Data Drop: Guideline eCPM Pricing Data H2 2024

Our new report series on eCPMs

This is the first installment in our semiannual report series summarizing and analyzing effective costs per thousand (eCPM) data from Guideline. We cover average eCPMs for digital video, digital display, and digital audio ad inventory tracked by Guideline. This report covers the period from Q2 2023 to Q2 2024, including YoY and QoQ percentage changes in Q2 2024.

Definitions

eCPM is a publisher metric that focuses on revenues to the seller. We define eCPM as the estimated revenues generated per thousand ad impressions, represented as total revenues divided by the number of ad impressions multiplied by 1,000.

In contrast, cost per thousand (CPM) is an advertiser metric that tracks the price that buyers are willing to pay per thousand impressions. While both eCPMs and CPMs indicate general pricing trends in the ad market, there can be disparities between them based on factors such as publishers optimizing ad inventory for revenue generation.

Digital video, display, and audio

Average eCPMs in digital ad formats, as a whole, tracked by Guideline showed a small QoQ decrease (0.7%) in Q2 2024, and a substantially larger YoY decrease (6.0%).

The biggest driver of that decline was digital video, where eCPMs fell 3.0% QoQ and 13.4% YoY in Q2 2024. Digital audio eCPMs rose 1.2% QoQ but dropped 6.7% YoY. And digital display—which is generally priced lower than other formats and has not undergone as many changes over the past year—saw eCPMs rise 2.2% QoQ and 3.4% YoY.