Posts for 'Advertising'

Teads has announced this morning that its "outstream" video ads are now compatible with Apple's iOS for mobile web. Teads' outstream video ad units can be inserted in text articles on the mobile web and begin to play as the user scrolls the page. They stop playing when the user scrolls past them. This results in 100% viewability.

This past March Teads released its mobile SDK allowing outstream ads to run in mobile apps. But until now outstream ads could not run on mobile web in iOS because the device's full screen native player is force-launched, rather than allowing video ads to be viewed in-page.

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Hundreds of industry executives turned out for yesterday's 5th annual VideoNuze Online Video Ad Summit for a jam-packed day of learning and networking. I'll be posting all of the session video recordings over the next few weeks as soon as they're edited.

Scott Ferber, chairman and CEO of Videology (the Video Ad Summit's Title Partner), kicked off the day with a presentation titled "TV and Video: A Year of Convergence" in which he articulated why convergence is not about "either/or" but rather is about "more" - essentially good news for TV advertising. Scott shared a number of relevant data points supporting the case and then moderated a session which dug deeper into the issues.

For today, I have embedded Scott's slides below, which perfectly set the stage for the Video Ad Summit's program. As you'll see, Scott's "golden rule" for the converging world  is "The One with the DATA Rules." This was echoed throughout every session of the day, with participants repeatedly reinforcing this point, while observing a key challenge is distilling the key data that really matters into actionable insights.

I'll have lots more on the Video Ad Summit in the coming weeks. It was an amazing day and I'm incredibly grateful to our 55 executive speakers and 21 sponsors!

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The 5th annual VideoNuze Online Video Ad Summit is tomorrow, Tuesday, June 16th in NYC. So if you've been on the fence about whether to attend, this is your last chance to decide. Here's are some inducements:

- 55 industry executives will be speaking on 13 different sessions covering the most relevant topics in online video, including TV/Video advertising convergence, mobile video advertising, YouTube, Programmatic from the buy and sell sides, how brands and content providers are modernizing their business approaches for the online video era, viewability, innovation, connected TVs and much more.

- Our 2 fantastic keynote guests are David Cohen, Chief Investment Officer, Universal McCann and Neeraj Khemlani, co-president, Hearst Entertainment & Syndication, who will share their insights on the future of advertising and content in interviews with me.

- Over 500 industry colleagues are registered, guaranteeing a premier day of networking, as well as learning.

- Cocktails on the terrace, on what will be a beautiful summer evening (fingers crossed!).

What else can I tell you?

Join us!

Register now!

I'm pleased to present the 277th edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia.

On today's podcast we dig into the incredible growth in mobile video consumption and how it is impacting content creators and advertisers. Earlier this week I wrote about how Facebook's auto-play and audio-off video, which is mainly consumed on mobile, is influencing the creative process. Colin weighs in with new IAB data showing how pervasive mobile video viewing has become, including how many people are now watching 2 screens simultaneously.

Stepping back, we're in agreement that mobile is really a game-changer for everyone in the ecosystem. The advent of larger screen smartphones in particular has fundamentally changed how these devices are used, making video much more important. Neither of us sees this trend slowing any time soon.

Click here to listen to the podcast (20 minutes, 5 seconds)

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These are turbulent times in both video advertising and video content, with longstanding assumptions being rocked by new technologies and viewer behaviors. Nobody has all the answers to how things will ultimately shake out, but at next Tuesday's 5th annual Online Video Advertising Summit, we're privileged to have 2 prominent industry leaders keynoting, who will provide their insights on the current market and where things are heading.

In the morning, I'll interview David Cohen, Chief Investment Officer for Universal McCann, who is widely recognized as one of the advertising industry's foremost digital thought-leaders. David will discuss how clients are looking for ever-greater buying flexibility which renders the upfronts antiquated, the challenge of re-aggregating TV audiences across fragmented video platforms, how UM is driving an "automation agenda," and why cross-platform measurement is so vexing, among other topics.

Then in the afternoon, I'll interview Neeraj Khemlani, Co-president, Hearst Entertainment & Syndication and President, Hearst Digital Studios.  Neeraj will share insights on how online video is reinventing the studio model, why the intersection of news and video is so compelling, what established media companies need to do to succeed with video, and the strategy behind Hearst's big video investments (e.g. Vice, BuzzFeed, Roku, AwesomenessTV, etc.), among other topics.

