On Tuesday, Unruly introduced a viewable “outstream” video ad format which creates new premium video ad inventory within article pages. Less than a month since its acquisition by News Corp, Unruly is launching the high-impact format across a number of News Corp titles, including MarketWatch, The Sun in the UK, and News.Com.Au. The In-Article format will also be made available to other premium publishers via Unruly’s supply side platform, UnrulyX.
The high-performance, premium video format only begins to play when the video is in-view, solving viewability concerns for advertisers, and can be closed and shared by viewers, giving users control of the viewing experience. Unruly will sell the format on a cost-per-completed-view (CPCV) basis, charging advertisers after the video has been viewed for 30 seconds, providing confidence that ads are being watched through completion across Unruly’s potential global audience of 1.35 billion consumers.
Rebekah Brooks, the CEO of News UK, said, “Our work with Unruly is fully focused on increasing the formidable reach and resonance of our titles with their cutting-edge technology and video expertise to help accelerate our growth in this digital age. Today’s launch is the perfect example of how we will be bringing advertisers closer to our great journalism and the first of many collaborations that will deliver value for both Unruly and News Corp stakeholders.”
Julian Sambles, the Chief Revenue Officer of MarketWatch, added, “With so many users coming to our publication through social networking sites, In-Article allows MarketWatch to create video ad placements on pages, increasing the immersive experience for our customers whilst opening up new opportunities for our advertisers.”
Dominic Carter, Managing Director of Commercial at News UK, said, “We constantly look to improve The Sun’s digital proposition and provide readers with a fantastic viewing experience. This new format will deliver against that criteria for the audiences we care about – our readers and advertisers. The social video format puts the users in control of their viewing experience and advertisers can be confident that they are only paying for ads that have been truly engaged with as they are only charged once the video format is in-view.”
Sharb Farjami, Director of National Sales for News Corp Australia, added, “News Corp is focused on providing advertisers with new solutions that address the challenges they’re facing both today and in the future. With Unruly’s new In-Article format, we’re providing advertisers with what we believe is the best video product in the market. This new format brings together News Corp’s scale and certainty of audience with Unruly’s extensive global experience in video, mobile, and data, so advertisers know exactly what they’re getting. That is an audience seeking out news and entertainment, in an environment where they’re fully engaged. And we know that it’s this environment that delivers the best results for brands.”
As evidenced by the rise in consumer ad blocking and the launch of the IAB’s L.E.A.N. Ads program, online viewers are increasingly demanding to be in control of their advertising experiences. According to Unruly’s Future Video Survey, which surveyed 3,200 consumers worldwide, 62.5% of viewers in the US 68.6% in the UK, and 65.3% in Australia are annoyed when forced to watch ads and 62.1% globally want to be in control of advertising experiences.
With polite page loading and options for the viewer to close, share and initiate sound on the player, Unruly’s In-Article format permits publishers and advertisers alike to ensure they are delivering ads in a social – not anti-social – environment, one which gives users control of their ad viewing experience.
This is the fourth video format from the video ad tech company. Unruly’s other formats are:
• Unruly In-Stream™: a skippable pre-roll format, which puts the viewer in control and gives advertisers cost-efficient reach at speed and scale;
• Unruly In-Feed™: the first ad format to deliver native video ads at scale across mobile newsfeeds;
• Unruly In-Page™: A click-to-play, user-initiated format which maximizes viewer engagement.
Scott Button, Unruly’s co-founder and Co-CEO, concluded, “Online video is the fastest-growing category of ad spend and now even publishers who don’t yet have original video content on their site can capitalize on this growth. For advertisers, this is a high-performance, highly engaging format and the CPCV pricing model guarantees attention, so there’s no concern that budget is being thrown at wasted views. And at a time when the media industry recognizes the need to re-balance the ad economy and re-set the rules of engagement with consumers, this is a non-invasive ad format that puts users in control, with the ability to close, share & initiate sound on the player.”
Greg Jarboe
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