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AVOD is an essential tool that all TV networks must arm themselves with to stay ahead in today’s streaming wars. That includes Amazon, where IMDb TV viewership grew 138% year over year, with viewers spending roughly 5.5 hours per week on average on the free, ad-supported streaming.
IMDb TV co-heads of content and programming, Lauren Anderson and Ryan Pirozzi, sat down with Adweek at our Convergent TV summit to discuss how they’re leading the AVOD charge, including their library of extensive original offerings.
Building a modern broadcast network
When Anderson and Pirozzi joined IMDb, they set out to build a modern broadcast network—one that’s focused on creating content their customers will love.
“When we talk about a modern broadcast network, we’re talking about shows that are told by really creative, ambitious storytellers … but also content that really does call back to some of the comfort viewing of linear broadcast,” said Anderson.
Pirozzi says they also focused on making sure IMDb TV brought content to viewers throughout their viewing schedules and patterns instead of just primetime like many streamers do.
“It comes back to story-telling,” explained Pirozzi. “It’s really about looking at underserved customer needs, not just their primetime needs.”
IMDb TV works to meet those customer needs by moving away from “shoulder content” and focusing on high-profile fare.
“In our early days, we licensed a deep catalog of fan-favorite movies and TV, shows like Lost and Mad Men, and unscripted shows as well. Then, it’s about meeting with creators,” said Pirozzi. “There’s nothing more fun than meeting with them and saying, ‘I have a new sandbox, would you like to come play in it?’’
Developing and delivering content that resonates
To develop content that will deeply resonate with viewers, inclusivity and authenticity are key.
“It’s important that we are a service that invites everyone, that speaks to everyone, and we do it in a way that feels authentic, emotional, fun, entertaining, and escapist,” Anderson explained.
This approach can be used for both brand new and decades-old shows, as illustrated in IMDb TV’s streaming revival of Judge Judy.
“Judge Judy Sheindlin is so beloved, she’s been such a dominant, if not the dominant, force in daytime television for so long, and we feel so fortunate to be able to say that we are her new streaming home,” said Anderson. “For us, as we were developing Judy Justice, we were very focused on ensuring we were continuing to deliver a show that we knew her longtime loyal fans would engage with and love.”
