A new study by digital video ad sales rights/ad server company FreeWheel pegs completion rates of video ads in content 20 minutes or longer -- typically in premium TV shows -- at 81%. Shorter, professionally produced videos -- 5 minutes to 20 minutes long -- only get a 62% completion rate.
"Length of video content is a more significant factor of completion rates than length of the advertising," says the report. The study says 58% of digital video ads are 15 seconds in length; 26% of digital video ads are 30 seconds long.
Mid-roll video ads -- those that run mostly in long TV episodes -- have a 91% completion rates. Pre-roll ads -- still the most dominant in terms of all digital video ads -- have a 67% completion rate. Post-roll ads pull in a 50% number.
Pre-roll ads comprise 87% of all video ads served by FreeWheel, with 12% coming from mid-roll ads and 1% from post-roll ads. FreeWheel processed 23 billion video views and and 13 billion video ad views in 2010.
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Mid-roll is a rapidly growing category; a year ago it had an 8% market share. Much of this growth comes from the growth of long video content, such as premium TV shows.
FreeWheel -- whose clients include Fox, Discovery Communications, Turner Broadcasting, Univision, and CBS -- says that although ad volume has doubled during the last six months of 2010, completion rates have remained stable. This is a good sign, it says, meaning that consumers recognize the value of ad-supported TV shows and video.