Twitter launches six-second viewable video ad bids

Twitter is launching a new ad bidding option where advertisers will only be charged if a video is viewed for at least six seconds.

The "flexible option for advertisers who care about the video view metric" will mean that brands will only be charged if the ad is viewed for six seconds with pixels 50% in-view on Twitter’s website or mobile app. 

It is designed for advertisers that are ready to "develop short-form assets optimised for in-feed viewing", Twitter announced today. 

The new ad option rolls out globally today and is available for Promoted Video, In-stream video sponsorships and In-stream video ads that include videos that are 15 seconds or less.

The move comes three years after Google introduced six-second non-skippable ads on YouTube, sold on a cost per mille basis.

Dell was an early tester of Twitter’s six-second video ad solutions and said it increased the computer maker’s view rate by over 22%, Brazil marketing director Alice Oliveira said.

Short-form videos on devices with sound turned off included a significantly better ad recall and message association on mobile compared with TV-style spots, Twitter said, citing a sponsored study by EyeSee. This is consistent with a study Twitter and Omnicom Media Group commissioned two years ago.