TV-Streaming Ad Sellers Pitch Fluidity in Upfront Market

This week in the world of streaming and TV, some big players like AMC Global Media, Disney, Paramount, TelevisaUnivision, and Warner Bros. Discovery are shaking things up by combining their linear TV and streaming ad inventory for ad sales.

You might be wondering, what’s the deal with this shift towards “fluidity”? Well, it’s all about offering advertisers more flexibility – instead of keeping traditional TV and streaming ad inventory separate, companies are now pooling them together. This means ads and ad dollars can move seamlessly across their platforms.

Though this concept of fluidity isn’t exactly new, it’s becoming a hot topic this year. The goal is to maximize ad delivery, whether it’s for a traditional linear campaign or a cross-platform converged campaign. Evan Adlman from AMC Global Media says, “We really believe in fluidity this year to solve the challenge that advertisers often face of not reaching full delivery of their campaign.”

The shift towards fluidity is essential for traditional TV ad sellers to stay competitive in the streaming world. As linear TV inventory becomes scarcer, streaming ad space is becoming more valuable for reaching a wider audience. And with advanced streaming ad targeting, companies can create more tailored opportunities for advertisers.

The conversations this year are all about leveraging first-party data to optimize ad targeting across linear and streaming platforms. Disney’s Jamie Power highlights, “It shouldn’t matter how the ad is served or where it runs. It’s all about data-driven video across all of our platforms.”

Programmatic buying is also playing a big role in this shift. Streaming has always been ideal for audience-based targeting, with around 95% to 96% of all streaming campaigns utilizing audience targeting. By incorporating data-driven linear ads, companies can better manage campaigns across both traditional TV and streaming platforms.

All these changes have led to the development of new go-to-market approaches and ad sales operations across the industry. For example, at Warner Bros. Discovery, they have brought together direct-response, advanced advertising, and programmatic into one cohesive group to streamline their ad sales process.

So, as the landscape of TV and streaming continues to evolve, the future looks bright for companies embracing this new fluidity in the ad space!