Connected TV

Nielsen Launches Deduplicated YouTube CTV Campaign Measurement in the UK

Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, has announced the expansion of YouTube Connected TV (CTV) ads measurement to now include deduplication with mobile and desktop devices in the UK.

Following the February announcement of the expansion of Nielsen’s measurement of YouTube ads into 11 global markets, the UK’s launch means that it will now measure YouTube ad inventory across three screens – computer, mobile, and CTV – and is the first of the 11 markets to go live.

Measurement of the YouTube CTV app in Nielsen ONE Ads, the company’s cross-platform campaign measurement product suite, includes co-viewing and will be deduplicated against other Google exposures across computers and mobile devices.

“This launch gives our agency and advertiser clients the ability to compare YouTube’s ad reach across computer, mobile, and CTV devices, providing a complete picture of YouTube campaign performance in the UK,” said Deirdre Thomas, Chief Product Officer for Nielsen Audience Measurement. “Delivering deduplicated YouTube CTV measurement is a major milestone in our plans to deliver true cross-platform measurement to power a better media future for all, and we are proud to be partnering with Google to make this a reality in the UK.”

The addition of the measurement of YouTube CTV into Nielsen ONE Ads allows buyers to better understand reach, manage frequency and verify the audience of their buys on YouTube with greater comparability than ever before. Additional 3-screen markets will be released in Q3 2024.

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CTV Exploration: Chandrahas Shetty, Demand Facilitation Lead, India, On Growth And Privacy

Chandrahas Shetty, Demand Facilitation Lead, India at Magnite, has 14 years of diverse experience in digital advertising. His keen insights into the evolving landscape of digital advertising in India, coupled with his strategic approach to addressing challenges, make him a valuable asset in navigating the complexities of the industry. 

In this interview, Chandrahas discusses changes in digital advertising, challenges in adapting strategies across devices, navigating privacy regulations, delivering seamless ad campaigns to Indian audiences, and emerging trends in the industry. 

As someone with 14 years of experience in digital advertising, and experience across different media houses, including newspaper publishing, OTT services, and ad tech, would you mind sharing what changes you’ve seen in digital advertising? 

The digital advertising industry has evolved immensely over the past 14 years, but the most notable change has come as a result of the explosion of video content. Video now dominates the market, which is a stark contrast from when I first started out in the industry. In the past several years, the continued expansion of the streaming landscape combined

with the shift to digital means that content is more accessible than ever, and consumers are more connected than ever. And while previously it was more challenging to reach consumers, we’ve also seen an improvement as it relates to targeting these audiences effectively, particularly with the introduction of programmatic. It’s now easier to scale campaigns, and advertisers can enjoy greater ROI from programmatic campaigns. 

CTV and OTT are becoming increasingly popular with consumers, yet advertisers cannot discredit strategizing for traditional TV advertising. What challenges do advertisers face when adapting strategies across different devices and how can advertisers tailor these strategies for seamless integration across all devices? 

While linear television still maintains a large share of media spending in India, consumers are choosing CTV for its flexible nature as they appreciate the ability to watch high-quality content on their own terms, at their preferred time. CTV’s data-driven capabilities empower advertisers to tailor their message to the consumer while providing them with the flexibility to alter ad creative to maximize impact. 

Despite this, fragmentation across devices, channels, and walled gardens, continues to pose a challenge, but there are solutions to take advantage of the explosive growth across the ecosystem, which presents a can’t-miss opportunity for brands looking to reach new and existing audiences. 

To keep pace with these changes, buyers can embrace the flexibility and efficiency of programmatic, forge more direct relationships with sell-side partners, and maximize audience data to future-proof their media-buying strategies.  Programmatic pipes provide brands with a more streamlined ad-buying process that, when coupled with a centralized access point for inventory across channels, allows marketers to drive efficient and effective campaign performance. In an omnichannel landscape, Supply Path Optimization (SPO) can also be used to streamline sell-side partners to focus solely on those that deliver access to premium inventory across channels at scale, and who can provide the tools to better plan, buy, measure, and optimize in an omnichannel media ecosystem. 

