Rovi: 13% CTR on connected TV ads

Rovi claims that viewers clicked on ads that appeared in its EPG 13% of the time on average – more than 10 times that of typical banner ads – during the first three months of its connected TV ad trial in the US.

The trial featured brands including Carnival, the cruise operator, and Unilever’s Hellmann’s Mayonnaise. Ads were displayed on connected televisions and Blu-ray players from Samsung and Sony.

By the end of 2011, Rovi expects about 4.5 million to 5 million connected units to be part of its ad network, and more if the company signs up additional consumer-electronics partners for the advertising network, according to Jeff Siegel, Rovi’s senior vice president of worldwide advertising.

The click-through rates are based on tracking reports from 24/7 Real Media. Siegel said they ranged from 10% to 17% depending on the ad.

Rovi plans to work with Nielsen on two research projects – firstly to measure user perceptions of the connected-TV ads, and secondly to focus on ad metrics such as aided and unaided recall. The Nielsen sample will represent 2.5% of connected homes in the US.

The company is also set to start a connected-TV ad trial in Canada.