Content video players are the future of digital advertising. People don’t want to see only video ads in a player. It’s too easy for them to close the player or leave the page if nonstop ad reels bother them. However, people are insatiable for video content with the average person viewing 78 minutes of video content (not TV) a day. When interspersed with ads people are willing to wait it out. This approach of ads mixed in with content increases viewability, engagement and frequency.
With future monetization success on the line, choosing a video player should be a careful decision for publishers. It’s important for publishers to understand what video players need to perform well, and what features are nice, but aren’t vital. Having one that includes all is great, and publishers should ensure it stresses the needs and not the perks.
Video Player Needs
Stability
A video should be consistent across all platforms and devices. The player’s visuals and functionality should be consistent throughout the user experience. Users should be able to know and identify it as unique as well as be comfortable navigating its features without taking a second glance when they encounter it in different environments, like desktop versus mobile.
Robust reporting and analytics
If publishers cannot evaluate the actions of the player: how users interact with it, click on it, etc. the video player venture is just shots in the dark. Ability for optimization on both revenue and user experience is fundamental, therefore having robust reporting and analytics is vital to any video player
Lightweight
A video player should be lightweight allowing sites to comply with Google’s Core Web Vitals. While a video player potentially increases revenue it should not shoot the site in the proverbial leg by being clunky and increasing latency.
Perks for Publishers
The following, while not necessary, makes for a better experience
Curations own playlists
Publishers should have the ability to curate their own playlist and tailor them to each page, considering the different types of users and content they have.
The more tailored, the better the experience is for the user. The user feels cared for and attended to, rather than a blunt force or seemingly random content. This increases the user’s engagement as well as trust in the publisher. In turn this increased the receptibility of ads to the user since there is greater goodwill between the user and publisher.
Direct management
Having complete control over the player, ad functions, playlists, and the like without having to wait on an account manager or the like gives publishers the ability to quickly adapt as well as experiment freely on their sites.
Seamless integrations
Have all the controls in the publisher platforms: analytics, reporting, curation etc. all on the same dashboard. As well having all the information of other ad types, like banners in the same place. Having to shift environments for each task is distracting and easily leads to balls dropped.
Next Millennium Approach
Next Millennium’s Power Player is a proprietary video player built by our programmers and data scientists. It features all the recommended features and is backed by Next Millennium’s unparalleled service. We support publishers and advertisers to optimize their revenue and reach.
