Survey: Users prefer targeted online ads

More users are going online to watch video streams, and for most, an ad before the stream starts is preferable to fee-based services. That is the word from a new Advertising.com survey.

by Kristina Knight

According to the survey, which polled 500 adult web users, 66% said they watched online video streams at least once per week. Another interesting tidbit is that of the 84% said their online video consumption either stayed the same or increased from 2005 levels; an indication that streaming video is showing a growth in popularity.

Other results from the survey include the preference for online ads. According to survey results about 94% of those who watch online videos prefer pre-rolled ads to fee-based services, though most believe online ads should be shorter than traditional television ads (61%), better targeted for the viewer (18%) or created exclusively for the web (15%).

With the increase in viewership, just what are users watching online? News clips (49%), music videos (47%), movie trailers (33%), television shows (26%) and user-generated videos (21%). However, the click-through rate for online ads is highest with online gamers. Gaming sites have a .87% click-through rate, followed by career sites (.71%) and automotive sites (.63%).

Online video is predicted to have explosive growth through 2012, according to research from Informa. Online television and video is expected to bring in about $6.3 billion by 2012 in North America. That is about 10 times more revenue than was generated in 2006.