How pre-roll works
When the viewer presses play, the player requests an ad first. If one is returned, it plays, and the content begins when it ends or is skipped. If none is returned, the content starts immediately.
Pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll
- Pre-roll: before the content. Seen by everyone who starts, but risks the viewer leaving before the content begins
- Mid-roll: during the content. The viewer is already invested, so completion is high and rates are usually best
- Post-roll: after the content. Least intrusive and least watched
Getting pre-roll right
- Length: 6, 15 or 30 seconds are the standard durations; shorter suits short content
- Proportion: a 30-second ad before a one-minute clip drives people away
- Skippable or not: skippable ads lose completions but keep viewers
- Frequency: do not show a pre-roll before every item in a session
- Start-up delay: a slow ad request delays the content, so set a timeout
When to use it
Pre-roll suits short and medium-length on-demand video, where there is no natural place for a break. For long-form titles, a short pre-roll followed by mid-rolls earns more than a long pre-roll alone. Many services skip the pre-roll for returning viewers resuming a title.
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