When people hear "online advertising" they think of text ads, banners and mobile ads. Video is the format that has grown fastest, because it carries the brand impact of television into the browser.
What video advertising is
Video advertising technically includes display ads with video inside them, but it usually means ads that run inside online video streams. They come in three positions: pre-roll before the content, mid-roll during it and post-roll after it. They work like TV spots, often cut down to shorter versions. In 2013 broadcasters such as Sky and ITV and newspapers such as the Telegraph and the Guardian were already running them on their sites.
Programmatic video
Forrester Consulting predicted that real-time buying of video would grow by 57 percent from 2013 to 2014 and make up a quarter of online video spend. Buying in real time lets brands plan and adjust campaigns on live data, find their ideal viewer and check that ads run in a brand-safe environment.
Video ad networks and platforms
| Platform | Known for |
|---|---|
| YouTube | The largest video platform and partner program |
| BrightRoll | Video campaign platform, later bought by Yahoo |
| Tremor Media | Brand video advertising, later Tremor International |
| SpotXchange | Video ad exchange, later SpotX |
| YuMe | Brand video across web and connected TV |
| Dailymotion | Video hosting with publisher revenue share |
| Adconion, ScanScout, Tidal TV | Smaller networks of the period |
Live sport, streaming and betting
Video inventory around live sport is the most valuable in the business, and betting brands are among its heaviest buyers. Sportsbooks run in-stream ads during match streams, sponsor highlights and use video to show live odds. Live casino operators, which stream real dealers at roulette and blackjack tables, also buy video ads to show what their product looks like. For publishers with sports clips or streams, that demand is the biggest single source of premium CPMs. See sports betting advertising around big events.
