EX.CO, a video technology company, today launched a new vertical video player for mobile and desktop. The product is designed to play video on publishers’ websites, with the aim of monetising their content in mobile environments.
The format is based on the popularity of vertical video on social media platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram. It is built to play video with a 10:16 aspect ratio, according to EX.CO, enabling vertical video consumption without the need to rotate the screen. The player also uses swiping gesture controls, again inspired by social media apps, allowing users to navigate between videos.
“Digital publishers have been eager to identify a vertical video solution that they can introduce on their owned and operated properties,” said EX.CO. The company noted that 78 percent of all web traffic across its platform derives from mobile. The vertical format delivers on average 17 percent more engagement than horizontal players, according to EX.CO, and delivers monetisation in line with its horizontal player. The launch also includes a version optimised for desktop consumption.
“Audiences today are consuming massive amounts of video content on social platforms like Meta, TikTok, and Twitch where they are accustomed to seeing vertical video everywhere,” said Tom Pachys, co-founder and CEO at EX.CO. “Publishers now have the tools to form a true end-to-end video strategy – both horizontal and vertical – to interact with their audiences in the most engaging format using the most appropriate tools.”
Harnessing short-form video
Although the rise in short-form video is well documented, a number of publishers have struggled to monetise the format. For example Buzzfeed saw a decline in ad revenues during Q3 2023, citing the growth of short-form video as a major challenge. While these videos perform well in attracting views, monetisation reportedly lags behind long-form video.
The company suggests that publishers’ video offerings should look more like the experiences viewers are used to from social media environments, delivering a “seamless feed of vertical video content” to keep consumers engaged. The company added that advertisers can use the same video ads they produce for social platforms, helping them reach new audiences without creating new assets.
Alongside the growth of short-form video, shoppable ads are also expected to see increased investment this year. And integrating shoppable ad formats into relevant content, such as products relating to recipes, provides publishers further opportunities to monetise that content.
“Thanks to mobile-first audiences and social media, vertical video for the open web has arrived – and publishers are in a perfect position to capitalise on it,” said Oren Regev, chief product officer at EX.CO. “Our new solution will allow publishers to create vertical video for the web and social simultaneously and then simply syndicate the content, thereby saving both time and money. This change has the potential to increase returns on both shoppable video and e-commerce ads.”
