It’s a great time to be in the business of video advertising. As digital advertisers increase spending on video ad campaigns, publishers have a unique opportunity to significantly increase revenue with little effort.

Spending on video advertising continues to accelerate at a rapid pace. In the US, video ads accounted for more than 55.3 billion dollars in 2021, a 33% increase from 2020. Analysts forecast another huge jump of 54% in 2022, totaling more than $67.1 billion. Additionally, globally, the market for video advertising is pegged at $183.4 billion in 2022 and continued growth at more than 12% annually through 2026.

The overwhelming majority of these ads are distributed by video ad networks for publishers. 62% are bought using programmatic marketplaces.

Money is being shifted into digital video advertising from other forms of media at an increasing rate. TV, radio, and other digital advertising are losing shares to video. Mobile apps and mobile ads are growing the fastest.

As video content has become more of a part of the user experience, ad formats are evolving and monetization opportunities are growing. In this article, we’ll outline the best video ad networks, but let’s start by defining what video ad networks for publishers are exactly.

What Are Video Ad Networks?

Video ad networks connect publishers’ available inventory on websites and mobile apps with advertisers who are looking to purchase space for their ad campaigns. Ad networks pool ad space from a number of publishers and make it available to buyers on a centralized platform. This allows them to buy different video ad formats from multiple publishers in one place. Meanwhile, working with video ad networks means publishers are no longer limited to lower-paying display ads and can tap into ad revenue from buyers that may not have been aware of the available space.

On the other hand, video ad exchanges are the marketplaces where programmatic transactions occur. Buying and selling take place based on video impressions using a variety of metrics, such as cost per thousand (CPM), cost per click (CPC), and targeted audience segments.

Publishers can also leverage header bidding by making inventory available to multiple supply-side platforms (SSPs) or ad exchanges at the same time. Header bidding allows the highest bid to win rather than the waterfall method favored by some ad networks where inventory is offered first to top-ranked ad exchanges.

Publishers of all sizes can benefit from working with video networks as part of their video advertising platform. However, website owners who need to focus on identifying the right display ad network can review our findings on the best ad networks for publishers.

Types of Video Ads

There are several different video ad formats, the most common being instream video ads and outstream video ads.

Instream Video Ads

Instream videos are played before, during, or at the end of a video that a user is already viewing. Although vulnerable to ad blockers, this is the most used and reliable for placing an ad in the relevant place.

When users initiate a video play, they are often captive audiences for instream video ads. Most instream video adds including pre-roll and interstitial ads disable the user’s ability to skip, or require a minimum viewing (such as five seconds) before allowing users to skip. This ensures ads are seen in part or in full, so that advertisers get the benefit.

The best video ad networks can identify user profiles to provide relevant advertising within the ad space. Some can provide contextual placement as well. For example, someone watching a video about recipes might see an ad for food-delivery services.

Outstream Video Ads

Outstream video ads appear in a non-video environment. For example, publishers can add ad inventory to editorial content, such as blog posts or website pages. Social media feeds often contain ad inventory that can be bought and sold as well. As users scroll through the social feed or website content, videos can be incorporated.

Outstream ads are generally considered less intrusive compared to instream video ads. They are also more organic due to playing automatically as the user scrolls and normally within feeds that the user is actually interested in.

Both instream and outstream ads can be bought and sold using video ad networks and ad exchanges.

What Are the Best Video Ad Networks For Publishers?

Multiple variables were considered when evaluating top video ad networks, including average CPM rates, higher CPMs, CPC rates, delivery and performance, and high video quality. Preference was given to video ad platforms that provide a variety of monetization methods for publishers.

So, let’s check out some of the top video advertising platforms that made our video ad networks best-of list.

Primis

Primis is one of the leading ad networks for video discovery and is designed to help increase revenue for publishers. Key features include:

• 350M monthly unique ad impressions.
• Used by hundreds of major digital publishers
• Seamless integration for improved audience engagement
• Automated optimization for best performance

Publishers can integrate Primis video ad units natively into their site or app, using multiple skins and layout options. Primis has one of the largest libraries of video content and a robust discovery engine that scores every video in real-time to create playlists designed for engagement.

