The average viewability rate of video ads dropped significantly in the last quarter. Meanwhile, display ad viewability remained largely unchanged.

Towards the end of a turbulent year of crisis, the international average video viewability rate fell below 90% to now 86%. Display ads have again been slightly less visible than in the previous quarter. This is the result of the latest "Viewability Benchmarks" report published by Meetrics, the leading European measurement and analytics company for digital advertising. The benchmark report also includes a detailed overview of individual ad formats and benchmarks for other markets. The report shows common reasons for lack of visibility by percentage distribution as well as what positive and negative trends need to be taken into account on the different markets. Non-optimal positioning continues to be the most common reason for lacking ad viewability.

“Even though media usage rose in 2020, placements with high viewability rates were still in short supply. A substantial amount of video ads being placed in non-premium inventory leaving some advertiser’s expectations unmet during the end-of-year rush. If brand campaigns shall reliably deliver their ad messaging in times of a strong demand for media inventory, then ad verification methods need to be amplified accordingly" explains Philipp von Hilgers, managing director and co-founder of Meetrics.

The complete Viewability Benchmarks, including a detailed list of different banner formats, are available to download for free. In the quarterly reports, Meetrics provides an overview of Viewability rates and average Viewability duration. The basis for Meetrics' Viewability Benchmarks is the "50/1" guideline of the IAB and the Media Rating Council (MRC). Accordingly, at least 50% of the advertising space must have been in the visible area of the browser for at least one continuous second. For video ads, the recommendation is "50/2", which means the video ad must have been visible for at least two seconds with at least 50% of its area.