Common Video Ad Durations Used Today

The duration of a video ad may vary based on the specific requirements set by the publisher and the targeted audience. There are no strict guidelines for the duration of a video ad, though the industry naturally came up with video lengths that are commonly used today for a variety of reasons.

Here are the 4 common durations for video ads in 2024:

• 6 seconds. These video ads are intentionally short, and are typically used for messages that quickly grab the attention of the user. This type of ad is commonly used a pre-roll or bumper ad before the main content starts playing, or is played directly when the main content ends.
• 15 seconds. Being somewhat longer than the 6-second ads, these type of video ads are commonly used for more complex messages that take more time to transmit. They may be used as standalone ads or be part of a full campaign with longer ad durations and companions.
• 30 seconds. This seems to be the golden bullet. 30-second ads are the most common video duration seen today, and they are used for more in-depth messages that require even more time to be transmitted. Due to its length, they usually come with a skip button after 5 seconds.
• 60 seconds. These ads are the longest video ads found in normal inventory. They offer the longest duration needed to transmit messages to users, allowing for in-depth information about the service or product. 60-second ads are generally found as mid-rolls in movies or streaming media with long content.

Which duration to choose depends on multiple factors, including the format of the ad, the attention span of the intended audience, the guidelines and limits set by the publisher and the platform on which the ad will be displayed. For the latter, think about the difference between a 30 second pre-roll ad on a mobile phone and a 30 second ad break during a full movie streamed over the internet.

How to detect the video duration?

Here are the 3 ways to detect the video's duration:

1. Manual verification. Drag the video in a browser window or open it in VLC Media Player to see the end time. Most browsers and players round the duration to the nearest second.
2. Video ad validator. Upload the video to this free online Video Duration Detector. It will not only show the duration of the ad, but also warns if the duration is not commonly used (like 11-second ads).

3. Ad validation API. Use this ad validation API to automatically detect the duration of thousands of video ads, and reject the ad in your further logic if it doesn't meet your requirements. This API is great for large publishers, ad networks and video professionals. It comes at a price, but allows you to automate the whole ad validation process without spending another single dollar on manual QA.

Conclusion

The duration of a video ad varies depending on the requirements and limits of the publisher, the ad's goal, the user's attention span and the type of plaform on which the ad is shown. Online tools and APIs can detect the durations of thousands of video ads in batch, reducing QA time and human error.