NBCU sites set 15-second limit for pre-rolls

Cory Bergman May 8th, 2007

Coming in July, NBC Universal sites will stop accepting 30 second pre-roll ads for short-form video clips (anything shorter than a TV show) and institute a cap of 15 seconds. Currently, about one-third of NBCU’s short-form clips are carrying 30 second spots. NBCU has also established relationships with four rich media partners — Viewpoint, Eyewonder, Pointroll and Eyeblaster — to explore a variety of online video advertising techniques. “It has a lot to do with the entire real estate of the screen, not just the video window,” said Peter Naylor, SVP of digital media sales for NBCU. “How can we take advantage of the entire screen? Even good old data capture could happen in the companion spaces.” We’ve never been a fan of anything longer than 15 second pre-rolls, and any attempt to make the experience less interruptive, more relevant and increasingly pay off for the advertiser is moving in the right direction. (Thanks for the tip Alyssa!)