At last month’s SHIFT // Programmatic Video & TV Ad Summit, David Szahun, American Express’s Director of US Media, Global Brand Marketing and Digital Partnerships shared his insights about the evolution of programmatic video & TV and why he’s bullish on both. In particular, David zeroed in on the need for “premium programmatic video” which he defines as a direct buyer-to-publisher relationship, with a fixed CPM, guaranteed premium reserve inventory and first-party data overlay. David explains more about why he believes this is valuable.

In a follow-up interview with me, David also provides thoughts on why programmatic TV is developing more slowly than video, why addressable TV with automation isn’t here yet, how American Express is organized and what role its agency plays, and the key challenges for programmatic. Throughout, David is quite candid and thoughtful about how AmEx views programmatic and how it’s being incorporated into the company’s marketing mix.

Note, all of the SHIFT session videos are now included in the player below.