Opti Digital Barometer: Fluctuations in eCPM Across Western Europe in 2023

At a live event held on the 24th of January 2024, French advertising technology company Opti Digital presented its barometer showing eCPM fluctuations in 2023 across Western Europe. This study, which focuses exclusively on open auctions, is based on an analysis of more than 750 media outlets and magazines, mainly from France, the UK, Spain, Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland. 

As predicted by numerous studies at the end of 2022, the advertising market has slowed down in 2023, due to ongoing inflation and a complex geopolitical situation. Here are the results observed by Opti Digital: 

● A 9% drop in eCPM for web display inventory. A gradual depreciation has been observed since 2021. However, it is essential to note that 2021 was an exceptional period of post-COVID recovery and is therefore not an appropriate benchmark. 

● A 5% drop in eCPM for web video instream inventory. As in the previous analysis, there is a significant difference between 2021 and 2023, due to an exceptional year in 2021. However, we can see that the drop in eCPM is only about 5% in 2023, which shows that this format remains a privileged option for advertisers, due to its high impact on the audience. On the other hand, unlike display inventory, instream video requires more resources from publishers in terms of content creation, and is therefore not necessarily profitable for all despite high eCPMs.

To go even further, Opti Digital has also included in its study a focus on different media categories, such as news and beauty media. One of the few categories to show positive growth is sports media, with a 4% increase in eCPM. This upward trend is set to continue in 2024, thanks to two major sporting events: The UEFA European Football Championship and the Olympic Games scheduled for this summer. 

For Magali Quentel-Reme, CEO of Opti Digital: "There is always uncertainty about advertising budgets, and even more so in the last two years when they have been validated in dribs and drabs. While we are optimistic about 2024, we encourage publishers to try new advertising formats, innovative technologies and, above all, to diversify their online revenue streams to ensure their longevity.” 

See the full barometer on the Opti Digital website.