He also traces the arc of a digital content ecosystem that is in a sort of “retrograde” phase as live content becomes more prevalent amid the decline of linear television viewing.

“The mantra of the week: premium content at scale. Original content being produced by publishers, really in response to cultural trends,” Gilbert, who is Head of Digital, Midwest, says in this interview with Beet.TV.

It’s premium not just in the various big-name publishers that are generating content but also in the “production values that is elevating this content to a premium level.”

While many content partnerships were announced at this year’s NewFronts, they were accompanied by other collaborations, for example publisher-to-publisher and publisher-to-platform.

“As well as even partners such as Hulu trying to hold themselves more accountable through the likes of measurement partnerships with Nielsen, IRI as well as others,” says Gilbert. “That to me as a marketer, as an advertiser, as an agency lead is critical to defining success for the future ahead of our clients and brands.”

He also heard “the loud and continued cry towards personalization and creating authentic resonance with consumers, ultimately helping to also ensure brand safety along the way.”

Gilbert’s perspective includes a view of the marketplace for live content that for him suggests a “retrograde” of how the digital marketplace has been built and where it’s going.

“Digital video has really been build off of traditional both long-form and short-form content that gets uploaded and then lives in perpetuity,” he says.

This stands in contrast to linear TV, which has largely been live and which still draws “a wealth” of live audiences.

“In order to draw more audiences away from linear and traditional channels to digital platforms, we are seeing the likes of ESPN, Twitter and Facebook live. We also heard it last night at YouTube’s Brandcast is they’re continuing to double down with YouTube TV. So I expect we’ll continue to see that grow in the years ahead.”

This video is part of Beet.TV’s coverage of the Digital Content NewFronts 2018. The series a co-presentation of Beet.TV and the IAB. Please see additional videos from the series on this page.

When media agency Assembly talks with its clients, “These are all areas we feel are important as part of the Upfront conversation and the rest of the year,” says EVP and Investment Director Francois Lee.

Two years ago, a conversation with a TV network about a client like Expedia would involve how to target frequent travelers but end up with the network agreeing to guarantee delivery on adults 25-54. “For us, that’s essentially not saying much because we can do the same thing, to be honest,” Lee says in this interview with Beet.TV.

“But now the conversation is the network saying ‘all right we will guarantee you on that frequent traveler,’” he adds. “So that is changing the transaction model. That’s something we’re excited about.”

Lee needs to see two specific components to make audience targeting viable: how close to business outcomes sellers can guarantee delivery, and whether the seller can generate incremental value to what Assembly is getting.

“Keep in mind that as the networks get more sophisticated, so do agencies,” he says. “We have a pretty good idea of how media is performing for us.”

Given the long-term erosion of linear TV ratings, the issue of where to shift money leads to a multitude of options, including authenticated apps, paid apps, standalone apps and virtual MVPD’s like YouTube TV. It’s important to assess a client’s existing OTT exposure “because even when you buy Hulu, 70 percent of your impressions is in connected TV environments,” Lee says.

Asked to rate cross-screen audience measurement on a scale of one to 10, he says perhaps four or five.

“Seeing some of the test results from what Nielsen is doing, especially around digital content ratings, we’re not seeing enough consistency to make it scalable yet,” says Lee. “But we’re encouraged that Nielsen is approaching that direction and hopefully we’ll see further results in coming months.”

This segment is part of a series leading up to the 2017 TV Upfront. It is presented by FreeWheel. To find more videos from the series, please visit this page.