Meetrics: UK claws back lost ground as ad viewability measure sets new record

UK ad viewability statistics have registered a welcome increase in the latest survey to be compiled by ad verification firm Meetrics for its latest quarterly benchmark report, capping a run of upward movements.It found that the proportion of banner ads meeting minimum viewability guidelines rose from 56 to 59% over the first quarter of 2018, capping four consecutive quarters of growth for the closely watched metric.Despite clawing back some lost ground, the UK remains well behind many of its continental peers, with Austria, Sweden, Italy, Germany and France all beating Britain in this important measure, although the UK did beat Poland and Switzerland.Max von Hilgers, Meetrics' CEO and co-founder, commented: "It's the highest level since our records began and four straight quarters of growth is a reliable indication that the industry's efforts to tackle viewability are paying off. Alongside this, campaigns are increasingly being optimised towards viewability and we've seen a drop in the number of impressions. This suggests a move towards more careful placements - a case of quality over quantity, not something the industry has historically been renowned for but an encouraging sign for the future."Meetrics define an ad as being viewable should it meet the recommendation of both the IAB and Media Rating Council that half of the ad be viewable for at least one second.