• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, September 12, 2013

Across video channels, publishers continue to experiment with the right balance of content and advertising. Year-over-year, long-form ad loads for traditional-cum-digital publishers rose 12%, while mid- and short-form ad loads remained flat, according to new findings from FreeWheel.

Notably, data showed growing evidence of the shift from linear TV (or “living room” viewing) to anytime, anywhere, any device viewing, FreeWheel found.

Overall video view growth increased 38% year-over-year, largely driven by tablets and mobile phones.

Over the past year, digital pure-play networks drove over 80% of ad views from short-form content, while linear-cum-digital publishers like NBC and ESPN monetized a more diverse content mix, the online video technology firm found.

The 30-second ad spot -- historically the most common ad length in broadcast TV -- has become increasingly prevalent in digital video over the past four quarters. In fact, 50% of ad views are now 30-second ads -- up from 43% last year.

“This trend indicates increased viewer comfort watching 30-second ads online, movement of linear TV creative to digital video environments, and more effective digital inventory management by publishers looking to better reflect the TV ad experience,” according to Doug Knopper, co-founder and co-CEO of FreeWheel.

Thirty-second ads now comprise almost 50% of all ad views, with viewers completing 15- and 30-second ads at nearly identical rates.

Mobile continues to show strong growth, comprising 13.2% of all views in the second quarter of the year. However, monetization has been a challenge, with mobile totaling only 5.6% of total ad views. Tablets and “over the top” devices (from gaming consoles to set-top boxes like Roku) are more aligned with TV-style viewing habits, with long-form content generating approximately 45% of total ad views.

For its findings, FreeWheel said it factored in some 18 billion video views during the second quarter of the year .