Disney+ Hotstar Launches the First Pause Ads Feature on its CTV Feed
Disney+ Hotstar has announced the debut of “Pause Ads,” a cutting-edge advertising feature available only on its Connected TV (CTV) feed. The video streaming platform claims that this establishes it as the pioneer of this novel and avant-garde format in the nation. The latest addition is in line with the platform’s dedication to providing innovative advertising options.
Disney+ Hotstar launch Pause ads for CTV
The development, which comes after 3-D breakout billboards for mobile were first introduced, further demonstrates Disney+ Hotstar’s dedication to developing cutting-edge advertising solutions.
What are Pause Ads?
Unlike traditional pre-roll or mid-roll ads, the Pause Ads appear during natural pauses, providing a less disruptive viewing experience. Indeed, when a user manually pauses the video content, only then will a promotional video play. This is how pause ads work. Users pause content 4–5 times per day, with 90% of these pauses lasting less than 10 seconds. These user-initiated breaks will include advertisements through the use of pause ads. CTV “pause ads” will facilitate more positive and memorable brand interactions by reaching consumers and delivering messages in a more effective and non-intrusive manner.
Nonetheless, it is evident that its international competitor Amazon Prime Video has long benefited from playing advertisements at the start of videos, allowing viewers to skip the commercials.
Disney+ Hotstar’s diverse CTV ad formats
Disney+ Hotstar provides advertisers with a wide range of CTV ad formats, in addition to Pause Ads, such as auto-expanding CTV billboards, pre-roll and mid-roll ads, and click-to-Whatsapp integrations. With CTV audiences being among the most discerning and focused audiences, these options are made to optimize brand equity and give advertisers a unique chance to reach them at their most attentive and engaged times.
Mondelez, ITC, and Marico are among the early adopters who have received positive feedback from users who have paused content multiple times daily for brief periods of time. The feature aims to improve brand engagement by incorporating ads into user-initiated breaks without interfering with the viewing experience.
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Here’s what they said
Commenting on the launch, Dhruv Dhawan, Head of Ads at Disney+ Hotstar, said,
“We are thrilled to introduce another industry-first offering for our advertisers. The response to our CTV ads has been overwhelmingly positive. The launch of pause ads has generated significant excitement among our clients in the CPG, FMCG, F&B, and Auto sectors, Marico, Mondelez and ITC have been amongst the early adopters. We will continue to innovate and bring best-in-class solutions to our advertisers.”
Somasree Bose Awasthi, CMO, Marico Limited added,
“At Saffola, our larger brand ethos is to encourage Indians to embrace a healthier lifestyle. This year, on the occasion of World Health Day we collaborated with Disney+ Hotstar to launch a contextual campaign via Pause Ads on CTV. A powerful context relevant occasion was activated for the initiative every time the Disney+ Hotstar user initiated a break, this was built on the consumer insight that a large majority of content pause occasions are initiated around snacking. A perfect time for brand Saffola to remind our consumer to choose “better for you” foods from the Saffola Franchise as a healthier alternative. Disney+ Hotstar’s CTV Pause ads served as the perfect platform for Saffola to advocate healthy eating, and we look forward to strengthening our association with the platform other innovative disruptions in the future as well.”
Anjali Madan, Director Consumer experience at Mondelez India added,
“At Mondelez, we have always been at the forefront of pioneering innovation in advertising and are thrilled to associate with Disney+ Hotstar to launch CTV ‘Pause Ads’ in India with our ‘Tang Summer Break Bestie’ campaign. Through this campaign, we wanted to provide an interactive platform for mothers and their kids to beat summer boredom, unleash their creativity and design their own animated bestie using fun AR-like effects. Leveraging innovative format of CTV ‘Pause Ads’ enabled us to reach our consumers seamlessly and convey our messaging in a more non-intrusive and effective manner, thus fostering a more positive and memorable brand interaction. We look forward to continuing this successful collaboration and leveraging such new marketing technologies for our future campaigns.”
Mr. Sanjay Srinivas, Vice President – Health & Hygiene, Personal Care Products Business, ITC Limited added,
“Innovative ad formats, especially on streaming platforms, help transform brand connect with audiences. Pause Ad is an interesting innovation that helps break the clutter without intruding the viewing experience and attracts attention. ITC Savlon is one of the first brands to deploy pause ads to deliver contextual messaging for its campaign on handwashing. The innovation has helped the campaign amplify reach and views in an engaging way.”
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Google Boasts “Pause Ads” Pilot Success – Viewers Might Be Subjected to Even More Ads
When you watch YouTube on TV, expect to see even more advertisements. You won’t enjoy “Pause Ads” if you already detest YouTube advertisements. Google boasted during its earnings call on Thursday about the success of the tests it conducted on advertisements, which may mean more people will be able to access the feature. Many people are forced to watch advertisements even after watching skippable pre-roll ads because the video giant has one more location to display your ads.
What are Pause Ads?
Pause Ads are unskippable commercials that play when you press pause on a video, as the name suggests. Google is testing Pause Ads on TVs that are playing YouTube videos, and based on the call yesterday, the business is pleased with the outcome.
Due to Google’s successful “Pause Ads” pilot program, TV viewers on YouTube should prepare for an onslaught of commercials. When viewers pause a video in the middle of it, these ads will appear. Your current video will get smaller, and an advertisement will show up after it. These advertisements, which show up when users pause a video in mid-stream, received a lot of positive feedback and significant traction during Alphabet’s most recent earnings call.
Google said Pause Ads pilot was a success
Philipp Schindler of Google revealed the fruitful outcomes of a YouTube ad experiment the company has been conducting. He stated the Pause Ad pilot on connected TVs, a new non-interruptive ad format that appears when users pause their organic content, saw strong traction in Q1. He went on to say that YouTube’s pause ads are “commanding premium pricing from advertisers, and are driving strong brand lift results.” Google seems enthusiastic about Pause Ads on YouTube, so once it has gathered sufficient data from its ongoing experiment, it’s possible that the company will expand its use.
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Pause Ads Format
YouTube attempted to portray the new pause ad format as “seamless” and as a means of “non-interruptive” brand engagement with viewers while they take bathroom or snack breaks. However, more advertisements might irritate the already overstimulated YouTube TV audience. The audience for YouTube TV, which is already overrun with commercial breaks, is concerned about the possibility of more ads. Since YouTube makes most of its money from advertisements, it should come as no surprise that more users watch their content there. That and those who, having grown weary of advertisements, pay for YouTube Premium.
YouTube’s Ad-Free Premium Tier
The only likely option to escape the barrage of commercial breaks is to sign up for YouTube’s ad-free Premium tier, which costs INR 129 per month. It might end up being their only option to stay away from the growing amount of advertisements. The launch date for the new “Pause Ads” was not specified by the company. But YouTube clarified that the changes are meant to increase revenue from TV viewers as more people watch YouTube on living room screens.
YouTube’s calculated decision to increase its revenue from TV viewers is in line with how the world of content consumption is changing, especially as more people start using YouTube on their living room TVs. Viewers can anticipate changes to their viewing experience and possible trade-offs between ad exposure and subscription costs as the platform continues to experiment with new advertising formats.
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