This summer, UK measurement body Barb began reporting audience figures for a selection of the most-watched YouTube channels, reigniting an ongoing debate in the industry over whether YouTube can be considered as (or even compared with) TV in the eyes of advertisers. While Google and TV broadcasters approach the issue with their own arguments (largely centred around definitions of premium content), one of the more measurable lenses through which to view the debate is that of attention.
Attention metrics are important to AV planners looking beyond raw audience figures to help determine how effective their ads will be, based on the idea that not all impressions are equal, and will vary by device, platform and format. For example non-skippable YouTube ads capture an average of 5.2 attentive seconds, while a 15-second TV spot reaches 7.5 seconds, according to research from Dentsu and Lumen. And while TV is capable of yielding higher attention, Bec Brooks, Head of Research Operations at Amplified Intelligence, notes that “YouTube absolutely holds its own against your standard streaming platforms.”
