Yahoo’s latest ad product allows advertisers to buy display ads on a viewable cost-per-impression basis — brands pay only when their ads are visible on users’ screens. The product, Yahoo Prime View is available for desktop display ad inventory on Yahoo sites and only in the U.S. at this time.
According to a Yahoo spokesperson, Prime View relies on proprietary technology, and the viewable impressions methodology is accredited by the Media Rating Council (MRC).
The digital advertising industry’s moves toward using viewability as the basis for ad costs stems from concerns that advertisers have been wasting money on ads that are never seen by users. In March, the MRC lifted its advisory for using viability as a currency metric in display advertising after the industry reached agreement on a measurement standard and addressed technical challenges. To be considered viewable a minimum of 50 percent of an ad’s pixels must be in view for at least one second.
Yahoo claims to be the largest publisher offering a vCPM solution based on MRC accredited methodology. Google received accreditation for its Active View product in August 2013 and began offering advertisers the ability to buy ads on a vCPM basis across its display network of more than 2 million sites last November.
It’s not clear what percentage of Yahoo’s display ad inventory will be available on a viewable impression basis. The company says it plans to expand Prime View globally, and presumably add mobile inventory in the near future.
Commentaires