CPM (cost per mille, i.e. per thousand impressions) is the standard way video advertising is priced. An AVOD or FAST service's ad revenue is essentially impressions x CPM x fill rate, so CPM is one of the three levers that determine whether ad-supported economics work.

CPMs vary enormously by content quality, audience targeting, device (connected-TV CPMs are typically much higher than mobile web), geography, and ad format. Premium, well-targeted, brand-safe inventory commands higher CPMs, which is why measurement, targeting data, and viewability matter: they directly raise the price advertisers will pay per thousand views.

Book cover: Video Encoding, Volume 1 of the Fora Soft Video Engineering HandbookBook cover: Video Streaming, Volume 3 of the Fora Soft Video Engineering HandbookBook cover: Video Streaming, Volume 2 of the Fora Soft Video Engineering Handbook

The handbook · 7 volumes

Fora Soft Video Engineering Handbook

CPM is one of three levers, with impressions and fill rate, that decide whether an ad-supported service pays for itself. The seven volumes cover the video stack; for CPM economics start with Volume 3 on players and the economics of streaming, then Volume 1 on encoding cost, with packaging and delivery in Volume 2. Written by Nikolay Sapunov, CEO at Fora Soft.

Browse the handbook on Amazon →7 volumes · 9,000+ pages · Kindle & paperback

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