Premium digital video ads are increasingly showing up in living rooms and not the smaller screens of smartphones and tablets, according to a new study from Comcast’s Freewheel.
Freewheel’s second-quarter Video Monetization Report found that 57% of premium digital video ad views in the U.S. were delivered to the TV screen versus other digital devices, which the group said highlights the increase of OTT and STB VOD advertising and reinforcing the importance of the “new living room” for advertisers.
But all devices saw year-over-year growth in digital ad views, with smartphones growing the most at 76%.
“TV—which now includes premium video content distributed via an array of digital platforms—has never been stronger as an advertising channel. The ability to build targeted awareness with TV at the top of the funnel, then measure the impact of that exposure across devices, is now a reality,” said FreeWheel’s General Manager David Clark in a statement. “The final piece of the puzzle is allowing marketers to use technology to plan and buy TV with added efficiency and automation. We’ve made some great strides in this area, and continue to work with our partners to build the next-generation, TV ad platform that meets the unique demands of the TV ecosystem.”
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Freewheel’s study also showed that data-driven ad placements are catching on, too. Fully 14% of total ad views in the second quarter were placed programmatically, an increase of 58% year-over-year. The company said the vast majority of those programmatic ad transactions took place via private marketplaces between buyers and sellers.
The increase in digital ad viewing reflects an overall rise in digital video viewing. The study said that video views in the second quarter grew by 31% year-over-year. And a lot of those ads are being viewed within live OTT video. Live video accounted for 33% of all ad views, with sports content comprising 66% of this total, and news comprising an additional 10%.