Sharethrough, a global omnichannel ad exchange, is expanding its connected TV Ad Enhancements Suite with the launch of Countdowns and Sports Tickers. The enhancements are designed to address the ongoing challenges of ad skipping and avoidance by improving attention, promoting action and driving campaign results. 

The two new connected TV enhancements were created based on the results of a Sharethrough study, which found that 76% of viewers tune out during commercial breaks, either by muting their television, leaving the room, changing the channel or looking at something on their phone. To ensure the effectiveness of these formats, Sharethrough conducted a survey with 1,000 consumers in the U.S. and Canada who were exposed to the connected TV ad enhancements. 

The CTV Countdown Overlay can be used by advertisers to draw attention to limited-time offers, such as product launches and upcoming shows. It can be added at the bottom of an ad for a product being promoted for the holiday shopping season or to count down the days until a limited-time offer expires. Results of the survey show that consumers who watched a commercial with the countdown overlay were 43% more likely to remember when the promotion being advertised starts. 

Meanwhile, the suite’s CTV Sports Ticker displays the latest scores and upcoming games for all major sports leagues of the advertiser’s choosing. The idea behind this enhancement was that adding useful content below connected TV commercials would help keep viewer attention on the TV screen. Ads were shown to consumers with and without the scores of different major league games and it was found that viewers are 91% more likely to pay attention to TV ads with a sports ticker, and are 14% more likely to comprehend the advertiser’s overall message. 

Furthermore, Sharethrough’s research has shown that consumers are 52% more likely to pay attention to connected TV ads that have useful content alongside them, such as weather forecasts, news or a stock ticker. The connected TV Ad Enhancements Suite also includes shoppable QR codes and dynamic captions. Dynamic QR codes have been proven to increase consumer attention by 12%.