Approaching TV viewers with expanded ad formats

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The longer the ad, the more likely US TV viewers will call it unreasonable. And only half of TV viewers who recently watched the shortest ads—less than 30 seconds—felt the length was reasonable. If viewers must watch ads, they want them to be as short as possible.

Beyond the chart: Both Netflix and Disney+ will roll out an ad-supported tier in the next two months. Their imperative is to show ads without detracting from the viewing experience or driving away subscribers.

One strategy is to offer a variety of ad formats. “Streamers have such a great opportunity for innovative ad units,” said Jason Brum, group vice president of agency partnerships at DirecTV Advertising, speaking on Monday at Advertising Week New York. Pause ads, for example, are “not as intrusive as a commercial,” he added, and could result in more attention than a 30-second ad spot.

More like this:

• Report: Advanced TV 2022
• Article: 5 tips for engaging Gen Z in TV marketing
• Article: July was the worst month for ad spending in 2 years

Read yesterday’s Chart of the Day here.

Methodology: Data is from an August 2022 Hub Research report titled "TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction, Q2 2022." A US Census-balanced sample of 3,004 US teens and adults ages 14-74 were surveyed online during May 2022. All respondents watched at least one hour of TV per week.