Over-the-top viewing of CNN \u201cis blowing up in terms of consumption,\u201d while video on demand is providing a big boost to Turner\u2019s entertainment business. The latter provides a venue for commercial viewing via dynamic ad insertion beyond the C7 ratings window, according to Nick Johnson, SVP of Digital Media Strategy at Turner.<\/p>\n
As consumers migrate to OTT channels, \u201cWe\u2019re finding that engagement is very high. They spend a lot of time with our brand in that OTT environment,\u201d Johnson says during a break at the 2017 Digital Content NewFronts<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we look at our entertainment business, we see a significant amount of consumption that\u2019s happening in the VOD environment.\u201d<\/p>\n Considering that Turner is in more than 50 million homes capable of viewing ads delivered dynamically, \u201cas we approach the UpFront we talk about C3\u2019s and C7\u2019s. We\u2019re looking at an environment where after the C7 window we can bring addressability into a video-on-demand environment through the set-top box,\u201d Johnson<\/a> says.<\/p>\n From a conventional advertising perspective, Turner is always looking for new ad units to take advantage of its scale. \u201cWe have to evolve conventional advertising to be more impactful to consumers and deliver stronger brand messages,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n The goal is to tell great stories that are contemplating brands\u2019 KPI\u2019s and then distributing them on company sites and off-channel through its social agency and \u201cbringing data along for the story.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnson\u00a0would like to see more of a balance across the entire menu of digital advertising options because over the last five years, he believes much conversation has dwelled on full-episode players and straight video.<\/p>\n While video is part of the mix, so are branded content, targeting, native advertising, social channels and conventional digital ads. All of them may \u201chave been underweighted over the last couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n