Audience Insights

WTH is a “Quality Environment” and Why Does It Matter for You?

In today’s world, there are so many places for consumers to get the content or entertainment that they crave most. If you want a place just for gaming, you’ve got one.
If you want a place to watch real people produce live, on-demand content, you’ve got one (or three!). If you want to watch your TV favorites and check-out the latest, most-talked about shows, you’ve got that too. And for better or for worse, the content changes as quickly as the cultural conversation does – especially in the places that allow anyone to create that content.

At Hulu, we are proud to be one of the places that consumers come to find the content and entertainment they want.

While our library and line-up is constantly changing, we consistently bring our viewers high-quality and trusted content that is professionally produced. From classic favorites to current TV hits to movies, documentaries, and breakthrough and binge-worthy Originals, Hulu is the leading ad-supported streaming TV platform. We understand viewers’ tastes and program for clear, passionate audiences.
Hulu is now the home for stories that impact culture, inspire conversation and connect with viewers in meaningful ways, all while ensuring that the quality of our programming never waivers.

It comes down to this: The environment in which an ad is served is as important as the quality of the ad itself.

For our customers, this means that your ads appear next to some of the most respected and popular content in the world – from network hits to Hulu Originals – meaning you can rest assured that your brand is in good company.

So what’s all this talk about a “quality environment?” And, WTH do we even mean by it, and why does it matter to you?

What we mean by a “quality environment” is simply the place where your ad runs – across apps, on web pages, on TV, etc – or the “ad environment.” An “ad environment” consists of all the elements surrounding an ad that contribute to how the viewer takes that ad in. It’s all about the context. It’s about anything that makes watching the same ad on two different platforms a different experience for the viewer and produces a different outcome for the advertiser.
At Hulu, a high-quality ad environment is one that features high-quality content – from classic TV and movie hits, familiar favorites, to award-winning original programming – and offers advertisers a highly engaged viewing audience. It’s the place where you connect with viewers across top-tier and popular content. In short, it’s Hulu.

When brands advertise on a platform like Hulu, where one of our main goals is creating a high-quality environment, they’re looking to benefit from:

• Trusted, well-known and high-quality content
• An attentive and targeted audience
• Industry-leading viewability*

*Note: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Media Rating Council (MRC) have determined that “50% of an ad must be in view for a minimum of two seconds”¹ in order for an ad to claim viewability, which we’ll talk more about later.

Let’s dive into each of these benefits of advertising in a quality environment.

Putting your advertising next to trustworthy, high-quality content draws in captivated viewers while keeping your reputation safe.

While video entertainment is easy to find with an ever-evolving roster of streaming platforms and popular video content, not all content is created equal. Advertising on social and user-generated platforms can be unpredictable. The content is often unregulated and of varying quality, which can result in your ad running next to content that doesn’t suit your brand or unintentional placement next to a competitive brand. At Hulu, we help brands avoid these situations upfront.

Hulu is the leading streaming service offering both live and on-demand TV and movies. Our library of content combines must-watch TV and film – from familiar favorites from studios like 20th Century Fox, NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Company, ABC, CBS, and Discovery to award-winning Originals like Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winning series The Handmaid’s Tale. By curating the best of television and film with current hits, classics, and originals, we have a library of content that allows businesses to advertise without hesitation. And our curation efforts have paid off, consumers regard Hulu as the place to find the safest and highest quality content comparatively to user-generated and social sites.²

Reach your specific audience while they’re most engaged.

We’ve talked about how important it is to pay attention to the environment your ads run in, but just as critical is who is watching it.

Hulu’s audience is made up of real people (not bots), with traffic that’s been certified over 99% fraud-free.³ Hulu also has an average audience of nearly 92 million ad-supported viewers.⁴ For advertisers, this means connecting with your unique target audience is not only possible, it’s easier than ever.

A high-quality environment also naturally sets viewers up to be more engaged—and therefore pay more attention to your ads. We conducted a custom study with TVision that revealed that viewers pay more attention when they can:

• Watch on-demand versus live
• Watch for longer
• Binge watch (the longer they watch, the higher their attention!)⁵

We’ve been able to document the results of this higher attention as well.

More attention being paid means less campaign dollars wasted.

When a streaming environment checks the boxes for high-quality content and engaged viewers, ads can actually enhance the viewing experience rather than detract from it—and this increases viewability. Viewability means that your ads are seen and not skipped.

What’s even more exciting is we know that our viewers are watching and paying attention – meaning your ads break through. A recent study showed that on-demand viewers paid 34% more attention than those who were watching live,⁸ and a custom Nielsen eye-tracking study also showed that ads on Hulu held viewers’ attention longer than ads on user-generated and social platforms.⁹

This means that choosing the right ad environment is also important when it comes to budget because you want to make sure you don’t waste your dollars on incomplete views. Many self-service ad platforms in the social and video space charge for views on delivery of an ad, not when the viewer completes it.

Set Your Campaign Up for Success with Hulu

When you choose a high-quality environment, your campaigns are positioned for greater success from the very beginning. You’re positioning your ads next to quality content and drawing in captivated and engaged viewers on a platform with high viewability. As you evaluate different platforms for your campaign, keep these three factors in mind to maximize your campaign outcomes.