ESPN making a ‘ton of money’ on video ads

In a roundtable discussion at CTAM, Andy Sippel, SVP Sports and Product Management for ESPN said they are “making a ton of money” off their video ads. They typically use prerolls. He characterized the “auto start” video ads on the ESPN homepage as “controversial.” I was honest and told him I didn’t like them. I don’t mind watching prerolls, just give me a chance to click on the video I want to watch first. Regardless of what I think, 60% of their video ads are viewed. I also found it interesting that ESPN sells “holistically” seeking the best opportunity for their clients regardless of the platform. All the account executives from each platform report to one sales manager. He said they have seen, “a lot of cross over sales.”