Discover how Equativ’s CTV Sports Ticker, validated by TVision eye-tracking research, boosts viewer attention by 14% and engagement during commercial breaks by displaying real-time sports scores.
Capturing viewers' attention during commercial breaks has always been a challenge, and with the rise of smartphones, it's gotten even harder. To address this issue, our team at Sharethrough has been exploring innovative ways to enhance connected TV (CTV) creatives, aiming to improve viewer attention and engagement. Our latest research with TVision, the leader in TV eye-tracking-based attention measurement, focuses on one such enhancement: the CTV Sports Ticker.
Our previous research on Consumer Behaviors During Commercial Breaks revealed that a staggering 76% of people do not pay attention during commercial breaks, primarily because they are distracted by their phones. This insight drove us to investigate turnkey methods to enhance CTV creatives, with the goal of recapturing viewers’ attention and encouraging them to look up from their devices.
One of our most popular enhancements with advertisers is our CTV Sports Ticker, which displays the latest sports scores at the bottom of a CTV creative. In pre-testing, we found that sports fans indicated they were 91% more likely to pay attention to a CTV ad featuring a Sports Ticker compared to an ad without it. To validate these findings in real-world scenarios, we partnered with TVision to measure attention during live campaigns.
TVision is the leader in TV eye-tracking technology. Their hardware is installed across a panel of thousands of opted-in homes, allowing precise measurement of viewer attention during commercial breaks. This allowed us to measure not just if viewers were looking at the TV screen, but for how long.
We conducted the study using 50 million CTV impressions from 19 advertisers across a diverse range of verticals. These brands, spanning industries including automotive, CPG, entertainment, gaming and gambling, government, insurance, pharmaceuticals, QSR, telco, and travel, were all utilizing Sharethrough’s CTV Sports Ticker with their CTV ads. TVision’s panel separated viewers into two groups: a control group who saw ads without the Sports Ticker and an exposed group who saw ads with the Sport Ticker.
The results were clear: commercials that included the Sports Ticker saw a significant 14% increase in attention. This means the Sports Ticker is effectively grabbing viewers’ attention (and pulling them away from their phones). But the benefits go beyond just initial attention.
TVision also reported a 19% increase in “Attention to Duration Ratio” for commercials featuring the Sports Ticker. This metric measures how effectively an ad keeps viewers engaged throughout its entire duration. Put simply, the Sports Ticker not only captures viewers’ attention initially, but it also holds it for the entirety of the commercial.
Our study demonstrates that the CTV Sports Ticker is a highly effective tool for enhancing viewer attention during commercial breaks. By displaying real-time sports scores, advertisers can capture and maintain viewers' attention, ensuring their messages are seen and remembered. This innovation represents a significant step forward in our ongoing efforts to improve the effectiveness of CTV advertising and overcome the challenge of viewer distraction.
Learn more about our CTV Sports Ticker, available for all major sports.
Frank is a digital advertising veteran with over a decade at Sharethrough (now Equativ), where he researches human responses to advertising to help brands and agencies navigate evolving media behaviors. Passionate about sustainability, he completed Harvard Business School’s “Sustainability in Business” certification and has led industry-first initiatives such as GreenPMPs and the Green Media Summit. Beginning his career on the agency side with clients like Nestlé, Pfizer, and Wyndham, he later opened and grew Sharethrough’s East Coast headquarters in NYC.
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