Unruly Partners With AppNexus To Bring Together Buyers And Sellers Of Viewable Outstream Video Inventory
- by Tobi Elkin @tobielkin, June 7, 2016
Video ad-tech company Unruly and AppNexus on Tuesday announced a partnership to combine the reach of AppNexus’ video buying platform with Unruly’s viewable video supply-side platform (SSP) UnrulyX. Unruly says that through UnrulyX, 70% of views are delivered across comScore 500 sites.
The partnership enables advertisers and publishers globally to implement premium outstream video campaigns at scale in an open market. It’s a response to buyers demanding more premium video inventory, scale and viewability at once. On the viewability front, the outstream format is considered non-interruptive. Plus, viewability is inherent, as the outstream ad doesn’t begin to play unless 50% of the creative is in-view. Viewers are also given the option to skip the ad.
Since Google has pulled YouTube inventory from the open market and with Facebook’s shuttering of LiveRail, AppNexus and Unruly believe they are presenting the market with viable options in terms of scale, audience-building and transparency in pricing that buyers are seeking.
"Everyone wants scale, viewability and quality when it comes to video. Until recently, buyers had to choose one or two of those. We’re now able to bring outstream video to AppNexus's premium demand partners. Essentially, it allows buyers to check all the boxes,” Unruly EVP of Global Business Development Kenneth Suh told Real-Time Daily via email.
According to Unruly, AppNexus buyers will have access to more than a billion monthly viewable outstream video impressions via UnrulyX, from business and news sites such as MarketWatch and The Sun, to sports sites including Goal.com, to lifestyle sites such as Vogue Australia, many of which are exclusive to UnrulyX.
According to the Unruly Future Video Survey, 62.1% of viewers globally want to be in control of their video ad experience. UnrulyX offers user-initiated placements on premium publishers’ sites. UnrulyX’s in-house brand safety team works partners, including Moat and Integral Ad Science to verify both viewability levels and human traffic and to ensure advertisers’ creative will only appear in brand safe environments. The company is also compliant with TAG’s Quality Assurance Guidelines.
For its part, AppNexus recently announced its own solution for video viewability, for both instream and outstream inventory, to help clients quickly and effectively identify and reach ideal consumers within video environments. In this capacity, the company supports IAB, GroupM, and custom definitions of viewability.
Of the partnership, Eric Hoffert, AppNexus' SVP, video technology, told Real-Time Daily: "Unruly's focus on mobile video, premium inventory at scale, and brand safety is strongly aligned with requirements that we hear from AppNexus video buyers. The addition of Unruly to our video marketplace enhances the power of video buyers to better meet campaign objectives via an expanded set of outstream publishers across the Web."
Buyers may be "demanding more premium video inventory, scale and viewability at once." But are they willing to pay for it at a rate the high quality outstream format should command? Outstream will work most effectively holding audience attention when the creative is good; thus the fit with luxury, aspirational or higher end brands placing these ads with properties that reach such an audience. It should command higher rates. By definition, "premium" shouldn't succumb to discounted pricing. Likewise, mundane creative can be just as annoying when run outstream as in other, intrusive formats. Audience will probably ignore it or worse, and the ad spend won't be worth it.
Henry, you are quite right about paying more for premium content, high visibility, etc. However the real issue, for video ads in particular, is what else is available and at what cost. If "quality" digital placements come in at 3-5 times the CPMs of comparable "linear TV" availabilities and "linear TV" offers far greater reach. no reach ceilings due to ad blocking and much more quality content to choose from, will the higher digital CPMs still seem be acceptable?
Ed, Thanks for your comment. Perhaps I should have been more specific. I am referring to rates as compared to run of the mill online advertising, not TV or higher end print.
And thanks especially for the "Henry you are quite right..." part, as it is most gratifying when you, one of the industry knowledge leaders, makes such a comment.