The Indian advertising industry is fragmented. With stringent privacy regulations and the deprecation of third-party cookies, how will media buyers navigate the evolving digital media landscape in 2024? 

Although the timeline for cookie deprecation has been pushed back once more, buyers still need to be mindful of the evolving privacy landscape and continue to prepare. Navigating these changes successfully means they will need to adopt a portfolio-based approach that encompasses the main ID solutions most relevant to them and explore data collaboration. Owned first-party data will continue to be valuable to activate against directly. 

Data collaboration through data matching can help to ensure accuracy and scalability of audiences. Data matching allows buyers and sellers to build out a scaled, secure method of matching data for insights and activation. While data clean rooms are a starting place, the future of data sharing will be encrypting data where it sits, but activating it where it’s required, allowing publishers to attach matched data to an ad opportunity. 

Finally, buyers should look to work more strategically with the publisher supply paths that provide better data enablement, – including actionable insights for more informed planning and campaign optimisation – as well as better audience curation, and improved contextual Intelligence. 

With the rapid penetration of mobile devices and the advent of CTV, how can publishers and advertisers make sure that their ad campaigns are seamlessly delivered to Indian audiences when it comes to Live Sports? 

CTV growth in India is continuing to accelerate and the latest research from GroupM’s “The Changing Landscape of Indian Television report” estimates CTVs are expected to reach more than 45 million households by the end of 2024. While India remains a mobile-first market, live sports streaming is omnichannel, with viewers often opting for the CTV large screen environment when streaming live sports.  Bringing the uninterrupted, big-screen viewing experience to digital means leveraging technology like server-side ad insertion (SSAI), which can assist with seamless ad delivery by prefetching advertisements, enhancing ads’ quality to match the stream’s quality, and stitching the ads into the content as one piece of the video stream. Ad serving tools are also key here to help ensure frequency capping and avoid repeat ads in live streams. 

In addition, buyers can leverage the benefits of programmatic to target sports inventory across a wider range of broadcasters, making it easier to apply and distribute budgets as well as activate audience targeting to achieve the best outcomes (rather than buying in siloed fashion from individual broadcasters). Programmatic’s data-driven targeting capabilities empower advertisers of all sizes to tap into premium inventory, irrespective of their budgets.  Programmatic demand should ideally be leveraged in concert with direct demand in business-compliant ways to ensure they are maximising ad breaks with large, diverse pools of advertisers. 

Could you tell us about one prediction you made for 2024 in the past four months that has come true? And what are some other trends you see in digital advertising coming true as well? 

The rising popularity of streaming services over the past several years, along with increased availability of smart TVs and more affordable data plans, continue to push CTV to new heights in India. As a result, streaming media companies have embraced advertising even more. It’s evident that an ad tier is crucial to attract viewers and achieve scale in the market. This shift has introduced numerous streaming apps, offering consumers a variety of choices when evaluating their current streaming subscriptions. In response to this, I expected we’d see increased consolidation as the market reached saturation, the number of streaming apps would be whittled down and bundles re-introduced. This is a trend we are witnessing play out among major players in the market as well as other key global markets. 

We expect the adoption of programmatic buying in streaming to continue to accelerate as buyers see the value in being afforded greater control over how they structure deals and more insight into how their ad dollars get spent. In addition, I think we’ll continue to see more inventory available via FAST channels in India. As streaming becomes a permanent fixture in India’s video landscape, fueled by ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) adoption, Free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) is set to grow, mirroring the rise of TV manufacturer FAST offerings globally and regionally.

Disney+ Hotstar Launches the First Pause Ads Feature on its CTV Feed

Disney+ Hotstar has announced the debut of “Pause Ads,” a cutting-edge advertising feature available only on its Connected TV (CTV) feed. The video streaming platform claims that this establishes it as the pioneer of this novel and avant-garde format in the nation. The latest addition is in line with the platform’s dedication to providing innovative advertising options.

Disney+ Hotstar launch Pause ads for CTV

The development, which comes after 3-D breakout billboards for mobile were first introduced, further demonstrates Disney+ Hotstar’s dedication to developing cutting-edge advertising solutions.

What are Pause Ads?

