Digital Video Ads In Premium TV Earn Most Attention

Getting more bang for your digital video ad has less to do with its length than the video content where it runs.

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.

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