising the audience that they need to quotbe all in on OTT from all your different business linesquot amp160He also shared that the Sling TV Q1 to Q2 programmatic ad revenue increased 263 and the remarkable fact that they39re quotbringing in more overall revenue in September than in all of 2016 Things are changing fastquot amp160He added quotProgrammatic is growing by leaps and bounds amp160We39ve done the education and now we39re putting it all together and understanding the buy Is it digital or is it TV amp160But really it39s bothquotSo where is it all goingamp160 According to a recent Forrester post the world will be even more of a hybrid in the near term quotNational network buys will still be crucial foundations but will need more and more supplementation with these audiences to achieve desired reachquotamp160 So with the help of DISH Media Sales and others marketers should adapt to change by continuing to educate themselves understanding and embracing all platformsClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers If you no longer wish to receive updates from DISHamp160please click here

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DISH on Viewability and Completion Rates

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David Polinchock

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DISH on Viewability and Completion Rates

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