Unlike traditional pre-roll or mid-roll ads, the Pause Ads appear during natural pauses, providing a less disruptive viewing experience. Indeed, when a user manually pauses the video content, only then will a promotional video play. This is how pause ads work. Users pause content 4–5 times per day, with 90% of these pauses lasting less than 10 seconds. These user-initiated breaks will include advertisements through the use of pause ads. CTV “pause ads” will facilitate more positive and memorable brand interactions by reaching consumers and delivering messages in a more effective and non-intrusive manner.

Nonetheless, it is evident that its international competitor Amazon Prime Video has long benefited from playing advertisements at the start of videos, allowing viewers to skip the commercials.

Disney+ Hotstar’s diverse CTV ad formats

Disney+ Hotstar provides advertisers with a wide range of CTV ad formats, in addition to Pause Ads, such as auto-expanding CTV billboards, pre-roll and mid-roll ads, and click-to-Whatsapp integrations. With CTV audiences being among the most discerning and focused audiences, these options are made to optimize brand equity and give advertisers a unique chance to reach them at their most attentive and engaged times.

Mondelez, ITC, and Marico are among the early adopters who have received positive feedback from users who have paused content multiple times daily for brief periods of time. The feature aims to improve brand engagement by incorporating ads into user-initiated breaks without interfering with the viewing experience.

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Here’s what they said

Commenting on the launch, Dhruv Dhawan, Head of Ads at Disney+ Hotstar, said,

“We are thrilled to introduce another industry-first offering for our advertisers. The response to our CTV ads has been overwhelmingly positive. The launch of pause ads has generated significant excitement among our clients in the CPG, FMCG, F&B, and Auto sectors, Marico, Mondelez and ITC have been amongst the early adopters. We will continue to innovate and bring best-in-class solutions to our advertisers.”

Somasree Bose Awasthi, CMO, Marico Limited added,

“At Saffola, our larger brand ethos is to encourage Indians to embrace a healthier lifestyle. This year, on the occasion of World Health Day we collaborated with Disney+ Hotstar to launch a contextual campaign via Pause Ads on CTV. A powerful context relevant occasion was activated for the initiative every time the Disney+ Hotstar user initiated a break, this was built on the consumer insight that a large majority of content pause occasions are initiated around snacking. A perfect time for brand Saffola to remind our consumer to choose “better for you” foods from the Saffola Franchise as a healthier alternative. Disney+ Hotstar’s CTV Pause ads served as the perfect platform for Saffola to advocate healthy eating, and we look forward to strengthening our association with the platform other innovative disruptions in the future as well.” 

Anjali Madan, Director Consumer experience at Mondelez India added,

“At Mondelez, we have always been at the forefront of pioneering innovation in advertising and are thrilled to associate with Disney+ Hotstar to launch CTV ‘Pause Ads’ in India with our ‘Tang Summer Break Bestie’ campaign. Through this campaign, we wanted to provide an interactive platform for mothers and their kids to beat summer boredom, unleash their creativity and design their own animated bestie using fun AR-like effects. Leveraging innovative format of CTV ‘Pause Ads’ enabled us to reach our consumers seamlessly and convey our messaging in a more non-intrusive and effective manner, thus fostering a more positive and memorable brand interaction. We look forward to continuing this successful collaboration and leveraging such new marketing technologies for our future campaigns.”

Mr. Sanjay Srinivas, Vice President – Health & Hygiene, Personal Care Products Business, ITC Limited added,

“Innovative ad formats, especially on streaming platforms, help transform brand connect with audiences. Pause Ad is an interesting innovation that helps break the clutter without intruding the viewing experience and attracts attention. ITC Savlon is one of the first brands to deploy pause ads to deliver contextual messaging for its campaign on handwashing. The innovation has helped the campaign amplify reach and views in an engaging way.”

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Hoppr, a unique CTV platform, selects Yahoo as preferred DSP partner in Singapore

Partnership secures access for Yahoo’s customers to new ultra-premium CTV inventory.

SINGAPORE – May 07, 2024 – Hoppr, a connected TV (CTV) platform delivering premium TV video inventory with a first-in-market guaranteed view, today announced a preferred partnership agreement with Yahoo Advertising in Singapore. In a strategic arrangement set to redefine the landscape of targeted advertising on CTV and Advanced Television (ATV) platforms in Singapore, Hoppr has selected the Yahoo Demand Side Platform (Yahoo DSP) as its preferred DSP partner in Singapore.

