Ad viewability has hit its highest mark in 18 months, rising for the second consecutive quarter for the first time in the UK.

In the third quarter of 2017, according to a report from ad verification company Meetrics, the proportion of banner ads that met minimum viewability guidelines rose from 51 per cent to 52 per cent – representing the highest level since the 54 per cent recorded in Q1 2016. This followed the rise of 47 per cent to 51 per cent in Q2 2017.

“Yes, the latest rise is small but its directionally very significant,” said Anant Joshi, country manager for UK & Ireland at Meetrics. “For the first time, there’s a consistent positive trend which is a sign that efforts to increase viewability are bearing fruit. A driving factor is that some agency groups are starting to demand a higher percentage of an ad’s surface area to be in view which is making the sell side improve the quality of their ad placements.”

Despite viewability in the UK heading in a positive direction, it still falls well short compared to a handful of other European countries. Italy leads the way with 68 per cent viewability, followed by Austria at 67 per cent, while Switzerland and Poland both sit at 55 per cent.

Join us at the 2017 Effective Mobile Marketing Awards Ceremony, taking place in London on Thursday 16 November, to mix with the industrys best and brightest, and raise a glass to the years best campaigns and solutions. To find out more, and to book your place, click here.