Posts for 'Advertising'

One of the highlights of last week’s SHIFT // Programmatic Video & TV Ad Summit was a joint presentation from Brightcove (Mike Green, VP, Marketing and Business Development, Media), SpotX (Kevin Schaum, Sr. Director, Mobile and Connected TV) and the IAB Tech Lab (Amit Shetty,  Sr. Director, Video & Audio Products) on how server side ad insertion (SSAI) adds value to programmatic for both linear and on-demand advertising.

For those not familiar with SSAI (also known as “ad stitching”), this is a process for inserting ads into a piece of content (frequently long-form). There are multiple benefits of SSAI including better user experiences, reduced buffering, extended device reach, elimination of ad blocking and lower cost of deployment. Mike, Kevin and Amit elaborated on how these benefits are even more valuable for programmatic, especially in live and in skinny bundles, while also noting some of the key outstanding challenges.

The presentation clearly communicated how the industry needs to work together to evolve video advertising given new viewer behaviors, device proliferation and publishers’ pressures to fully monetize.

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At last week’s SHIFT // Programmatic Video & TV Ad Summit, Lauren Fisher, eMarketer’s principal analyst, kicked off the day sharing her forecasts for both programmatic video and programmatic TV ad spending in the U.S. Following her presentation, I interviewed Lauren and the audience asked a number of questions.

Overall, Lauren sees strong growth ahead for programmatic video, which will account for 76.5%, or over $13.4 billion of online video advertising by 2019. She’s particularly bullish about the role of mobile, which she sees growing to 60% of programmatic video by 2019. Lauren is also optimistic about connected TV’s opportunity, though she still see it as early in its development.

Programmatic TV is not nearly as far along, with Lauren forecasting $3.8 billion in spending by 2019, representing 5% of overall TV ad spending. Lauren also reduced her 2018 forecast to $2 billion, which is roughly half of what she forecast for 2018 when she presented at SHIFT 2016. We discuss all the reasons behind her revisions.

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Independent programmatic mobile video ad platform Beachfront Media has sold a majority stake to two private equity firms, Growth Catalyst Partners and PSP Capital, a fund started by Penny Pritzker who was previously Secretary of Commerce in the Obama administration. Deal terms were not announced.

As part of the investment, Bill Jennings, previously president of Page Science, will become CEO of Beachfront, with prior colleague Rich O’Connor becoming CFO. Beachfront co-founder and CEO Frank Sinton will become president, while is co-founder and wife Lisa Connell, will leave the business (both will remain owners).

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No surprise, at last week’s SHIFT // Programmatic Video & TV Ad Summit, the “duopoly” of Google and Facebook came up repeatedly on stage, mainly in the context of how they’re pursuing TV ad dollars and what the TV industry is doing to defend itself. In fact, the whole concept of “programmatic TV” - TV networks data-enabling and automating /streamlining the ad transaction process - pretty much captures what the industry is doing to become more competitive. 

But as I listened to and participated in the SHIFT sessions, one consideration kept coming back to me as possibly being the biggest single influence over how TV advertising evolves in the coming years: the idea that Google and Facebook are single entities, while the TV industry is fragmented with many different powerful players, each with their own agendas, capabilities and resources.

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I’m pleased to present the 397th edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. Many thanks to Brightcove, this week’s podcast sponsor.

This past Wednesday was our 3rd annual SHIFT // Programmatic Video & TV Ad Summit in NYC. There were so many great insights shared by speakers and in today’s podcast, I highlight (and we discuss) 4 main themes that recurred throughout the day.

Taken together, the themes reveal just how significant the challenges are that the ad-supported TV industry now faces. Changes in viewer behavior, ad buyer expectations, competitive forces and technology have created what a number of speakers characterized as an “existential threat” to ad-supported TV’s future.

As Colin and I discuss, there are no silver bullets that neatly address these challenges. The industry is trying a lot of different things, but it’s not clear yet what these efforts will add up to.

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Join over 350 industry colleagues at our 3rd annual SHIFT // Programmatic Video & TV Ad Summit, tomorrow, Wednesday, November 29th in NYC.

Over 40 industry leaders will be speaking on 11 sessions, including A+E Networks, Amplifi, Bloomberg Media, Discovery, eMarketer, Fox Networks, Meredith, National Geographic, Publicis Media, Roku, Time, Turner, Vevo, Viacom, plus many others.

Our 2 amazing keynote guests are Mike Rosen, EVP, Portfolio Sales & Strategy, NBCUniversal, who will be interviewed by Matt Prohaska from Prohaska Consulting and Jon Stimmel, Chief Investment Officer, Universal McCann, who will be interviewed by Matt Spiegel, Managing Director, MediaLink.

