For streaming companies, and commercial broadcasters with VoD channels, the pause ad is a new way of targeting viewers when theyre distracted by something other than their screen, writes Operatives SVP of global sales, David Dembowski
By Contributor
Published: February 8, 2024
For streaming companies, and commercial broadcasters with VoD channels, the pause ad is a new way of targeting viewers when they're distracted by something other than their screen, writes Operative's SVP of global sales, David Dembowski
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Advertising innovation is coming to a TV near you. The latest advertising format to hit the big screen is the pause ad an ad that airs when someone has paused what they are watching. In the UK, pause ads have been on Channel 4 for years. In the US, Netflix has recently rolled out the new format while Peacock calls pause ads high-impact and unobtrusive on their website.
With any innovative format, the structure that media companies build around it is at least as important as the ad product itself. Without good processes and technology to manage new ads, it will be hard to sell or scale. There are many things that go into making a new ad product successful. Media companies need to enable sellers to easily price and package the ad format into a larger proposal. They need to easily traffic creative and manage the campaign. And, they need to report on the ad in a way that helps advertisers compare its performance against other ads in their media plan.
Incorporating pause ads into the media mix Selling advertising is not like selling shoes. Typically, if someone wants to buy shoes, they look for a pair that they like and they buy it. One product, one transaction. Advertising transactions are far more complex. An advertiser working with a streaming company like Channel 4 or Hulu is likely spending money on millions or even billions of ad impressions, targeting specific audiences and content across a number of different ad formats. Pricing needs to be negotiated, creatives need to be built, and campaigns need to be optimised continuously across these various ad formats.
Pause ads are one of a number of innovative ad types on streaming. Viewers are also seeing clickable commerce-driven ads, pinch back ads that show content in a smaller window, and even virtual product placement, ads embedded into content using AI. It's safe to assume that as media companies and advertisers expand their streaming focus, new ads will emerge.
To succeed, media companies need processes and technology in place that can expand to ingest a new format like pause ads. This means that they need an order management system that has a unified product catalogue to help sales to create larger proposals that include these ads. It also means they need revenue management that can help the ad operations team to traffic and manage the ad alongside the rest of the media buy.
Understanding the value of pause ads While pause ads give advertisers a fantastic canvas for their creative, time will tell how effective the ads are at scale. Today, advertisers are mostly still testing the ad format. One aspect that needs to be analysed is ad recall. If someone is pausing their TV, presumably, they are shifting their attention elsewhere. Perhaps they're grabbing a snack in the kitchen or responding to a text on their phone, which means they aren't going to be a captive audience for the pause ad. However, they will likely see the ad when they turn their attention back to the screen.
Having unified insights about pause ads compared to the rest of other advertising in a media buy can help advertisers learn quickly to determine how to best incorporate new formats like pause ads into their broader strategy.
What's more, media companies need to have an overview of their own performance when it comes to new formats. Understanding the pricing and demand for any new ad type is critical to create a product catalogue that is not just enticing for advertisers, but also profitable to the publisher.
Ultimately, pause ads are one of many new ad types that media companies are introducing in order to maximise their revenue from streaming. Streaming delivers more flexibility, targeting and richer insights than broadcast, so it should be easier for streaming companies to quickly learn what works and what doesn't.
However, with all of these benefits comes more complexity, and so streaming companies also need to ensure that their operations and technology supports an expanded product catalogue and more sophisticated products overall.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
07/01/2026
SVG Summit 2025: All General Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAYThe SVG Summit celebrated its 20th edition with a loaded agendaBy Brandon Costa, Directo...
07/01/2026
NBCU's Brings Rinkside Live' and Courtside Live' Features to Peaco...
07/01/2026
Spotify is launching a week-long celebration spotlighting creators at the center...
07/01/2026
We know people use Spotify not just to listen, but to share the songs, podcasts, and audiobooks they love with their friends and family. When we launched Messag...
07/01/2026
This week, all eyes are on the podcast industry as the Golden Globes recognizes ...
07/01/2026
Podcasts are stepping onto a new stage this week as the Golden Globes recognize the medium for the first time. To mark this milestone moment, we're hosting ...
07/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in collaboration with a distributor, is commissioning new micro-budget fiction feature films and invites eligible...
07/01/2026
NASA's Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches on the Artemis I flight test, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, from Launch Complex 39B at ...
07/01/2026
For the first time ever, new C' variants allow international users to interoperate with U.S. personnel via NSA-certified cryptography....
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Back to All News
The Trailer of Paparazzi King: The 5-Episode Docuseries Coming...
07/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Supports Warner Bros. Discovery Board's Commitment...
07/01/2026
Back to All News
What Next? Netflix Reveals Series, Films and Games Coming in 2026
Entertainment
07 January 2026
Global
Link copied to clipboard
Download ...
07/01/2026
AI has transformed retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) operations, enhancin...
06/01/2026
Peacock Bringing Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to Live Sports ContentPeacock is the first streamer to embrace Dolbys full suite of advanced picture/sound innovat...
06/01/2026
SVG Europe Audio: Listening to the sounds of powder and ice at Milano Cortina wi...
06/01/2026
Quintar Meta Spatial SDK Integration Promises Next-Level XR ExperiencesBy Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 - 9:41 am
Print This...
06/01/2026
Milano Cortina 2026: BBC Sport Previews Broadcast Ops, Studio Setup, Social Medi...
06/01/2026
Dolby's Jason Power on Elevating Live Sports Through Immersive Audio and HDR...
06/01/2026
DAZN's Global CRO Walker Jacobs on the Streamer's Breakout Year in the U...
06/01/2026
California Dreamin': LA28's SVP of Media Jim Bell Previews the Olympic a...
06/01/2026
One Month Out From Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony, NBC Sports in Final Prep fo...
06/01/2026
Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Zinwell Integrated onto ATSC 3.0 Conversion Boxe...
06/01/2026
Fox Sports President and COO Mark Silverman Shifts to Consulting RoleBy Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 - 2:37 pm
Print This S...
06/01/2026
Spotify is launching a week-long celebration spotlighting creators at the center...
06/01/2026
Lorde. A$AP Rocky. JENNIE. Baby Keem. KATSEYE. That's just a taste of who...
06/01/2026
In a live broadcast, L3Harris CFO and Missile Solutions President Ken Bedingfield joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Bedingfield discussed...
06/01/2026
First-of-its-kind SSP capability delivers program-level insight and brand suitab...
06/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
06/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
For streaming companies, and commercial broadcasters with VoD channels, the pause ad is a new way of targeting viewers when theyre distracted by something other than their screen, writes Operatives SVP of global sales, David Dembowski
