• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, April 17, 2012

Online long-form video and ad insertions have begun to mirror TV viewing with higher rates of success, according to a study released Tuesday.

The 2012 Adobe Digital Video Advertising Report suggests that completion rates on mobile devices at 94% indicate higher engagement from viewers more open to watching ads on the go in exchange for content. In-stream video ads show higher completion rates when viewed in long-form, 76%; compared with short-form content, 63%, defined as five minutes.

The study also found that mid-roll ad formats at 87% completion rate in long-form video content perform nearly 30% better than pre-rolls. When it comes to post rolls, completion rates came in at 50%.

This TV-like ad experiences, only online, presents opportunities for brands looking for another way to reach consumers. Adobe continues to see an average of 5.5 video ads served as part of long-form, professional content. With a completion rate of 70%, viewers will watch and engage with ads online in exchange for premium video content.

Completion rates of ads in professional content, 72%, are higher compared with user generated content. This indicates an engaged and focused audience willing to watch ads as part of professional content.

In February, Adobe announced the Primetime suite of products, changing the way videos and ads get delivered across iPads, Android tablets, Internet-connected TVs and other devices from one platform. The company created the platform from the Auditude acquisition.

Jeremy Helfand, Adobe VP of monetization, and former Auditude CEO, said "professional content tends to carry higher ad load because you can create a TV-like experience."

It takes milliseconds for viewers to become distracted and lose focus from the content as it transitions to an ad and back to the content. Often times when watching digital video online viewers will see that buffering. While people accept that as part of the online video experience, Adobe's tool Primetime can fix that, he said.

Click-through rates of ads on video-on-demand content remains higher at 2.17%, compared with live content at .43%. These results are similar to live streaming and TV simulcast ad experiences where the advertising goal is often more focused on brand awareness and lift, as opposed to an immediate call-to-action.

Understanding the type of content most desirable to consumers helps tie engagement back to viewer response and sales, Helfand said.