In-line video network Slimcut Media has introduced a new way for advertisers to buy video ads across its publishers’ sites based on completed views rather than viewable impressions.
The cost-per-completed-view (CPCV) metric means media buyers on Slimcut’s private marketplace pay for each ad that was fully viewed by the user, rather than one that was served or started. Completed views are especially important for in-line video units, which autoplay within text articles and pause if the user scrolls past them.
According to Damien Véran, president of the Toronto/Paris-based company, the change will drive incremental revenue for publishers that use Slimcut’s in-line video formats, since they tend to drive more completions than standard preroll. For advertisers, CPCV provides a nominal performance guarantee, as well as building in viewability, though it won’t necessarily provide direct cost savings.
Teads, one of Slimcut’s main competitors in North America, also offers CPCV. Virool, another competitor that opened a sales office in Toronto last month, charges based on cost-per-view, which they define as a viewable impression that’s on the user’s screen for three seconds.
