Ads in video preferable to subscription charges

Consumers are happy to view in-video advertising and prefer this method to paying a fee to watch videos, found a new study into online video advertising.

by Helen Leggatt

Advertising.com’s bi-annual video study has discovered that 94 percent consumers are happy to watch in-video ads and accept them as part of the overall online video viewing experience.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents indicated that they prefer to view in-video ads that were shorter than those on TV. Shorter spots were also found to have a higher percent-viewed rate. Advertising.com’s study found that consumers are 8 percent more likely to view 15-second spots in their entirety than 30-second spots.

Despite this desire for shorter ads, 65 percent of consumers said they watch online in-video ads through to completion.

Regular users of online video, those who view streaming content more than once a week, were more likely to view in-video ads in their entirety. Users who view online video less frequently, once a month, are less likely to watch an entire ad. Relevancy of ads was important to 22 percent of respondents.

"The Internet is still seen first and foremost as an information resource. With news clips remaining the most popular type of streamed content, video viewing habits reflect that status," said Lynda Clarizio, president of Advertising.com.