With viewers gravitating from Linear TV to Streaming, the television industry is evolving at a record pace to sustain this unprecedented change. Accelerated by the pandemic, audience behaviors are shifting, and the industry has undergone significant disruption—much of which is projected to be permanent. With a hyper-focus on Linear TV and Connected TV (CTV), our team attended and jumped right into Adweek’s Convergent TV Summit East last week. The conference connected industry leaders and content creators on various trending topics our industry faces today. Among key topics discussed were the future of currency, holistic video considerations, measurement, the significance of content, and the announcement of Streaming powerhouse, Netflix, to venture into the ad-supported space.
This Is a Group Effort
Brands, agencies, and publishers have a vested, unified interest in where the industry lands on currency. We are positioned to inform considerations and drive where the new standards land. Brands and agencies are working with currency contenders like iSpot, VideoAmp, and ComScore, leveraging significantly larger panels with cross-platform capabilities, to test alternative options, and apply learnings towards an evolved standard. At Butler/Till, we are excited to be a part of this industry effort and look forward to sharing more as we gain learnings throughout the year and beyond.
Is There a One-Size Fits All Currency?
It is too soon to know where we’ll land on this, but much of the buzz around the Summit would suggest no. With evolving technology, changing viewer habits, an ever-growing fragmented ecosystem, and diverse campaign goals, it is difficult to believe we have worked off one standard currency for as long as we have.
“Customization is a necessity when developing a media plan. Carrying that customization through to activation and measurement presents opportunity to further drive business results and prove out the right key performance indicators (KPIs).”– Gina Whelehan, Video Channel Director
CTV Will Continue to Scale
Shifts in viewer behavior and the platform options that drive those habits are here to stay—and growing fast. Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) giants like Disney+ and Netflix shifting to Advertising-based Video On Demand (AVOD) platforms alone should be enough to make anyone a believer. As our habits and preferences adapt to what is available to us as consumers, the advertising community must reflect on that and reimagine a comprehensive video strategy rooted in their audience’s behaviors and interests and not the past successes of our peers (or channels) before us. The Summit offered greater visibility to the magnitude in which our industry is rallying behind this.
Know Your Audience
Work with partners that have a strong identity graph across all devices. Clean rooms, tighter targeting strategies, and creative versioning were just a few of the themes shared throughout the discussions at the Summit. With the goal of consistently offering relevance and value, whenever possible, create a stronger user experience.
If You Aren’t Watching Yellowstone, You Should Be
Yellowstone was just one of the various programs highlighted throughout the Summit. A common theme among them all—great content offers great reward, for everyone. Complementing engaging, fresh content with a strong marketing plan will drive viewer and subscriber growth. That growth unlocks greater scalability and presents new brand integration opportunities. Beyond wildly prosperous scripted series, live sports will continue to play a key role in converging the worlds of Linear TV and Streaming. Carrier deals have evolved to meet the consumers where they are. This is critical to enable stronger consumer accessibility and maximize reach.
And Lastly, Don’t Underestimate the Power of Convergent TV
With vast engaged audiences, high-quality content options, ample inventory, and digital-like targeting with measurement and attribution opportunities, the future of TV is more limitless than ever.
