BENCHMARK EXPLORER
Video ad CPV and CPM benchmarks by channel and vertical
Filter to your video channel and category to see the price band US buyers typically clear at, and the spread between the cheap end and the expensive end, which is where recoverable video ad waste lives.
| Channel | Typical CPV | Typical CPM | Spread | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube in-stream | $0.010 to $0.030 | $9.00 to $22.00 | +144% | Widest intraday price swing of any channel here. |
| YouTube Shorts | $0.006 to $0.020 | $4.00 to $11.00 | +175% | Cheap views, weakest attention signal. |
| Connected TV | $0.030 to $0.080 | $24.00 to $55.00 | +129% | Premium supply, least elastic pricing. |
| Meta video (Reels + in-stream) | $0.020 to $0.060 | $7.00 to $24.00 | +243% | Auction price tracks creative fatigue closely. |
| TikTok | $0.015 to $0.045 | $5.00 to $16.00 | +220% | Cheapest reach, highest frequency waste risk. |
| LinkedIn video | $0.060 to $0.180 | $25.00 to $70.00 | +180% | Targeting premiums compound fast. |
| X video | $0.010 to $0.035 | $4.00 to $14.00 | +250% | Volatile supply; price varies week to week. |
Retail & e-commerce: Seasonal peaks lift Q4 pricing 20-40%. Ranges are directional US figures modeled from typical buying patterns, adjusted by category demand, not audited industry data. Your own account is the only benchmark that settles the question.
Read the spread, not the midpoint
A benchmark range is only useful if you use both ends of it. The midpoint tells you whether you are roughly in market on a given video channel. The spread tells you how much of your spend could have cleared at the cheap end and did not. On most video accounts a third of budget sits in the top quartile of price for inventory that is functionally identical to the bottom quartile.
Why vertical changes the number
Video auction price is set by the other bidders, not by the platform. Finance, insurance and B2B pay more because a small, compliance-narrowed audience is contested by advertisers with high customer values. CPG and travel clear closer to the floor because the audience is broad and substitutable. That is why comparing your video CPM to a blended cross-industry average is close to meaningless.
How to use these ranges this week
- Pull the last 30 days split by hour, video placement and format, not by campaign.
- Compare your cheapest and most expensive deciles against the spread column above.
- Hold VTR, completed views and downstream conversion flat before you call a lower price a saving.
- Check weekly frequency per user; above roughly 6, the marginal view is overpriced at any CPM.
Related reading
- YouTube CPV benchmarks: what good actually costs
- How to reduce CPM without cutting reach
- Running a media buying waste audit
- How savings are measured and reconciled
See where your spend sits in these bands
Bring one live campaign. In 30 minutes you get your price distribution against these ranges and what your half of the recovered spend is worth. No fee unless we save you money.