AdPlayer.Pro

AdPlayer.Pro focuses on outstream ad solutions with an ad-enabled video player. The company provides publishers with an integrated ad-enabled video player using HTML5 for easy integration. Publishers can run their own video content or access new sources of editorial content to increase engagement and ad reach.

AdPlayer.Pro offers multiple ad formats, including:

• In-page video ads
• In view outstream ad formats
• Sticky video ads
• In banner video ads
• Rewarded video ads
• In-app outstream videos

Publishers can monetize editorial content whether they have on-site video inventory or not with an easy plug, play, and earn technology.

Facebook Audience Network

The Facebook Audience Network facilitates ads that run off the Facebook platform for mobile apps. This allows advertisers to leverage social media’s ad targeting and delivery for their apps. Introduced in 2014, the Facebook audience network offers multiple options for video ads, reward videos, interstitials, and playables.

Publishers and developers integrate the audience network SDK and can make money by showing ads that are part of the Meta advertising network.

Key features of the Facebook Audience Network include:

• In-app advertising
• Extended reach across additional platforms
• Desirable Cost Per Action (CPA) advertising
• A broad range of placements compared to other video advertising platforms.

OpenX

OpenX claims it is the largest independent ad exchange network. As a 100% cloud-based exchange and certified as carbon-neutral, OpenX can be used across all major video ad server sites. It’s also compatible with header bidding, open RTBs, VAST tags, and OTT.

This is the better option to use if you have more of your own video ads ready to use and publish.

OpenX benefits include:

• Long-term relationships with advertisers
• Creates customized, packaged deals for optimal results
• Works with some of the largest digital marketers in the world, such as P&G, GM, HP, and IPG.

OpenX also has a robust engine that matches site visitor data with third-party identities to create unified views and more accurate video advertising network targeting.

Magnite

The platform bills itself as the world’s largest independent sell-side video ad platform and is one of the more popular platforms for video ads for websites and mobile. It offers broad coverage and audience activation tools designed for optimal conversions.

Magnite features private marketplace (PMP) auction packages and programmatic guaranteed (PG) capabilities that give publishers complete control over how they sell audiences and inventory. With the coming deprecation of cookies, The platform features a cookie-less solution that provides smarter ways to distribute and display advertising.

Key features include:

• Used by 60,000 + app publishers and 1 million websites
• More than 900,000 advertisers bid on publisher inventory
• Provides native, pre-roll, mid-0roll, post-roll, vertical video, reward video, and outstream video options

Verizon Media

Verizon Media is one of the highest-rated networks used and provides advertisers and publishers with insights from more than one billion users. As a demand-side platform, Verizon Media brings together programmatic, premium, and full-native marketplace inventory into its video ad network. This allows advertisers a unified solution to control ad placements across different video ad formats.

Key features cited by users include:

• Easy to use and navigate
• Highly-rated safety and security tool
• Syndication service for non-video publishers

Verizon Media also recently added a server-side integration called Smartplay Prebid which the company said exposes more inventory and conducts auctions faster for demand partners.

SpotX

SpotX has long been regarded as one of the leading global networks but was recently acquired by Magnite. It has a significant footprint in the industry, serving three billion video ads monthly.

Using this platform, publishers can manage all direct-sold video advertising and programmatic demand on its platform, letting publishers maximize their yield for every impression. One of several ad networks that provide cross-screen video inventory, advertisers can choose from a variety of platforms including instream, outstream, interstitial, over-the-top (OTT), and connected TV (CTV).

SpotX integrated with the world’s largest demand management platforms (DMPs), including LiveRamp, Oracle, Adobe, and Nielsen.