Both keynotes will be grounded in the realities of today's advertising and content dynamics, but will be forward-looking, as we examine how key trends will further develop. Each keynote will provide critical insights to attendees about what to expect going forward. I'm really excited about interviewing both David and Neeraj to learn from them as they share their respective points of view.

Over 400 industry colleagues are now registered for the Video Ad Summit and there's still time to join them.

Learn more and register now!

More affirmation that advertisers and agencies are shifting spending to video: a new Forrester survey has found that 77% of advertisers and 70% of agencies plan to increase their video ad spending in the next 2 years. In addition, 73% of media companies plan to offer more video inventory to meet demand.

The data is based on a survey Forrester conducted of 529 executives at advertisers, agencies and media companies in 8 countries, including the U.S., for a report commissioned by Teads.

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The full program for the June 16th VideoNuze Online Video Advertising Summit in NYC is now complete, with 54 industry leaders set to appear on 13 different sessions that will cover all of the hottest online video ad industry topics (see full program here). If your business relies in any way on online video advertising's success, the Video Ad Summit is a highly-focused, must-attend day of learning.

With over 350 executives already registered to attend, the Video Ad Summit is also an excellent day of networking and business development. Registrants come from throughout the ecosystem - ad agencies, brands, content providers, technologists, venture capitalists, journalists and others.

Headlining the event are our 2 keynote guests David Cohen, Chief Investment Officer, Universal McCann and Neeraj Khemlani, co-president, Hearst Entertainment & Syndication, who will share their insights on the future of advertising and content.

Executives from ABC, Bonnier, CBS Interactive, Conde Nast, Defy Media, Digitas, Google, Heineken USA, Hulu, MEC Nielsen, Puma, Reuters, Roku, Starcom, Turner, Viacom, Xaxis, Zenith Optimedia will also be on stage, along with dozens of others.

The Video Ad Summit is generously supported by 21 sponsors, including Title Partner Videology; Premier Partners DashBid, FreeWheel and Pixability, Headline Partners Altitude Digital, Beachfront Media, Genesis Media, LiveRail, Nielsen, Ooyala, Operative, Teads.tv and TubeMogul, plus Branding Partners Adobe, Akamai, Alphonso, Brightcove, JW, Roku, Tremor Video and VertaMedia.

Learn more and register now!

It's no secret that smartphones and tablets are now nearly ubiquitous, and that more and more video is being consumed on them. For example, Ooyala recently said that 34% of all video plays were on mobile devices in Q4 '14, which was up from 6% just 2 years prior. Meanwhile, YouTube's CEO said last Fall that 50% of its views are on mobile and its head of content said about its product development focus, "It's all mobile, mobile, mobile."

All that mobile video usage is now starting to heavily impact how video is created and monetized. While mobile video has always been shorter-form than desktop, a key creative influence over the past year has been Facebook's insertion of audio-off autoplay video in users' news feeds. Last week Fortune provided a lot of context for what's behind Facebook's 4 billion views per month. Then, in an insightful post, Newsbound's Josh Kalven pointed out how audio-off is leading content creators to adopt readable video formats.

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A new survey from Unruly reveals that 70% of U.S. advertisers have shifted a portion of their TV ad budgets to programmatic online video ads in the past 12 months (see graph below). In addition, 75% of U.S. advertisers said that programmatic will account for a share of their overall online video ad budget.

The data is based on a survey of 1,000 senior advertiser and agency executives, 500 each in the U.S. and U.K. from March, 2015. It is one of the strongest endorsements yet for the adoption of programmatic video advertising.

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Netflix has been back under the microscope these past few days as reports (here and here) surfaced that some users were seeing pre-roll and post-roll ads promoting original programs. That immediately led to speculation that Netflix was preparing a full-on ad play that would significantly alter the viewer experience.

This in turn prompted Netflix's CEO Reed Hastings to post on Facebook, "No advertising coming onto Netflix. Period. Just adding relevant cool trailers for other Netflix content you are likely to love."