Overall, SHIFT promises to be a premier day of learning and networking.

All paid registrants are entered to win 1 of 3 Roku Ultra 4K players. Perfect for yourself or for a stocking stuffer gift this holiday season.

Many thanks to our 14 generous sponsors including Title Partner FreeWheel; Premier Partners SpotX, VertaMedia and Videology; Headline Partners 4C Insights, Beachfront Media, Brightcove, Cadent, Cedato, SintecMedia, Smart AdServer, Vemba; and Branding Partners Gotham Ads and Roku.

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I’m pleased to present the 396th edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. Many thanks to Brightcove, this week’s podcast sponsor. Brightcove will be presenting insights on server-side ad insertion at our SHIFT Programmatic conference on Nov. 29th.

First up, we explore the potential of Philo, the entertainment-oriented skinny bundle that launched earlier this week. For $16 per month, it’s relatively inexpensive, but neither Colin nor I see it as a game-changer for its backers. Key issues are lack of marquee entertainment networks, completion from other skinny bundles and a glut of high-quality entertainment programming from big SVOD providers.

We then dig into Roku, which reported its first quarterly results as a public company last week. We’re both impressed with how Roku is transitioning from a pure OEM device maker to a licensing and media company focused on online video advertising. By growing its installed base of Roku owners, which in turn supports its ad business, Roku is in the early stages of building a nice flywheel. We discuss both the potential of its model and possible risks.

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It’s no secret that connected TV devices have made huge gains in the U.S., with penetration at 60% of homes or more depending on the research source. But whereas these devices were initially used mainly for streaming Netflix and other ad-free SVOD services, evidence is building that viewers are also now using these devices to watch ad-supported video, in turn driving a huge expansion of ad inventory.

For example, Roku has been saying for a while that Netflix’s share of overall Roku users’ watch time has been steadily decreasing, with ad-supported channels gaining.  And today, Beachfront Media, a video supply-side platform, said that it saw a huge jump in CTV ad requests to over 2 billion in Q3 ’17. Beachfront works mainly with mid-tail and long-tail video providers like WatchMojo, Newsy and Crunchyroll.

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Two weeks from today will be our 3rd annual SHIFT // Programmatic Video & TV Advertising Summit on November 29th in NYC. The program is locked in with 40 amazing speakers who will be featured in keynotes, research presentations, fireside chats and panel discussions throughout the day.

Kicking things off will be Lauren Fisher, Principal Analyst at eMarketer, who will share details behind her forecast that programmatic video & TV will exceed $17 billion by 2019.

Our morning keynote interview is with Mike Rosen, EVP, Portfolio Sales and Strategy, NBCUniversal and the afternoon keynote interview is with Jon Stimmel, Chief Investment Officer, Universal McCann. In addition, Dan Aversano, SVP, Ad Innovation and Programmatic Solutions at Turner Ad Sales will be featured in an afternoon spotlight fireside chat.

A reminder that all SHIFT paid attendees will be entered to win 1 of 3 Roku Ultra 4K players, generously provided by Roku. Additional discounts are available on 5-packs and 10-packs. And, startups and students can register for the reduced $245 ticket (contact me for the code).

As always, there will be abundant networking opportunities with speakers and attendees at SHIFT.

Please join us for what will be the highest-impact day of learning and networking around programmatic video & TV of 2017.

Learn more and register now!

Today’s the last day for early bird discounted tickets for the SHIFT // 2017 Programmatic Video & TV Advertising Summit on Wednesday, November 29th in NYC. Early bird registration saves you $100 and also doubles your chances* of winning 1 of 3 Roku Ultra 4K players, generously provided by Roku. Additional discounts are available on 5-packs and 10-packs. And, startups and students can register for the reduced $245 ticket (contact me for the code).

SHIFT is going to be a jam-packed day of learning and networking with 30+ industry executives on a dozen different sessions. Attendees will hear from companies leading the charge into programmatic video and TV including 4C Insights, A+E Networks, Amplifi, Beachfront Media, Bloomberg Media Group, Brightcove, Cedato, Cross MediaWorks, eMarketer, FreeWheel, Fox Networks Group, IAB, IBM Watson, MediaLink, Prohaska Consulting, Publicis, Roku, SintecMedia, SpotX, Time, Inc., Turner Ad Sales, Vemba, VertaMedia, Vevo, Viacom, Videology and others.

Our amazing keynoters are Mike Rosen, EVP, Portfolio Sales and Strategy, NBCUniversal and Jon Stimmel, Chief Investment Officer, Universal McCann,

I hope you’ll join us for this must-attend day of learning and networking!