The partnership allows Yahoo’s global roster of advertisers to purchase precision-targeted video inventory on StarHub TV+, created and served by Hoppr’s patented technology, that delivers a guaranteed view on the largest screen in the home.

Together, Hoppr and Yahoo Advertising will deliver highly targeted advertising solutions tailored to the viewing preferences and behaviours of households in Singapore. The partnership marks a significant milestone in the evolution of targeted TV advertising and introduces a new era of advertising effectiveness using ATV technology. The level of precision achieved ensures that advertising messages are delivered to the most relevant household audiences, maximising the impact and effectiveness of each campaign.

Kenneth Koh, Head of Commercial Sales, Southeast Asia at Yahoo, said, “Singapore is witnessing an emerging CTV landscape with exciting opportunities for advertisers to leverage as we bridge linear TV and online digital audiences. Our partnership with Hoppr delivers a unique and powerful CTV/ATV solution that allows advertisers to optimise and ensure efficiencies by reaching verified audiences glued to the big screen. On the Yahoo DSP advertisers can now plan, activate and measure premium CTV inventory within omnichannel campaigns.”

“Yahoo’s DSP makes it easy for the largest advertising companies and brands in the world to engage with us through programmatic”, commented Joe Prusz, CEO of Hoppr. “Every advertiser wonders if their TV ad was watched and, because of our patented tech, Hoppr is the only company globally that can deliver a guaranteed view of their commercial to advertisers. And it’s a view that’ll be actually consumed by an audience in its entirety. We live in a world full of daily distractions and Hoppr’s CTV platform is a saviour to advertisers that need their message to cut through to the consumer.”

“Advertisers shouldn’t focus on tracking their brand KPIs until they can guarantee that their commercials are actually seen. And seen on the biggest screen in the living room,” he added. “Both advertisers and consumers win when they see less, not more, advertising – as long as it’s more impactful and better targeted. At the end of the day, precision wins and precision is what Hoppr delivers.”

The partnership underscores the growing importance of behaviour-driven strategies in advertising. By delivering highly relevant messages to household audiences through advanced analytics and targeting capabilities, the effectiveness and efficiency of advertising campaigns is elevated. Hoppr and Yahoo are empowering advertisers to create more meaningful and personalised experiences for households in Singapore; driving higher engagement and conversion rates.

About Yahoo

Yahoo serves as a trusted guide for hundreds of millions of people globally, helping them achieve their goals online through our portfolio of iconic products. For advertisers, Yahoo Advertising offers omnichannel solutions and powerful data to engage with our brands and deliver results. To learn more about Yahoo, please visit yahooinc.com.

About Hoppr

We’re Hoppr and our CTV platform uses a patented overlay technology that offers a unique way for advertisers to engage households on the largest screen in the house. Using behavioural data driven research, combined with new ultra-premium inventory, we curate an audience that is – for the first time ever – guaranteed to view a brand’s advert on TV. We have the connected solution for a disconnected TV audience that delivers engagement and attention. Our CTV platform can be used to deliver true hero storytelling moments and provide new advertising revenue opportunities for all. Hoppr has a global team operating across North America, Europe, and APAC. www.hopprtv.com

LG Ad Solutions Will Adopt Unified ID 2.0, Empowering Advertisers to Utilize Their First-Party Data at Scale

Vevo Collaborates with PubMatic for Programmatic Growth in CTV Advertising

PubMatic, an independent technology company that delivers the future supply chain for digital advertising, has announced a collaboration with Vevo, the world’s leading music video network. Through the partnership, Vevo will be able to accelerate the growth of its programmatic CTV business and offer advertisers scaled reach across its premium library.

