• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, May 30, 2024

With growing digital channels of video content -- streaming, connected TV, and otherwise -- advertising quality and ad experience are facing some issues, according to a new report from Comcast’s FreeWheel.

“As content continues to shift across endpoints, consumers are finding that ad experiences aren't transitioning as seamlessly,” according to authors of the survey.

One of the biggest reveals was that 71% of viewers are bothered by "unnatural ad breaks," which can lead to 14% decline in brand recall. 

Buffering and latency -- the slow display of content being run -- troubles 78% of viewers, and can impact the quality of the program, ads, and brands.

A message or slate that appears on screen displaying “We’ll be right back” is also a concern, with 33% of respondents saying it bothers them.

The positive is that ads themselves don’t bother viewers. On a scale of 1 to 7, consumers give a score of 6.3 when it comes to the statement “Ads do not harm program enjoyment for viewers.” 

Some viewers see advertising breaks in offering up a “reset” of their program viewing -- with 3% more likely to pay cognitive attention.

The FreeWheel study was conducted with 20 viewers from an in-lab viewing session, and was done in partnership with MediaScience. 

Respondents were shown 30-minute programming on an unnamed streaming service with a variety of ad experiences that include no ads, latency, slate, and unnatural ad breaks. This was compared to a control group with limited ad breaks.