Learn more and register now!

(* Early bird registrants get 2 entries each for the Roku Ultra drawings.)

Early bird discounted tickets end on Friday for the SHIFT // 2017 Programmatic Video & TV Advertising Summit on Wednesday, November 29th in NYC. If you register early you save $100 and also double your chances* of winning 1 of 3 Roku Ultra 4K players, generously provided by Roku. Additional discounts are available on 5-packs and 10-packs. Startups and students can register for the reduced $245 ticket (contact me for the code).

SHIFT is going to be a jam-packed day of learning and networking with 30+ industry executives on a dozen different sessions. Attendees will hear from companies leading the charge into programmatic video and TV including 4C Insights, A+E Networks, Amplifi, Beachfront Media, Bloomberg Media Group, Brightcove, Cedato, Cross MediaWorks, eMarketer, FreeWheel, Fox Networks Group, IAB, IBM Watson, MediaLink, Prohaska Consulting, Publicis, Roku, SintecMedia, SpotX, Time, Inc., Turner Ad Sales, Vemba, VertaMedia, Vevo, Videology and others.

Our amazing keynoters are Mike Rosen, EVP, Portfolio Sales and Strategy, NBCUniversal and Jon Stimmel, Chief Investment Officer, Universal McCann.

I hope you’ll join us for this must-attend day of learning and networking!

Learn more and register now!

(* Early bird registrants get 2 entries each for the Roku Ultra drawings.)

Late last week Videology announced DETVgo, a free product that allows ad buyers to begin using data-enabled TV advertising to target specific audiences and then build and optimize media plans. Stacy Daft, Videology’s GM, Enterprise Business Development, told me in a briefing that DETVgo gives ad buyers a low barrier path for trying data-enabled TV ad buying.

All of the major TV networks are investing heavily in data enablement of their ad inventory to help buyers more precisely target audiences. This is a critical step as big digital players, including Google and Facebook, have ramped up their video initiatives to grab a share of TV ad spending.

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The program and initial group of over 25 speakers for SHIFT // 2017 Programmatic Video & TV Ad Summit on Wednesday, November 29th in NYC are now available on the SHIFT web site. The program includes 12 sessions that will dig into all aspects of programmatic video & TV. There are keynote interviews, fireside chats, research presentations and discussion sessions all meant to enhance attendees’ understanding of the burgeoning programmatic video & TV landscape.

Our initial group of speakers come from leading advertisers, agencies, content providers/publishers, technology providers and investors. Our keynoters are Mike Rosen, EVP, Portfolio Sales and Strategy, NBCUniversal, who will talk about how the company is raising the bar for programmatic and Jon Stimmel, Chief Investment Officer, Universal McCann who will address agency opportunities in programmatic video and TV.

Other speakers are from A+E Networks, Amplifi, Beachfront Media, Cedato, eMarketer, Essence, Fox, FreeWheel, IAB, IBM Watson, MediaLink, Meredith, SintecMedia/Operative, Prohaska Consulting, Roku, SpotX, Time, Turner Ad Sales, VertaMedia, The Vertere Group, Videology, with many others to be announced soon.

Reminder that all paid registrants will be entered to win 1 of 3 Roku Ultra 4K streaming players, generously provided by Roku. In addition, early bird registrants save $100 off the regular rates. Further discounts are available on 5-packs and 10-packs. And, startups and students can register for the reduced $245 ticket (contact me for the code).

Learn more and register now!

It’s a good day for video tech providers with Israeli roots as Wibbitz has announced a $20 million Series C funding and Connatix has raised a $15 million Series A round. The Wibbitz round was led by Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, with participation from The Weather Channel, The Associated Press, TF1 and existing investors NantMobile, lool Ventures and Horizons Ventures and brings total funding to $30.8 million. The Connatix round was led by Volition Capital.

While the companies have different value propositions, they’re both playing to the broader industry trends of enabling publishers to enrich their properties with more video, which creates more opportunities for video advertising.

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A reminder that all paid registrants for our 3rd annual SHIFT // Programmatic Video & TV Ad Summit on Wednesday, November 29th in NYC will be entered to win 1 of 3 Roku Ultra 4K streaming players, generously provided by Roku. The Ultra is Roku’s top-of-the-line player featuring support for 4K, HD and HDR. I’ve been using one for a while and it’s amazing.

The SHIFT program is coming together really nicely and once again it promises to be the highest-impact conference for anyone in the industry who is focused on programmatic video and TV. Programmatic approaches, which rely on data and automation, already account for billions of dollars of annual TV and video ad spend and are poised for further rapid growth.

