Videos featuring cars and animals are most likely to engage UK online video audiences, according to new research from technology firm Coull.
According to the data, 61% of viewers watched until the end of a video featuring cars, while 49% did the same for animals and pets. People and blogs (52%) and travel and events (51%) were also found to hold viewers’ attention spans well.
However, and perhaps surprisingly, music was named as one of the least engaging, with just one in three viewers likely to make it through to the end.
The data also unveiled an interesting trend in sports videos, with 75% of viewers staying engaged for the first quarter, dipping slightly to 62% at the half way point, and then dropping significantly to 43% at the end.
News and politics saw a similar completion rate.
The research, which was based on analysis of 12.4 million video plays across 60 countries, found that Brits are more engaged than other nations; on average, 41% of online videos watched by Brits were watched to the end compared to just 18% in Russia and 20% in Japan.
The US and South Africa led the way with almost half of all videos watched all the way through.
“For online video publishers and brands alike, completion rates are an important metric, revealing what video content engages viewers the most,” said Irfon Watkins, CEO at Coull.
“Video advertising has exploded in recent years with further growth expected over the next twelve months. But with premium pre-roll inventory scarce, publishers must unlock additional revenue streams that will also prove an attractive proposition for brands – such as in-video advertising or post-roll.”
Watkins added that strong completion rates show engagement, and if publishers can identify their most valuable inventory and make it available via new ad formats with contextual content-level targeting, they will be able to provide a “highly effective advertising model for brands while increasing their own revenue simply through more effective monetisation of existing inventory.”
