Audiences don’t necessarily dislike ads, but they have strong feelings about the overall ad experience when viewing their favorite content.

This is just one finding from FreeWheel’s Viewer Experience Lab, which launched in June 2023 in partnership with MediaScience. The goal of the Viewer Experience Lab is to help the TV industry understand and improve their advertising environment across traditional and emerging channels to provide better viewer experiences.

While the growth of ad-supported streaming gives viewers the chance to access their favorite programming without the constraints of cost, it also comes with challenges, and the quality, quantity, and relevance of ads during any particular show can make or break that viewing experience.

Here are three major learnings the FreeWheel Viewer Experience Lab has uncovered since its launch:

Learning No. 1: Less is more when it comes to the length of ad breaks

Ad breaks that are two minutes or less produce the best experience for viewers and the best return for brands.

“Desiging a Better Ad Pod,” published in January 2024, consisted of an at-home study of 560 people who participated in a 30-minute viewing session via their connected TV to better understand the optimal ad break length. The results revealed that going from two to three minutes of ads cuts ad recall by over half (33% to 15%) and doubles the number of viewers that felt the ads were intrusive.

Furthermore, while a one-minute ad break had slightly higher brand recall (38%) and lower ad intrusiveness, the differences were not statistically significant. Overall, this indicated that two minutes or less is best when it comes to the length of a single break.

Learning No. 2: Quality of the stream matters

The dreaded loading symbol, ad breaks that cut in at unnatural times, and gaps in content meant for ads during a livestream are all quality issues viewers may experience in streaming environments.

“Improving the Quality of Ad Experiences,” published in May 2024, featured viewers who participated in a 30-minute viewing session, and afterwards cited their annoyance with a variety of suboptimal viewing experiences.

The research revealed that the presence of an ad slate diminished viewers’ joy of the program (-24%), as measured by facial coding, and disruptive ad breaks felt more intrusive to viewers (+16%) and negatively impacted brand recall (-14%). When viewing experiences were seamless, viewers rated the program (+8%) and the brand (+6%) as higher quality compared to viewing sessions that had latency.

Publishers can solve these common issues by prioritizing direct supply paths for their ad inventory, unifying ad decisioning capabilities when possible, and leveraging advanced auction capabilities like creative pre-approval to improve fill rates.

Learning No. 3: Relevance enhances viewer connection

The shift to streaming creates more opportunities for platforms to serve relevant ads, whether that is contextual (based on the content) or behavioral (based on the viewer).

“Making the Ad Experience More Relevant,” published in December 2024, found that when viewers saw an ad they considered relevant to them, “ad liking” was two times higher, leading to five times higher brand purchase intent. Publishers hold the key to enabling relevant ads across content and audiences while buyers must decide the most appropriate way to target their ads.

Considering the viewer in the ad experience

The number one reason people watch TV, whether traditional or streaming, is to relax and de-stress from the day, according to a September 2024 NBCUniversal and FreeWheel survey conducted by Cint. This is why it is essential that publishers provide a streaming experience with minimal disruptions, seamless delivery, and short and relevant ad breaks. As streaming content becomes increasingly ad-supported, it’s crucial that platforms and publishers put the viewer first to maintain the same experience people have come to expect from traditional TV.

Prioritizing the viewer experience is not only good for the viewers themselves, but it will help move the streaming industry forward.

Visit the FreeWheel Viewer Experience Lab for more information and to download the full reports.

—Travis Flood, Executive Director, Insights, FreeWheel