FreeWheel lab study finds stream buffering and slates spike viewer frustration with ads
· 38m ago · Originally reported by PPC Land
FreeWheel's lab research found that when sports streams paused on 'we'll be right back' slates, negative viewer reactions rose 170% in their testing. Ads that were aware of the live game context performed better than standard placements. However, whether these fixes translate into brand benefits remains untested.
Why it matters
Streaming TV ad experiences are judged by everything around the ad — stuttering streams and awkward breaks can turn viewers against brands even when the ad itself is fine. Context-aware ad delivery could help CTV become more viewer-friendly.
Explain it like I’m new here
If the TV keeps freezing before the commercial, viewers blame the commercial — like a waiter getting a bad review because the kitchen was slow.
Terms in this story
Creative
A creative is the actual ad content a person sees or hears, such as an image, video, audio spot, HTML5 animation or native text, delivered into an ad slot.
Advertiser
An advertiser is the company, organisation or person that pays to place ads in order to sell products, build a brand, recruit, or spread a message.
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