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Over 50 industry executives will be speaking on 13 different sessions at the 5th annual VideoNuze Online Video Advertising Summit on Tuesday, June 16th in NYC, promising a premier day of learning for anyone with a stake in the booming business of online video advertising.

Headlining the event are our 2 keynote guests David Cohen, Chief Investment Officer, Universal McCann and Neeraj Khemlani, co-president, Hearst Entertainment & Syndication, who will share their insights on the future of advertising and content.

Other speakers recently added include David Morris (Chief Revenue Officer, CBS Interactive), Hermann Hassenstein (Global Head of Marketing Planning, Puma), Rachel Pasqua (Head of Mobility, MEC North America), Stephano Kim (SVP, Ad Operations and Chief Data Strategist, Turner), Sean Muller (CEO and founder, iSpot.tv) and Jonah Goodhart (CEO, Moat), among others. I'm also delighted that The Wall Street Journal's Mike Shields and AdAge's Michael Sebastian, 2 of the savviest industry observers around, will each be moderating a session.

The Video Ad Summit is generously supported by 21 sponsors, including Title Partner Videology; Premier Partners DashBid, FreeWheel and Pixability, Headline Partners Altitude Digital, Beachfront Media, Genesis Media, LiveRail, Nielsen, Ooyala, Operative, Teads.tv and TubeMogul, plus Branding Partners Adobe, Akamai, Alphonso, Brightcove, JW, Roku, Tremor Video and VertaMedia.

Learn more and register now!

Today is the last day to save $100 on tickets to the 5th annual VideoNuze Online Video Advertising Summit on Tuesday, June 16th in NYC. As a bonus, all early bird registrants will also be entered to win a 55-inch TCL Roku TV.

This year's program is the best one yet, packed with C-level executive speakers from agencies, content providers and technology companies. Headlining the day are our 2 keynote guests David Cohen, Chief Investment Officer, Universal McCann and Neeraj Khemlani, co-president, Hearst Entertainment & Syndication, who will share their insights on the future of advertising and content.

The program also features over 35 executives from Bonnier, CBS Interactive, Digitas, Disney/ABC, Conde Nast, Google, Heineken USA, Initiative, MEC, Nielsen, Puma, Reuters TV, Starcom, Turner Broadcasting, Viacom, Zenith Optimedia and others, on a dozen sessions throughout the day.

Hundreds of industry colleagues will be attending, promising an action-packed day of learning and networking.

Huge thanks to our 20 sponsors, all of whom will have executives attending: Title Partner Videology; Premier Partners DashBid, FreeWheel and Pixability, Headline Partners Altitude Digital, Beachfront Media, Genesis Media, LiveRail, Nielsen, Ooyala, Operative, Teads.tv and TubeMogul, plus Branding Partners Adobe, Akamai, Alphonso, Brightcove, JW, Roku and Tremor Video.

Register now and save!

Wibbitz, an Israeli text-to-video startup, has raised an $8 million Series B round led by NantMobile, with participation by existing investors. The funds will be used to expand into the U.S. via a new New York City office, headed by CEO and co-founder Zohar Dayan, who brought me up to speed on the company yesterday.

Wibbitz uses natural language processing to quickly turn publishers' text articles into short videos. The process begins with Wibbitz's technology digesting the article via algorithms meant to emulate a human reader's behavior, identifying key people, main points and the theme, resulting in a summary of about 20% of the full article.

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Early bird discounted registration ends this Friday for the 5th annual VideoNuze Online Video Advertising Summit on Tuesday, June 16th in NYC. All early bird registrants save $100 and are entered to win a 55-inch TCL Roku TV.

Our top-notch program includes keynote guests David Cohen, Chief Investment Officer, Universal McCann and Neeraj Khemlani, co-president, Hearst Entertainment & Syndication, plus 35 executives from Bonnier, CBS Interactive, Digitas, Disney/ABC, Conde Nast, Google, Heineken USA, Initiative, MEC, Nielsen, Puma, Reuters TV, Starcom, Turner Broadcasting, Viacom, Zenith Optimedia and many more.

