Forgettable promos lead to ad fatigue for OTT viewers

Advertising on video-streaming services is increasingly resulting in viewer fatigue as platforms try to replace plateauing paid subscription revenue with ad money.

- Lata Jha

Tech and infra gaps like low-cost devices, unstable connectivity and weak ad-delivery systems, are fuelling ad fatigue. ISTOCKPHOTO

Users are bombarded with long and unskippable ads, often with glitches, that make viewing experience tedious and disrupt the flow of a show.

Experts said if advertising is to grab mindshare, the poor ad experiences must be dealt with urgently. However, rectifying the matter will be challenging.

For one, OTTs use CPM, or cost per mille (cost per thousand) as the basis of advertising. It is a pricing model where advertisers pay for every 1,000 impressions, or the number of times ads are shown. The rates for digital/OTT are very low in India as advertisers don't see a wide audience base. Competing online platforms like social media or e-commerce are considered more viable.