Are you Noticing More Ads on the Stream?

With on-demand access to our favorite TV shows, movies, and series, streaming platforms have become an integral part of our daily lives. As we have embraced this new era of content consumption, you may have started to notice “ad pods” being lengthier.

The Rise of Ad Pods

Linear television advertising relies on the traditional commercial break, featuring a series of short ads that span between 15 to 30 seconds. However, streaming platforms have introduced a new model known as ad pods. An ad pod is a cluster of advertisements grouped together and presented to the viewer during a break in the content. Unlike traditional TV commercials, ad pods allow advertisers to target specific demographics and personalize their messages based on user preferences and data insights.

Lengthening of Ad Pods

There is a noticeable trend in the increasing duration of ad pods on streaming services. The average duration of ad pods has grown to over two minutes on streaming platforms, with 25% of pods being four minutes or longer. However, many consumers are not bothered by the lengths of these ad pods; they are more concerned with the frequency of the ads.

Issues with Frequency

Frequency, running the same ads multiple times, has been a known issue for a while now. But this issue has now increased with the creation of ad pods on streaming. Nearly half of advertisers do not have a frequency cap on their ads. This means they do not have a limit on how many times their ad can be shown to a consumer. If advertisers and streaming platforms can create a solution to this frequency issue, it would make the streaming experience less disruptive and more enjoyable for consumers.

As ad pods' duration grows and their frequency is carefully managed, both advertisers and streamers can experience benefits. Advertisers can capitalize on the extended format to create more immersive and impactful campaigns. Meanwhile, streamers can enjoy a less disruptive viewing experience.

With the streaming campaigns we buy through Marketing Keys, we ensure that all streaming campaigns have a frequency cap so the experience is much more enjoyable for consumers.

Cate Bender, the author, is Project Coordinator of Marketing Keys