Premium Video Drives 79% Higher Attentiveness Than Social
by Frankie Karrer
Abstract
- Media plans that pulled budget out of premium video saw incremental revenue drop 29%, while the bottom-funnel tactics that absorbed those dollars posted 20% lower ROI than in the balanced plan.
- Advertisers who paired big-event activations with consistent audience targeting drove 54% higher mid-funnel engagement than those who showed up to tentpole moments alone.
- Premium video ad experiences earned 79% higher attentiveness than digital and social platforms built to keep viewers scrolling.
- Campaigns blending premium video with other tactics generated 84% higher consideration intent than social-only efforts.
Testing different media mixes and measuring what actually drives results is the backbone of any great campaign strategy. But what happens when marketers cut premium video to chase short-term social efficiency? It’s likely to backfire. According to new data from NBCUniversal and Gain Theory, campaigns that rerouted premium video dollars to non-premium social and digital came out worse on every measure across simulations in automotive, CPG, retail, and pharma. One media plan that shed premium video spend lost 29% in incremental revenue, and the channels that inherited the budget returned 20% less than the balanced approach. The takeaway: premium video isn’t just an upper-funnel awareness play. It punches above its weight in the mid-funnel — the stretch where purchase decisions actually get made.
These findings land at a useful moment for streaming advertisers. NBCUniversal found that premium video reached 79% higher attentiveness than feed-scrolling social platforms, and campaigns that mixed premium video with other tactics drove 84% higher consideration intent than social alone. Consistency compounds this effect: advertisers who paired tentpole events like the Winter Olympics and FIFA World Cup with steady audience targeting saw 54% higher mid-funnel engagement than one-off activations. For marketers facing pressure to tie every dollar to immediate results, the data points the other way. A balanced media plan anchored in premium video drives both the brand foundation and the performance.
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