Partnership for programmatic growth in the CTV landscape

With over 800,000 videos across its global network, Vevo boasts an average monthly view count of 25 billion. Media buyers worldwide will have unrivaled access to Vevo’s vast, premium CTV inventory through a partnership with PubMatic. Vevo will leverage PubMatic’s massive demand, sophisticated programmatic trading capabilities, and strategic relationships for supply path optimization. It will be able to take advantage of numerous opportunities to deliver targeted ads in immersive, brand-safe, and engaged environments to a wide range of audiences. At the same time, it will gain a substantial increase in ad yield.

Accessible programmatic inventory

Vevo’s objective of becoming prevalent through ever-widening video distribution and continuous improvement of its monetization strategy is closely aligned with this integration. By making inventory programmatically accessible to a variety of demand partners via PubMatic’s platform, Vevo is expanding its participation in various sales environments and building on its prior success with direct dealing. Vevo’s content is currently available on the Vevo TV app, over 20 distinct Free Ad-Supported TV (FAST) channels, and social media platforms like YouTube.

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Through the new partnership, media buyers will have access to both Vevo’s premium inventory and PubMatic’s state-of-the-art addressability and transparency solutions, which are known to improve ROI.

Here’s what they said

PubMatic’s Nicole Scaglione, Global VP for CTV/OTT and Video said,

“This collaboration marks a major milestone on multiple fronts. The partnership will enable greater growth and innovation by fulfilling the requirement for an efficient, transparent, and premium-grade supply of inventory. As well as allowing us to connect programmatic buyers with high-value music video inventory, it reinforces PubMatic’s standing as a leading force in the CTV space — cementing our position as a go-to platform for existing and new CTV players. We look forward to playing a key role in powering trading that optimises ad revenue for both buyers and sellers.”

Vevo’s EVP of Revenue, Distribution & Data Operations, Natalie Gabathuler-Scully, added,

“This partnership will allow Vevo to considerably elevate the advertising opportunities we can provide at a global level and drive our programmatic business forward. Leveraging PubMatic’s extensive preferred demand relationships will considerably augment our monetisation approach, especially across our TV app and FAST channels on over 35 CTV platforms worldwide.”

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Walmart Reveals Plans to Acquire Smart TV Maker VIZIO for $2.3B

Walmart, a US-based retail chain, has revealed that it will acquire VIZIO, a maker of smart TV, for $2.3 billion. The retail giant made this decision to compete with Amazon by growing its quickly expanding advertising business. Walmart has consistently been a prominent vendor of VIZIO televisions. With VIZIO’s SmartCast OS, the acquisition, according to the company, it will allow for “a profitable advertising business that is rapidly scaling.”

If the agreement is finalized, Walmart will have access to VIZIO’s SmartCast OS, which will enable the retail behemoth to provide its suppliers with streaming device ad display capabilities. Walmart will now be a major competitor in connected TV advertising, alongside Roku, Amazon, Google/YouTube, and Samsung Ads, thanks to the agreement. Closing conditions and regulatory approvals are subject to the deal. The transaction has received unanimous approval from the Vizio board of directors and the approval of shareholders who hold 89% of the voting shares in the company.

Walmart competing against Amazon

The decision was made after Amazon revealed last month that, in addition to the $14.99 monthly or $139 annual fee for Prime membership, it will begin charging its members $2.9 per month to maintain ad-free viewing of their movies and TV shows. With 18 million active accounts, VIZIO’s SmartCast system has increased 400% since 2018. According to the companies, VIZIO’s platform has over 500 direct advertisers. The majority of the company’s gross profit is currently derived from ads.

What impact will this deal have on US television?

The companies intend to merge their individual advertising businesses. Walmart currently has a $2.7 billion advertising business. Furthermore, VIZIO intends to get more access to important consumer data, such as viewership statistics. More people are anticipated to watch Walmart’s advertisements as a result of this. For instance, retailers like Walmart can monitor all advertisements that businesses that sell products there run on VIZIO TVs.

Walmart’s acquisition of Smart TV maker VIZIO and SmartCast OS

Walmart’s acquisition of VIZIO and its SmartCast Operating System (OS) would allow it to connect with and serve its customers in new ways. These include innovative television, in-home entertainment, and media experiences. Additionally, it would open up new avenues for connecting brands with consumers. It would give them unique and compelling chances to interact with consumers on a large scale and get more out of their Walmart advertising budgets. By combining VIZIO’s advertising solutions business with Walmart’s reach and capabilities, the deal is anticipated to further accelerate Walmart’s media business in the United States, known as Walmart Connect. The expansion of connected TV platforms and Walmart’s industry-leading sales of TV panels would bolster these advantages even more.