The Ad Summit is generously supported by 19  industry leaders including Title Partner Videology; Premier Partners DashBid, FreeWheel and Pixability, Headline Partners Altitude Digital, Beachfront Media, Genesis Media, LiveRail, Nielsen, Ooyala, Operative, Teads.tv and TubeMogul, plus Branding Partners Adobe, Akamai, Alphonso, Brightcove, Roku and Tremor Video.

Don't delay - register now and save!

FreeWheel has released its Q1 '15 Video Monetization Report, which reinforces many of the key trends seen in recent quarters. Of note, TV Everywhere viewing increased 328% vs. Q1 '14, now accounting for 57% of long-form content viewed. Once again, live content grew the fastest, up 140% year-over-year. Sports accounted for 82% of live ad views, basically flat from Q4 '14.

Overall, FreeWheel found that video views grew 40% in Q1 '15 vs. Q1 '14, with ad views up 43%, the fastest growth since 2012.

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iSpot.tv, which monitors ads in over 100 national TV networks and then correlates real-time digital actions such search, social and video viewing, has raised a $21.9 million series B round, led by Insight Venture Partners, with participation from existing investor, Madrona Venture Group. The new funds will be used for product development and increased staff.

In a world where ads are everywhere, with TV viewing becoming more fragmented, and viewers distracted by mobile devices, iSpot.tv's value to advertisers is that it helps them understand the TOTAL impact of their TV ads, including "earned" subsequent digital actions.

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I'm thrilled to announce that Universal McCann Chief Investment Officer David Cohen will be the morning keynote guest at the 5th annual VideoNuze Online Video Ad Summit on Tuesday, June 16th in NYC. One of the industry's foremost innovators, David will participate in a interview with me titled "The Future of Video Advertising," in which he'll share insights on how unprecedented forces are impacting video advertising and who the ultimate winners will be in the fast-evolving landscape.

In addition, our afternoon keynote guest is Neeraj Khemlani, Co-President of Hearst Entertainment & Syndication and President, Hearst Digital Studios. Neeraj will participate in a conversation with me, titled "The Future of Video Content Providers," in which he'll explain how established media companies are transforming themselves for the online video era and new entrants are gaining audience momentum. Neeraj will also provide insight into Hearst's key video initiatives including investments in Vice, AwesomenessTV, BuzzFeed, Roku and others.

David and Neeraj are part of an all-star group of over 35 industry executives from Bonnier, CBS Interactive, Digitas, Disney/ABC, Conde Nast, Google, Heineken USA, Initiative, Nielsen, Puma, Reuters TV, Starcom, Turner Broadcasting, Viacom, Zenith Optimedia and many more who will be participating in this premier day of learning and networking!

Early bird, discounted registration expires THIS Friday, May 22nd, so don't delay. Register now to save and to win a 55-inch TCL Roku TV!

Learn more and register now!

I'm pleased to present the 273rd edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia.

Since Verizon announced it was acquiring AOL for $4.4 billion earlier this week, there has been a ton of media coverage, with lots of speculation about what the deal means for Verizon going forward. This is at least partly due to the companies doing a relatively poor job of articulating the deal's strategy.

In this week's podcast, Colin and I weigh in as well, focusing mainly on how AOL's video, programmatic and video syndication assets could mesh well with Verizon Digital Media Services, which already provides back-end delivery and monetization to video content providers (see here and here). Combining the two seems like the biggest point of leverage to Colin and me, yet we note that Verizon didn't even mention a VDMS role in any public comments on the deal.

Meanwhile, in a week when the pay-TV industry suffered its first-ever first quarter loss of video subscribers, we also discuss how Verizon seems intent on innovating beyond the traditional multichannel bundle.

Listen in to learn more!

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Ad tech provider Jivox has announced a series of updates to its Jivox IQ platform, streamlining workflows for advertisers to create/deliver dynamic ads in programmatic environments. The end goal is for viewers to experience more personalized, relevant ads, based on data that will drive higher engagement. Jivox's founder and CEO Diaz Nesamoney recently briefed me on the updates.

Jivox has redesigned its ad creation environment as Dynamic Ad Studio based on technology it calls "Dynamic Canvas." Instead of using code templates, the technology uses dynamic ad components so assets can be resized, depending on where the ads are delivered. This also reduces the ads' weight for improved loading.

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