Online Video Viewers Have More Patience For Ads Than Slow Loads

A new study [pdf] from Akamai analyzes the effectiveness of online video ads, arriving at some intriguing – and some not so earth-shattering – conclusions. Among the more interesting results: viewers who have to wait at least 10 seconds to watch a video are 3 times more likely to abandon the video if their wait is due to slow load speeds than if its due to a pre-roll ad. Specifically, 45.8% abandon a slow-loading video at the 10-second mark, compared to 13.4% abandoning a pre-roll at that point. Clearly there’s a psychological element at play, as viewers have a defined end to their waiting time with the pre-roll ad. (more…)