The TV ecosystem is undergoing unprecedented change. Publishers are developing and distributing content across an increasing number of platforms, allowing viewers to watch shows in whatever ways best complement their preferences and budgets. Meanwhile, heightened data-driven capabilities are providing media planners and advertisers with campaign insights that are more accurate and transparent than ever.
Keeping track of the latest innovations can be overwhelming, but it’s also exciting. Whether it’s maximizing content quality, ad investments or the viewer experience, this innovation presents a massive opportunity for all sides of the industry to find success.
But to unlock TV’s full potential, we need to go back to basics.
We need to be clear on exactly what we mean by “TV.”
Let’s not beat around the bush: As an industry, we tend to overcomplicate things. Words and acronyms are used interchangeably. At events, many panelists focus so heavily on inserting as many buzzwords as possible, such that the true value of a presentation’s message gets lost. For example, we have terms like premium video, linear TV, digital TV, OTT, AVOD and more. Focusing so much on jargon and consistently pivoting toward the “hottest” term of the moment causes nothing but confusion, and it only distracts from the many strides in innovation and collaboration. While there are circumstances in which a more specific term might be necessary, it’s important to remember that each one is ultimately referring to the same form of entertainment. It’s all TV—full stop.
Regardless of how a viewer chooses to watch—catching up on Real Housewives of Atlanta on the Bravo cable channel, binge-watching The Office via Peacock, or checking out game highlights through a favorite sports network app—it’s TV. Sure, we can also say it’s premium, brand-safe programming across linear and streaming platforms that is distributed to any device, but to audiences it’s simply TV. That is what ultimately matters most because, now more than ever, the power lies in consumers’ hands, and to them the content itself remains front and center. Regardless of the distribution method, only the publishers that continually prove they’re worth audiences’ time and money by reliably producing engaging, can’t-miss shows will survive.
Along these lines, the only way for ad buyers to thrive in the current landscape is to be where audiences are: engaging with TV across all platforms, not limited to just broadcast and cable. AudienceXpress empowers media planners and advertisers to achieve this, targeting a brand’s total TV audience, at scale, regardless of when or where they watch. By finding the viewers who will be most engaged with a brand’s messaging, advertisers can then take this further by continually measuring and optimizing all TV campaigns, even mid-flight. This guarantees a strong return on ad spend and ensures KPIs are achieved, without wasting time or money.
With AudienceXpress, seamlessly finding and reaching desired audiences at scale (and uncovering new, unexpected ones!) is not a hypothetical, far off possibility. It’s happening right now, benefitting more than just the buy-side of the business. Publishers are now able to clearly demonstrate that, in addition to offering high-quality entertainment, their content is allowing advertisers to drive full-funnel business goals—everything from brand awareness to sales. Meanwhile, this evolution allows viewers to see and connect with ads that are more relevant to them.
TV is now the full package: the same brand-safe, high-quality content advertisers and viewers have loved for decades, now spanning platforms for greater accessibility and backed by data-driven insights to prove the efficiency and effectiveness of buys.