But now, new techniques offered by connected TV platforms promise a lot more.
In Elevated Video, a Beet.TV leadership series presented by TripleLift, eight executives explored what that opportunity looks like.
1. Content ad insertions lighten the load
At TripleLift, the native ad company that has launched a connected TV offering in beta, advanced advertising GM Michael Shields says formats like ad insertions into TV shows, split-screen ads and other overlays “allows publishers to lower ad loads”.
“Unscripted, lighthearted comedies… you’ve probably seen our units in a lot of cooking shows – we think that that’s going to be the future ad model for a certain kind of programming.”
Native Advertising Has Key Role in Future of Ad-Supported TV: TripleLift’s Michael Shields
2. Post-cookie, context soars on data
At Havas’ Media Group’s health practice, managing partner Peter Sedlarcik welcomes the greater finesse available in contextual ad data.
“Contextual has really had a renaissance. We’re using more contextual data streams in order to inform strategy. There’s more of a balance now between purchased based data sets that have been kind of pre-eminent in a lot of the planning that we’ve been doing as an agency.”
3. Dentsu’s quest to demystify media
Dentsu Media U.S. media partnerships EVP Sarah Stringer says buying connected TV is still “very convoluted”.
“A lot of different people sell a lot of the same channels, which means that we’re not getting that single point of view. You’re not getting the efficiencies that you want. How do we demystify the marketplace?”
Immersive Ad Experiences Promise Optimized Results: Dentsu’s Sarah Stringer
4. Tastemade’s Imberman likes CTV’s flavors
At cooking video producer Tastemade, Jeff Imberman, head of sales and brand partnerships, says connected TV manages to combine the best qualities of TV and digital.
“It’s traditional yet progressive all at the same time. You’re still able to serve 15 and 30-second ads the way a linear network can – but what makes it really compelling is it’s delivered in a digital format across digital pipes, so it allows for very unique targeting, contextual especially.”
5. Brand insertions bring viewers organic delight
For Team Whistle, a digital sports content producer, Anthony Susi, vice president of over-the-top sales, says audiences give positive feedback to brand partnerships in its content.
“Picture Bear Grylls wading through the water with a Powerade ad behind it, things like that. We do it in an organic way and not really force down your throat.”
Branded Content Helps to Engage Younger Audiences: Team Whistle’s Anthony Susi
6. Brands pick from new-wave measurement menu
MediaScience CEO Duane Varan says the advertising world is no longer about everyone using a “one-size-fits-all” paradigm of buying 30-second ads using traditional currencies.
“That model is flawed in a lot of ways. All brands are not the same. All categories are not the same. Our objectives are not the same. Every brand needs to discover the best in class measures delivering against those specific communication objectives.”
‘There’s a New Paradigm for Brand Integrations on TV’: MediaScience’s Duane Varan
7. Native can solve ad load aversion
Srinivasan KA of Amagi, a company that helps enable linear ad-supported streaming channels, says changing consumption patterns mean media must change.
“Nobody just has the patience for sitting through 10 minutes of advertising on a per hour basis. You’re going to have much more integrated ad formats. Native advertising on connected TV would kind of blend both content and advertising in a seamless fashion.”
8. CTV can kick-start the sequence
Liza Davidian, EVP of investment and activation at GroupM, says connected TV can be the start of a sequenced conversation with consumers.
“If it speaks to me again on a more personalised device like your Instagram or any type of social media on my phone, I applaud an advertiser who further digs deeper into the funnel and makes their message a little bit more customised.”
]]>Customized Ads at Scale Are Key to Optimized Video Campaigns: GroupM’s Liza Davidian
According to eMarketer, in January 2021, just over a third (34%) of US households that had video streaming capability used ad-supported streaming services. But, whilst 26% of that was AVOD (ad-supported video on demand), the remaining 8% was something more familiar to traditional viewers – linear.
In this video interview with Beet.TV, Srinivasan KA of Amagi, a company that helps enable linear ad-supported streaming channels, explains reasons for FAST’s growth – and its challenges.
From SVoD to FAST
“FAST, pun unintended, is the fastest-growing connected TV category today,” he says. “Given the subscription fatigue, given the number of subscription services with the large ones taking bulk of the share, we are starting to see substantial growthcoming in from these free platforms.
“Viewers, after spending 30 minutes to an hour on the Netflix and the Disney Pluses of the world, then look for additional content, either content that is not available on these platforms because they want something niche specific, or they’re looking for much more variety.”
FAST operators include XUMO TV, Pluto and Tubi, all of which have been acquired by major networks, plus offerings from equipment manufacturers like Visio, Samsung and Roku.
FAST’s driving factors
Srinivasan KA, Co-Founder of @AmagiCorp, shares the big business concerns his clients have in moving into the FAST world | #VarietyStreamingRoom https://t.co/RFvOPzHolC pic.twitter.com/HlPkD8CJlJ
— Variety (@Variety) July 20, 2021
For Srinivasan KA, the key difference from AVOD generally is the linear nature of the ad-supported content.
“FAST is provided like a cable dial, where you got an EPG and all the channels are available in a pre–curated linear 24/7 format,” he explains. “You just flip through channels and watch them.”
He ascribes FAST’s growth to two factors:
- People trying to save money without adding subscriptions.
- The arrival of premium-quality content coming into FAST platforms, with some starting to commission their own big exclusives.
Fighting FAST ad fatigue
But, despite the fact that FAST is ad-supported and linear, Srinivasan KA says operators nevertheless must tread carefully.
“The new millennial and Gen Z viewers cannot sustain more than five or 10 minutes of attention span,” he says.
“You’re going to have much less advertising time on a per-hour basis. So you need to have interesting interactive video ad formats if you want to be able to monetize the content.”
That means the sweet spot is servicing a point somewhere between two consumer fatigues – excessive SVoD and excessive free ad load.
Wiring channels to platforms
Amagi helps bring streaming linear channels to viewing platforms.
It offers products for cloud play-out, event orchestration, on schedule planning dynamic ad insertion, ad sales and more.
Srinivasan KA Says Amagi can deliver channels on to platforms “like Samsungs and the Rokus and the Vizios and the XUMOs and the Plutos of the world”, as well as others.
“Then we work with pretty much all the major SSPs and DSPs to bring advertising programmatic and directly-sold advertising into these FAST platforms by doing dynamic server-side ad insertion.”
You are watching “It’s time to elevate your video ads, or risk getting left behind,” a Beet.TV leadership series presented by TripleLift. For more videos, please visit this page.
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