A study by the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) has found that over three quarters (77%) of its members consider video advertising a key area of development this year.
The channel appeared on the list right after mobile internet, unanimously identified as number one priority in 2017 by 92%, while smartphone apps were voted in at third place, with 54%.
Although it’s clear video is on the rise, the study revealed that publishers face issues when trying to increase the use of the channel, chiefly concerned with a limited amount of available inventory struggling to meet demand.
That demand is set to get larger. Video has demonstrated significant growth over the last few years, having been widely adopted by all major social media platforms and continuously embraced by brands – Syndacast predicts that this year as much as 74% of all internet traffic will come from the channel.
Despite this, over two-thirds (69%) of those surveyed admitted they would sell more video had the inventory been available, while more promising figures came with the findings that 77% had already seen an increase in smartphone video inventory.
The research also highlighted the commercial and technical challenges publishers face; 62% reported selling video “more complex” than standard display, while for nearly half of the sample (46%) the issue was technical requirements for different platforms and devices.
AOP’s managing director, Richard Reeves, believes that more effort needs to be put into ensuring publishers can take full advantage of the potential in the channel.
“This is something the industry needs to collaborate on to both meet advertiser demand and to deliver an engaging user experience,” he commented.