The study reported that audiences watched an average of 79% of a streaming video advert attentively. It split that total into 59% active attention and 20% passive attention.
The organisations compared streaming video with other media types using attention benchmarks that included linear TV, scrollable social, mobile video, online display, large format out of home and cinema. The research said streaming video generated higher attention than each of the digital environments measured.
Attention measures
The research focused on the difference between an advert appearing on screen and an advert being watched. It contrasted attention measurement with time-in-view, which it described as a standard approach for video advertising viewability. Time-in-view records whether an advert remains on screen. The study treated attention as whether audiences looked at the advert.
Amplified measured attentive viewing across streaming video platforms that participate in the Video Futures Collective. The research said it used second-by-second measures of active, passive and non-attention.
The study found that streaming video outperformed YouTube mobile by 66% on attention. It said streaming video beat large format out of home by 74% and linear TV by 80%. The study reported that streaming video exceeded scrollable social by 123% and display advertising by 161%.
Cinema recorded the highest average attention in the study. The findings said cinema only narrowly exceeded streaming video, with a 6%
difference.Household panel
The research observed viewing behaviour in 300 Australian households. It tracked in-room behaviour on connected TV devices.
The study ran for six months. It examined how audiences engaged with adverts placed within streaming programming. The research said it looked at attention patterns over time within adverts of different lengths.
It found that streaming video attention "starts high and stays high throughout". It said scrollable social showed a different pattern for a 15-second advert. Attention started at around 75%, then fell to 25% by four seconds. It then reached single digits by the end of the advert.
The study also reported attention levels for longer formats on streaming video. It said the same pattern held "all the way up to minute-long adverts".
Genre and dayparts
The research said all streaming video platforms recorded strong attention levels. It also reported variation by genre and by time of day.
Comedy and documentary programming recorded the highest active attention in the study, at 81% and 67% respectively. The study also reported that active attention varied across dayparts. It measured 51% in morning viewing slots and 69% in the evening.
The study also contrasted streaming video and linear TV in terms of active and passive attention. It reported that linear TV "typically sees 3x the amount of passive attention (60%)". It linked that to "the predictable cadence of ad slots and type of programming that encourages background viewing".
Industry reaction
The Video Futures Collective launched in 2024 as a forum for discussion and co-operation around streaming video. Its current members include Amazon Prime, Disney Advertising, Foxtel Media, Netflix, Samsung Ads, SBS On Demand, Vevo and YouTube.
"How often do we hear about people having short attention spans these days? It turns out that it's not audiences who are to blame, but the media environments they spend time in. Social platforms are built for reach and engagement, always pushing the user to the next video, so it's no surprise their adverts can't hold attention. Streaming platforms have content that people have chosen to watch, and they watch it attentively, advertising included. Audiences have no problem paying attention - advertisers just need to choose the channels that earn it, and streaming video is one of them," said Toby Dewar, Director of Customer Engagement, Foxtel Media.
Amplified positioned the research as a challenge to assumptions about how people watch video advertising across channels. It also pointed to implications for creative formats and message length.
"Advertisers spend significant time and resources on video creative, only to have content go to waste because audiences aren't paying attention. This study proves that streaming video bucks that trend, giving advertisers the confidence that viewers will stay put for their whole message, not just the first few seconds. We found this is true all the way up to minute-long adverts. I'm excited about the implications this has for high-impact storytelling that makes full use of streaming video's captive audiences," said Bec Brooks, Head of Research Operations, Amplified.
Amplified said it used in-home hardware and machine learning models to generate attention profiles. The Video Futures Collective said it plans further work to expand industry understanding of streaming video advertising performance.
Source: itbrief.com.au