Still, there are many issues swirling around programmatic, including viewability, fraud, labor intensity and supply chain complexity. At SHIFT we’ll be digging into all of these along with the big opportunities programmatic creates.

Our two keynoters, Mike Rosen, EVP, Portfolio Sales and Strategy, NBCUniversal and Jon Stimmel, Chief Investment Officer, Universal McCann will provide invaluable insights into how their companies are approaching programmatic. There are dozens of executive speakers set to participate across panel discussions, research presentations, fireside chats and more, which I’ll be sharing shortly.

In the meantime, early bird registrants save $100, with all registrants eligible to win one of the 3 Roku Ultra 4K Streaming Players. Further discounts are available on 5-packs and 10-packs. Startups and students can register for a reduced $245 ticket (contact me for the code).

I hope you’ll join us for this must-attend day of learning and networking!

Learn more and register now!

I’m excited to share that Mike Rosen, EVP, Portfolio Sales and Strategy, NBCUniversal and Jon Stimmel, Chief Investment Officer, Universal McCann, will be our keynote speakers at our 3rd annual SHIFT // Programmatic Video & TV Ad Summit on Wednesday, November 29th in NYC.

Mike will be interviewed by Matt Prohaska, CEO and Principal of Prohaska Consulting, focusing on how NBCUniversal is innovating with programmatic. NBCUniversal has moved aggressively to enable ad buyers to use data and technology to buy its inventory. It most recently announced Target as its first self-serve programmatic client for national inventory, powered by 4C Insights. In addition to discussing NBCUniversal’s own efforts, Mike will address how TV networks can embrace programmatic to compete more effectively.

Jon will be interviewed by Matt Spiegel, Managing Director, Marketing & Technology Solutions at MediaLink about how UM is driving clients’ business outcomes with automation and data-enablement for video and TV ad buying. Jon will also address more broadly how programmatic is impacting agencies and what they should be doing to adapt and succeed.

Mike’s and Jon’s keynote sessions highlight a jam-packed day of exciting sessions covering all aspects of programmatic video and TV. I’ll be posting the full SHIFT program shortly.

Early bird registrants save $100, with all eligible to win one of three Roku Ultra 4K Streaming Players. Further discounts are available on 5-packs and 10-packs. Startups and students can register for a reduced $245 ticket (contact me for the code).

I hope you’ll join us for this must-attend day of learning and networking!

Learn more and register now!

I’m pleased to present the 391st edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia (apologies in advance, my audio quality is low).

We cover 4 different items this week starting with the news that 4 major studios have joined with Disney’s cloud-based venture, now renamed “Movies Anywhere.” The move validates Disney’s prior decision not to join UltraViolet and presents an exciting consumer value proposition incorporating multiple online stores and spanning key devices.

Colin then shares highlights of new global research from Ericsson Consumer Labs. No surprise, the report showed a big shift in viewing from linear to on-demand and also much higher satisfaction scores for on demand video services vs. traditional TV.  The report comes just ahead of the Q3 earnings season which is likely to show an uptick in cord-cutting.

We then turn to a report from CNBC that Amazon is making moves in video advertising. Colin and I believe this would make a ton of sense from multiple perspectives.

Reminder that next Thursday, October 19th we’ll be hosting a webinar on streaming sports, hosted by Akamai. Join us!

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Late last week SpotX announced that it has integrated its recently-launched header bidding solution for video ads with Amazon Publisher Services’ Transparent Ad Marketplace (TAM). To learn more about the integration and the benefits to publishers, SpotX and Amazon, I spoke with Tal Almany, SpotX’s Senior Director, Advanced Integrations who recently joined the company from OpenX.

For those not familiar with header bidding, this is an approach that video providers use to offer their ad inventory simultaneously to multiple demand sources to optimize bidding and monetization. Amazon’s TAM is a header bidding solution that is cloud-based and server side, which means less code is running on the publisher’s site, creating efficiencies. TAM is relatively new to the market, but because it’s from Amazon, it has gained a lot of attention.

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Connected TVs and set-top box delivered VOD now account for 49% of ad views on premium video, according to FreeWheel’s Video Monetization Report for Q2 ’17. That’s a small bump from the combined 48% they accounted for in Q1 ’17, but a huge increase from the combined 1% back in Q2 ’13.

In Q2 ’17, connected TVs drove 29% of ad views, up from 23% in Q2 ’16 while STBs drove 20% of ad views up from 17% a year earlier. Coincidentally, Roku, which has the largest share of the connected TV market and priced its initial public yesterday, has said that advertising and other “platform revenues” will be critical to its growth going forward.

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