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Walmart Connect

For fiscal year 2024, Walmart Connect, the retailer’s closed-loop omnichannel media business, experienced 30 percent growth. The company provides sellers and suppliers to Walmart with appealing chances to connect with their target audience wherever, whenever, and however they choose to shop. To accelerate shared growth and provide unique omnichannel solutions for advertisers of all sizes, the company never stops innovating.

In the US, VIZIO already offers free ad-supported content. Moreover, it sells mid-range TVs, the majority of which are outfitted with its SmartCast OS. Additionally, the business recently updated its lineup to include faster startup times, app switching, and an easier-to-use user interface. Conversely, Walmart prominently displays VIZIO merchandise on its shelves in its physical retail locations. Additionally, the retailer sells TV houses under the ONN brand. These are priced on the low end and sell for under $500.

What is VIZIO?

VIZIO’s goal, which was founded in 2002, has been to provide consumers with affordable, high-quality connected home appliances and immersive entertainment. VIZIO’s Smart TV operating system, SmartCast, and its expanding device ecosystem have amassed over 18 million active accounts in recent years, growing by about 400% since 2018. Through the use of advertisements, VIZIO’s customer-focused platform allows users to stream content for free on their devices. Building on this framework, VIZIO established an advertising company that has expanded steadily. Furthermore, it has allowed advertisers to reach large numbers of people. More than 500 direct advertisers, including many of the Fortune 500, are connected to VIZIO’s platform. The majority of VIZIO’s gross profit now comes from its Platform+ business. It is mostly made up of its advertising division.

Here’s what they said

Seth Dallaire, executive vice president and chief revenue officer, Walmart U.S. said,

“There is a lot to be excited about with this acquisition. We believe VIZIO’s customer-centric operating system provides great viewing experiences at attractive price points. We also believe it enables a profitable advertising business that is rapidly scaling. Our media business, Walmart Connect, is helping brands create meaningful connections with the millions of customers who shop with us each week. We believe the combination of these two businesses would be impactful as we redefine the intersection of retail and entertainment.”

William Wang, chief executive officer of VIZIO added, 

“We believe this is the ideal next chapter in VIZIO’s history. By bringing our capabilities and resources together, we’ll drive innovation and create even more value for our customers. Walmart’s approach is aligned with VIZIO’s mission and vision, and our technology will help bring a scaled, connected TV advertising platform to Walmart Connect. This transaction delivers immediate and compelling value to VIZIO stockholders and is a true testament to the hard work of the entire VIZIO team.”

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Amazon Prime Video Estimated to Generate $1B From Ad-Supported Tier in Debut Year

With the introduction of advertisements on its video service, which has over 100 million subscribers, Amazon’s Prime Video has created a significant stir in the streaming market. According to MoffetNathanson Research, Prime Video is expected to generate an estimated $1 billion in revenue during its first operational year and is poised to make a major entry into the ad-supported streaming market with its upcoming service launch on January 29. Analysts view Amazon’s move as a “disruptive force,” even though its active viewership in the United States may be lower than that of some rival services. Furthermore, estimates suggest that in 2025, $1.75 billion, $2.26 billion, and $2.76 billion will be this amount.

Lesser ad content than other streaming platforms  

Amazon stated that Prime Video would feature “meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers” when announcing its plans. The Wall Street Journal reported that Prime Video would have an average ad load of two to three and a half minutes, which is expected to be significantly less than traditional TV and most streaming services. The report was based on Amazon’s presentation. Certain advertisements will start playing before the content does, and some will run while the show is being aired. More than 200 million people have signed up for Amazon Prime worldwide. This entitles users to free two-day shipping from the behemoth online retailer as well as other perks like access to Amazon Music.

