FreeWheel, a global technology platform for the television advertising industry, and NBCUniversal have released the findings of a new joint global report entitled ‘Prescribing Premium’, designed to determine what, specifically, comprises a high-quality viewing experience from an audience perspective.

The study found that platform, content, device, and ad load are what makes a viewer perceive content as high quality — revealing that the right blend of these factors could improve quality metrics by 3.6x. In short, content that has had editorial input and was enjoyed on a big screen with minimal interruptions was seen as the most premium to respondents, FreeWheel said in a media statement.

The research also found that content quality reflected directly on the brands that appeared there. According to the study, when ads appeared in premium content, 68 percent of respondents thought they were higher quality and 66 percent believed the brands were more credible.

“Advertisers and Marketers have long believed that placing their brands in premium content builds trust, but this research proves that and takes it a step farther by defining what they mean by ‘premium’,” said Thomas Bremond, Chief Revenue Officer, International, FreeWheel.

“These insights can help guide advertisers to more impactful content, and help publishers build better environments and experiences. Knowing that premium content could enhance brand appeal through a halo effect can help all parties make smarter, more effective media decisions,”he added.

FreeWheel and NBCU’s ‘Prescribing Premium’ study was based on 8,000 online interviews with adults aged 16-64 across the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia and Canada. In the survey, explicit questions around content consumption were asked alongside a conjoint analysis to fully understand viewer attitudes around what constitutes a high-quality viewing experience.

The survey found that similar perceptions of a high-quality viewing experience extend across age groups and countries studied.

In addition to analyzing content, the survey found that the right advertising experience matters, too. Limited ads and ad breaks had 2.1x higher quality index compared to more and longer ad breaks, and 72 percent of respondents said premium environments have less intrusive ad experiences than non-premium environments.

Previous research by the FreeWheel Viewer Experience Lab showed that ad breaks that are two minutes or less contribute to better viewing experiences.