• by Tyler Loechner  @mp_tyler, May 24, 2013

TubeMogul, Brightroll, Innovid, LiveRail, and SpotXchange have partnered to launch Open Video View (OpenVV), a video viewability solution for in-stream ads. The open source tool, which can be played around with here, lets advertisers or companies see the view stats for specific impressions. It asks the most basic (but all-important) questions: was the ad seen? For how long? 

After figuring out whether or not the video ad loaded, the tool measures the percentage of viewability at six points: the start, after one second, the first
quartile, midpoint, third quartile, and completion. The accompanying image shows the generic interface. 

In this example, the tab with the video ad wasn't open until after the first second. Sometime after the first second but before the first quartile, the ad became 100% viewable (but not necessarily viewed - that's what eye tracker tech is for). The ad remained completely viewable until the completion, when the user either scrolled up or down the screen, leaving only 38% of the video viewable on their screen.

David Burch, TubeMogul's communications director, told RTM Daily that the solution is unique because it's a partnership effort that was "pushed…as open source, where anyone can download and use the code. The real reason for that is pretty simple: advertisers should know what they are buying and be able to see [if] it works or we all lose -- it's a fundamental issue."

In an earlier statement, LiveRail CEO Mark Trefgarne said, "As more premium publishers make their video inventory available programmatically, it's important that buyers recognize premium viewer experiences and pay appropriate rates. The OpenVV standard will ensure that publishers with the most valuable, most engaged audiences get the recognition, and pricing, they deserve. We believe this standard will help drive the next phase of growth for programmatic video advertising; enabling brands to reach engaged audiences efficiently and measurably, and allowing publishers to generate maximum revenue from their premium viewer experiences.” 

The solution is available for free download, and a Web site for the consortium will be launched "in a few days," said Burch.