As the popularity of streaming continues to grow, video content is scattered among many different endpoints. These increasingly include ad-supported offerings in the form of ad tiers or fully free platforms. While this offers consumers choice and flexibility when it comes to the advertising experience, the way ads are executed isn’t always as seamless as it could be. Disruptive breaks, blank screens, and downtime are issues that can have negative repercussions on both media owners and advertisers’ goals; but most importantly they leave viewers frustrated. 

In today’s dynamic world of streaming, the onus is on media players to understand not only how audiences perceive the ad, but also react to the ad breaks that surround and often interrupt their programs. Media owners must provide quality viewing experiences for consumers while creating a fertile ground for brand messages.

To this end, I outlined in a previous article that for all parties to benefit, ads should add to the viewer experience – not detract from it. In this follow-up piece, I will explore the factors that cause low-quality ad experiences and explain how content owners and distributors can avoid them. 

The importance of quality ad experiences 

Content of all types, from blockbuster movies to live sports, drama to documentaries, is increasingly being consumed and distributed via streaming platforms. This is largely a direct response to the evolution of consumer habits, with audiences satiating their huge appetite for premium video content across multiple connected devices. 

While subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming services have proved popular, it’s currently the ad-supported tiers that are really capturing the attention of viewers. According to EMARKETER projections, free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) sign-ups are increasing in the US, while the picture in the UK is equally promising for FAST, where Digital TV Research showed a 30% increase in viewership in 2023. 

Media owners need to be conscious of protecting the viewer experience in their ad-supported tiers, which includes the advertising experience. Platforms also want to create an environment that enables a premium and effective ad experience for advertisers. The generalist assumption that viewers don’t like ads but reluctantly put up with them to access content for free isn’t borne out by the data. FreeWheel Viewers Experience Lab’s report, Improving the Quality of Ad Experiences, shows that it’s not ads that bother viewers, but low-quality ad experiences.  

Seeking seamless viewing 

Audiences are receptive to the idea of a value exchange, involving watching ads to access quality content for free. With the increasing cost of living affecting European and UK consumers in recent years, many have been cutting down on subscription-based services and are looking for alternatives that offer better value. 

Moreover, the FreeWheel study shows that ads don’t impact the level of enjoyment of video content. In fact, a well-designed ad break, with frequency capping and length consistency settings, can give viewers a welcome rest and curb negative emotions, while improving cognitive attention and brand impact. 

It is the poor ad experiences that are frustrating for audiences. Data shows that 78% of consumers are bothered by slow-loading or buffering ads, while 71% are upset by ad breaks that unnaturally interrupt the content. One-third were also bothered by seeing a blank screen or screensaver in place of an ad. 

There are three areas that need careful attention in order to mitigate these issues: 

1. Latency 

Latency occurs when ad loading time is delayed by ad decisioning not happening quickly enough. The result is slow-loading or buffering ads, and these can be particularly disruptive for live streaming events, when the process of ad decisioning becomes more complex. 

Viewers in FreeWheel’s study rated programming that suffered from latency issues lower than programming that was not affected by latency. This sentiment was carried over into viewer perception of the ads themselves; latency has a direct impact on how a brand is perceived. 

Brands that want to avoid dented consumer perception from latency issues should look to suppliers that have technology in place that can optimize video delivery, ensuring delays are minimized. This could involve using ad servers located geographically closer to the end user. It might also mean buying directly from preferred partners to maximize efficiency in the supply chain; and ensuring partners have unified decisioning capabilities across all demand to enable faster ad decisioning. 

2. Disruption 

Poorly-timed or disruptive ad breaks can harm brand recall, according to FreeWheel’s study. Introducing ads in the middle of a scene, for example, will upset the natural flow of the programming. Respondents said that ad breaks were 16% more intrusive when they appeared at unexpected moments; they were also 14% less likely to remember the ads they saw during a disruptive ad break.  

Marketers will need to consider taking steps to mitigate any potential negative impact on their brands arising from this issue. One way to do so is by prioritizing publishers that use innovative and advanced technologies for advertising management, which can intelligently place ad breaks within content. 

3. Slate 

A slate or blank screen can appear when an ad call is made and the exchange doesn’t reply in time or provides an empty VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) response. According to our research, up to a quarter of ad avails are not filled on FAST channels, which all results in wasted inventory and frustrated viewers. 

FreeWheel’s data shows that consumers are more likely to have a positive physiological response to content when they don’t encounter slates. Using facial coding as a measure, viewers were 31% more likely to experience joy when watching a program with no slates. 

Brands should focus on supply path optimization and establishing direct connections to publishers and their inventory to limit potential slate issues. 

Additionally, from a publisher’s point of view, ad servers that utilize advanced auction capabilities, full pod bidding, and creative pre-approval processes, will help to limit latency and slate issues while improving fill rates.

Fixing the advertising experience is vital to drive streaming innovation

Buyers and sellers have to get to grips with how variations in the advertising experience can impact viewers and brand perception. With the increasing number of ad-supported tiers and growth in the volume of content available, prioritizing the viewer experience is key.  

Both brands and media owners have a role to play in this. Brands need certainty that the ad experience will be of the highest quality. Media owners must understand the factors that lead to sub-optimal ad experiences and how to fix them. In this multi-screen landscape, where consumer attention is scarce, it is paramount to come together to deliver an optimum experience that delivers the highest results.