Key features include:

• Streamlines all demand in a single platform to maximize revenue
• Enhanced transparency in programmatic to protect brand integrity
• Integrates first-party and third-party data to improve inventory value
• Price floor optimization to increase revenue

Newor Media

With strong relations with all major networks and agencies, Newor Media provides publishers with ad units and handles all of the work behind the scenes to maximize demand.

We serve more than 1.5 billion monthly ad impressions and are also authorized to resell Google ad exchange demand for even greater reach.

Benefits of Newor Media include:

• Lightning-fast load times to maintain site speed
• Algorithmic real-time bidding and machine learning to optimize revenue
• Header bidding for some of the highest yields in the industry

Yahoo! Ad Tech

Formerly known as Bright Roll, Yahoo! Ad Tech is a demand-side platform that allows cross-platform distribution to leverage the company’s in-depth first-party data and identify graphs.

Yahoo! Ad Tech claims it has the largest non-social native marketplace along with extensive premium and omnichannel inventory. This provides what the company says provides all the benefits of a walled garden without having to compromise on transparency.

They also provide a publisher-built supply side platform (SSP) for monetization.

Features include:

• First-party data points from hundreds of millions of consumers monthly
• Header bidding and guaranteed campaigns
• Premium advertisers and deep industry relationships

Among its clients, Yahoo! Ad Tech lists Disney, Samsung, ESPN, ABC, BuzzFeed, Samsung, Microsoft, and Business Insider.

What Benefits Do Video Ad Networks Present?

Video ad networks let publishers connect with advertisers that aren’t buying ads directly. They also provide publishers with more ways to monetize their content whether they produce videos or not. By aggregating inventory from multiple publishers, they auction inventory to help publishers increase fill rates.

Digital video consumption has accelerated at a staggering pace. 63% of smartphone users are now watching video content on their smartphones. The promise of faster speed with the rollout of 5G expects to accelerate the rate of video consumption to even higher levels. It’s no surprise that video advertising is growing at a similar rate. Publishers that are aggressively targeting video advertising can generate and grow revenue.

Video ad networks can provide more than just ads. Many video ad units provide engaging content within targeted verticals. This provides additional content that can help increase page views, engagement, and time on site while also providing web and app monetization. This is important as revenue depends on how many impressions ads get, so digital marketing benefits in multiple ways when you drive up traffic.

Using real-time bidding (RTB) and leveraging programmatic advertising is an important part of your digital marketing and monetization strategy for web and mobile advertising. Combined with private marketplaces that offer access to premium advertisers, publishers have multiple ways to generate revenue.

Conclusion

When evaluating ad networks, publishers should consider several key variables:

• Size of advertiser network: video ad networks that have access to more advertisers can provide best-fit advertising. When more advertisers are competing for inventory, it increases the likelihood of better rates and reduces the chance an ad call goes unfilled.
• Advertiser quality: Besides volume, it’s also important to partner with ad networks that have high-quality advertisers. Low-quality ads won’t pay as much and they can damage the trust your audience places in you.
• Variety of formats: One size does not fit all. You want the option to use different formats across platforms. Look for a video ad network that offers a significant variety of formats. Even if you aren’t using certain formats now, you want the option to use them in the future.
• Native integration: You also want to be able to integrate any ad units into your site so they appear natural.
• Targeting and performance: The more targeted the ad, the higher clickthrough rates and conversions they get. That provides better performance and can help grow rates.
• Automated optimization: In today’s algorithmic, AI, and machine learning environment, you want an ad network that continuously optimizes everything it touches to improve performance and revenue opportunities.
• Robust reporting: You also need easy-to-use reporting which provides full transparency into the entire advertising and marketing eco-system.

On top of everything else, you also need strong customer support. A strong ad network can provide a steady stream of monetization options, often with little to no work on the part of publishers. As the digital market continues to evolve, publishers can take advantage of video ad networks to monetize video ads and help grow their business.

If you’re looking for a video ad network or looking to expand your video ad options, get in touch with the experts at Newor Media today.