Using 3rd Party Display Tags to Calculate Video Viewability Rates

This article explains how to calculate viewability for video ads and successfully scale your video campaigns on STX.

How does it work?

As a buyer, when you a run video campaign on STX, you are only billed for an impression once the video starts. There are two ways to get video start data:

1. Use a VPAID tag*
2. If you are using a JS display tag to measure viewability, you will need to look at the impression data in your DSP

*Sharethrough’s player supports VPAID tags, though availability depends on the DSP. The VPAID technology measures video viewability as per the IAB standard (50% of the player visible for 2 consecutive seconds), however we are still confirming measurement accuracy as we’ve observed discrepancies in some cases.

How can I calculate viewability rate for video campaigns on STX?

If you are using display viewability tags to measure video viewability, you cannot rely solely on your third party reporting. Buyers must look at both viewability third party data as well as impression data in their DSP.  For video campaigns using display tags to measure viewability, DSP impressions = video starts (billable event), so the formula to calculate viewability should be:

**Viewable Impressions (3rd party) / Impressions (DSP), which is the same as

**Viewable Impressions (3rd party) / Video Starts (STX) 

The viewability rate for video campaigns on STX will always be between 95-100%. The only exception to this would be an unforeseen technical issue, which our team monitors for on a daily basis.

**Viewable impressions are measured with display viewability tags, so they are measuring viewability as 50% of the ad unit in view for 1 continuous second

What does this mean for my campaigns?

STX only bills video buyers for the video start, thus guaranteeing viewability rates of 90% or higher for video campaigns. There is no need to apply any additional viewability targeting or filtering, which rely on rendered display impressions, and not on video starts. Using viewability filters will only reduce scale and limit the ability for the campaign to deliver, and will not have any actual impact on the viewability rate of the campaign.

Can I get video viewability reports from Sharethrough?

Yes, please reach out to your Sharethrough rep or contact support@sharethrough.com to set up reporting for your video campaigns.