Viewable

Viewable is an adjective meaning capable of being seen or viewed. In everyday use, something is viewable if it can be observed with the naked eye or accessed on a display. The term often describes content, objects, or scenes that are accessible to an observer, as opposed to being hidden or inaccessible.

In digital media and advertising, viewability is a specialized concept. Viewable content or ads are those that the user has an opportunity to see and that actually appear within the viewer’s field of vision for a minimum duration. Industry bodies such as the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the Media Rating Council (MRC) have established standards to measure whether an impression is viewable. Thresholds and criteria vary by format, but the core idea is to distinguish ads that are merely loaded from those that are actually seen by users.

Beyond advertising, viewable is used to describe content on various screens, including websites and video streams, where the emphasis is on whether the material can be seen by the audience rather than merely being available in a technical sense. The term can also appear in product or display descriptions to indicate that information or imagery is ready for examination by a viewer.

Etymology-wise, viewable derives from view plus the suffix -able, indicating the capability of being viewed. The concept remains closely tied to visibility and accessibility, with different contexts giving it specialized meanings related to perception, display, and measurement.