Celtra, which offers a cross-screen HTML5 advertising technology platform, has released its Mobile Display Ad Performance Report for Q1, 2014, spotlighting the performance of mobile display ad products.

According to the report, ad performance rates in Q1 2014 have stabilized for the first time since Q2 2012, when Celtra began its quarterly benchmark series. In fact, the Q1 report found noticeable growth in some key areas of mobile display ad performance, especially in video consumption.

Ad Expansion rates for standard formats in Q1 levelled at just above 0.5 per cent, which is slightly higher than the previous quarter. Native and IAB Mobile Rising Stars ad formats have continued to perform extremely well with 2.5 per cent and 1.1 per cent expansion rates, respectively.

Ad Engagement rates for standard ad formats remained steady at around 10 per cent in the last few quarters. The Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) vertical boasts the highest engagement rate at 13.9 per cent, and time spent on the ad unit at 10.1 seconds. The most engaging ads come from the entertainment vertical, featuring a 0.69 per cent expansion rate. Overall, time spent interacting with standard ad content increased by 33 per cent.

Video play rates for standard ad formats have stabilized at slightly above 12 per cent and have increased by 38 per cent for expandable banners. However, video completion rates increased significantly across the board in the last quarter, to 52 per cent for standard formats and 77 per cent for native formats.

The report also reveals that while the expandable banner is still the format of choice, fully interactive banner formats are catching up, especially in verticals like automotive, where more than half of all ads are banners.

“After two years of expected gradual decrease, the performance of ads has started to stabilize this year,” said co-founder and chief product officer, Celtra Matevz Klanjsek. With expansion rates at 0.5 per cent, which is still more than 5 times higher than on desktop, this floor actually looks rather good and offers an optimistic outlook for mobile display advertising.

“Video ads look especially promising. With an admirable lift in video consumption rates most noticeable in in-banner video formats, mobile video and display are quickly converging into one powerful and effective mobile ad product.”

There’s more information and findings from the report here.