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Cost Per Completed View (CPCV) is a pricing model for video ads where an advertiser is only required to pay for a placement if a user watches an ad to completion. It's important to note that this does not necessarily mean from beginning to end. Different platforms have different definitions of what constitutes a full view:
Not all platforms offer CPCV as an option for ad pricing — primarily because most platforms can't afford it. There's no guarantee that their users will even watch part of a video ad, which means losing out on a large chunk of advertising revenue. Larger platforms and social networks can afford to eat the potential costs associated with CPCV in the interest of attracting more advertisers, particularly given that most have multiple options for generating ad revenue.
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CPCV is a low-risk advertising model with the potential for an incredibly high return on ad spend (ROAS). On average, a cost per completed view-based campaign will be less expensive than a campaign based on impressions. Moreover, CPCV helps you target your most engaged, highest-quality leads, which in turn minimizes wasted ad spend.
CPCV also provides you with a more accurate means of measuring your campaign's performance. Because video ads frequently suffer from low visibility, knowing your ad was viewed by a thousand people tells you almost nothing. Many of them may well have watched your ad for only a few seconds before skipping.
On the other hand, if you know that of a thousand people, thirty watched your ad from beginning to end, that's thirty potential qualified leads you're now aware of — though it's still important that you contextualize CPCV with other metrics such as clickthrough rate
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The formula to calculate CPCV is relatively simple. All you need to do is divide your total advertising cost by the number of completed video views. Alternatively, you can simply plug the values into a cost per completed view calculator, such as the one found here.
Alternative video advertising pricing models to CPCV include:
Additionally, although they are not generally used as pricing models on their own, the following metrics can be used to help track ad spend and returns:
