Video completion rates hit an all-time high

Video completion rates hit an all-time high
Michelle Clancy
| 02 August 2018

For the second quarter in a row, video completion rates (VCR) are on the rise across nearly every device type and ad length, according to Extreme Reach’s Q2 2018 Video Advertising Benchmarks Report.
extremereach 2Aug2018
The survey showed that the biggest gains were seen across premium inventory, where an astounding 92% of video ads played in their entirety. That’s an increase of 16% over the year-ago quarter.

Meanwhile, video completion rates for ads served to premium publishers in the second quarter were 37% higher than through aggregators. Additionally, this is an area where connected TV (CTV) demonstrates a significant edge, reaching a 97% completion rate across premium inventory vs. 87% for other devices serving impressions on premium publisher sites.

With a 111% increase over Q2 2017 and a 23% increase over Q1 2018, connected TV was, for the first time, the top performer in the percentage of video impressions served by Extreme Reach. Largely driven by consumers' cable cord-cutting in favour of platforms like Roku, as well services such as Hulu, CTV accounted for 38% of all video ad impressions in Q2. Mobile meanwhile comprised 30% of overall impressions, down from 33% in Q1.

Video views on desktop and tablets both experienced the fifth straight quarter of decline, clearly signalling that these platforms no longer have the eye of most consumers. In fact, desktop accounted for 23% of impressions, or less than half its 52% average share for the full year in 2015. Tablets now account for just 9% of video impressions, down from a high of 25% in both Q2 and Q3 2016.

"Just when we think we've reached the stability that comes with maturation, the rapidly-evolving digital landscape brings us more exciting developments. This quarter, reveals the amazing opportunity in CTV," said Mary Vestewig, senior director, video account management at Extreme Reach, examining the trends revealed in the Q2 2018 Video Advertising Benchmarks Report. "CTV is clearly on the path to becoming the dominant platform for media consumption, and premium inventory is the most sure-fire audience draw. Soon, I'm sure we'll see more moves like Roku's new ad marketplace, as these platforms prove a viable means of reaching audiences now fragmented across linear and OTT TV."