Ad spending on original digital video programming more than doubles in the US since 2014

The findings are part of the IAB’s third annual ‘Digital Content NewFronts: Video Ad Spend Study’ which surveyed 360 marketing and media buying professionals.

The report also revealed that more than two-thirds (68 per cent) of the respondents believe that original digital video will become as important as original TV programming in the next three to five years. The gap between digital video and TV programming is expected to close as buyers purchase more digital video that can reach target audiences while also delivering more concrete return of investment metrics.

The majority of buyers surveyed revealed that they plan to spend more overall on digital video (63 per cent) and video (62 per cent) however original digital video content has grown in importance too and now accounts for 44 per cent of a typical digital video budget, up from 38 per cent two years ago.

Discussing the findings IAB ‘s senior vice president, Anna Bager, said: “Marketers and agencies are telling us they clearly see great value in original digital video programming.

“This study demonstrates that the NewFronts has the ability to move ad dollars. Considering this year’s presenter line-up of top-tier, innovative media companies, and content creators, we expect that the event will inspire spend during the marketplace’s two-week period and beyond.”

The NewFronts 2016 conference kicks off in New York today and will run until 13 May. The event is a huge influence on the ad industry with 80 per cent of 2015 attendees admitting that the event motivated them to increase spending on original digital video content.