Observed Signal · Mar 25, 2026 · Research Report · Source: ExchangeWire · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
30% of Open‑Web Video Players Shrink After Load
Inventory intelligence firm Picnic analysed open‑web video player behaviour and found substantial mismatches between format classification at page load and how players behave during a user’s session. Picnic reports 30% of open‑web video players collapse into smaller units after initial load, 15% continue playing after users scroll past them, and 12% of sites serve multiple simultaneous videos. The study used Picnic’s PIQ framework to measure player persistence, scroll behaviour, audio defaults and competitive video presence at page level. Picnic argues that DSP labels (In‑Stream / Out‑Stream) based on load‑time appearance can misrepresent sustained visibility and attention, affecting how impressions and completed views should be valued. The company has embedded the behavioural framework into its Quality Video curation product, available to buyers across the UK, EMEA and the US.
Findings reveal measurement and valuation gaps in open‑web video that could affect how buyers and DSPs assess video inventory, but the research and a vendor product are not immediate industry‑wide platform or policy changes.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Picnic analysis finds 30% of open‑web video players shrink into smaller units after initial page load.
- Picnic reports 15% of video players continue playing after the user has scrolled past them.
- 12% of analysed sites served multiple videos playing simultaneously.
- Research used Picnic’s PIQ framework to measure player persistence, scroll behaviour, audio defaults and competitive video presence at page level.
- Picnic has incorporated the behavioural framework into 'Quality Video', its video curation solution available across the UK, EMEA and the US.
Connected Companies & Entities
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Picnic Unveils Quality Video for Transparent Ad Buying
Picnic, an inventory intelligence platform, has launched Quality Video, a solution that evaluates open-web video inventory by measuring how video ads actually behave during the user journey. Quality Video extends Picnic’s PIQ (Picnic Inventory Quality) platform with video-specific signals — including whether videos pause when scrolled out of view, whether multiple videos play simultaneously, whether playback is auto-initiated, and audio default state — and combines them into an enhanced PIQ score. Picnic’s analysis cited in the launch found 30% of video players collapse to smaller units during a user’s visit and 15% continue playing after users scroll past them. The product is available at launch across the UK, EMEA and the US and can be activated via PMP to help buyers curate inventory that supports meaningful completed views.
Picnic launches family-focused media campaign
Dutch online supermarket Picnic has launched a multi-market advertising campaign to support its push for market leadership in Germany and a stated revenue target of €1 billion this year. The campaign — running in Germany, France and the Netherlands and starting regionally around 4 September (with later starts in some Bavarian regions) — centers on recipe content to address meal planning for young families. The media mix combines platform-specific short-form video on Meta, TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube, Connected TV placements (Disney+, Prime Video, Joyn, RTL+, Netflix), regional radio, programmatic DOOH (via a DSP), and a second test of podcast ads on Spotify. Creative work was produced in-house; Düsseldorf-based agency Unbound Media supports media buying for non-social channels. Picnic said it is active from Düsseldorf in over 250 German cities with 2,300 e-vans and set a reach objective of around 400 million contacts across channels; budget was not disclosed.
dm partners with European PayPal rival Wero
German drugstore chain dm will add the European payment method Wero to its online checkout, manager magazin reports. dm is testing the integration now and plans a full rollout for all users from August 25, 2026. Wero is a payment project from the European Payment Initiative (EPI) that aims to compete with PayPal, Visa and Mastercard in Europe. The partnership gives Wero greater merchant reach as it works to overcome low acceptance among online shops; EPI currently reports about 7 million registered accounts versus PayPal's ~39 million users in Germany. dm cites easier bank-account linkage and potentially lower fees as motivations for the move.
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