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Different strategy

Naturally, Amazon is adopting a different strategy than other streaming services like Netflix and Disney+. These services introduced more affordable options for plans that have ads in addition to their more expensive ad-free tiers. While this is going on, Amazon is automatically displaying advertisements on Prime Video for all subscribers. Users in the United States will need to actively choose to pay an extra $2.99 per month to avoid advertisements. This will result in an additional $400 million. By the end of 2024, the U.S. will have benefited from a total of $1.4 billion from these actions. In its first year of operation, Amazon is expected to earn $300 million from advertising. Moreover, it is expected to earn an additional $100 million from subscribers abroad.

Other ad-supported services

The company estimates that there are 96 million Prime households in the United States. However, only some of them are actively watching Prime Video. Beyond the ad-supported service, it is estimated that in 2025, Amazon will earn $1.7 billion from FreeVee. It is a Free Advertising Supported Television (FAST) channel similar to Tubi and Pluto TV. It is anticipated that the addition of “Thursday Night Football” will boost Amazon’s digital video and streaming businesses by an additional $600 million. When all of these projects are combined, it is anticipated that Amazon’s yearly revenue from streaming and digital video platforms will reach $4 billion. This will exceed that of rivals like Roku ($1.9 billion), Peacock ($2.3 billion), and Hulu ($ $3 billion).

Other options will be made available

Similar commercial-free options will be available in other markets. Early in 2024, ads will be made available to users in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada. Later in the year, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia will host the first-ever Prime Video advertisements. According to Amazon, users who pay for a commercial-free experience will still see advertisements where Prime Video already does so. This includes sports content like Thursday Night Football and material from the FAST service FreeVee.

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Yahoo DSP Leverages Both AI and First Party Data For Campaign Advancement

The central AI suite that powers performance-based solutions within the Yahoo DSP, Yahoo Blueprint, was introduced by Yahoo Advertising. Yahoo Blueprint is powered by more than 335 million globally logged-in Yahoo users. It improves decision-making, simplifies AI, and acts as a result-driven guide for advertisers at every stage of the campaign lifecycle. Together with Fortune 500 brand partners and agencies, this new AI suite has launched. With the use of valuable first-party data and state-of-the-art AI technology, Blueprint provides real-time optimization recommendations that enable advertisers to meet their campaign goals and determine the lifetime value and conversion potential of each user.

AI for Yahoo DSP

Yahoo’s demand-side platform (DSP) will benefit from artificial intelligence in order to enhance data visualization, forecasting, optimization, and predictive audiences. Using first-party data, the Blueprint tool can find customers who match the expected value of the brand’s current customer base. Using Yahoo’s algorithmic forecasting tool Omniscope, it allows advertisers to predict the incremental reach of connected television (CTV) advertisers against linear audiences.

Yahoo’s new strategy reflects how the programmatic market is changing. Yahoo left SSP Business because a large number of publishers can now effectively monetize their inventory through programmatic changes to header-bidding wrappers. They therefore depend less on publisher tech platforms. In a similar vein, the introduction of the Blueprint is a reaction to growing buy-side sophistication.

Omniscope – Blueprint’s forecasting tool

One of Yahoo Blueprint’s primary algorithmic forecasting tools, Omniscope, lets advertisers plan and evaluate expected performance and reach across a range of channels, exchanges, formats, and targeting parameters. It assesses how adjustments to targeting parameters can affect scale, projected spending, and winnable impressions, and it facilitates mid-campaign planning and optimization.

 Yahoo DSP uses location and purchase data

Yahoo’s solution leverages location and purchase data from users logged in with Yahoo email addresses, as well as first-party behavioral data sourced from their owned-and-operated websites. Yahoo DSP clients can expect better performance with Yahoo Blueprint, leveraging years of AI experience to bid on the right impressions, optimizations through AI co-pilot that suggest campaign enhancements and auto-optimize, and an improved and straightforward user interface (UI) that helps advertisers and increases efficiency. Yahoo’s DSP has long possessed AI capabilities, but Blueprint is able to present algorithmic recommendations for several campaigns on a single dashboard.

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Yahoo Blueprint benefits Yahoo DSP clients

• Better outcomes: Sturdy performance that makes use of years’ worth of AI experience to bid on the appropriate impressions at the appropriate time and cost.
• Self-assurance in optimization: AI copilot that suggests ways to improve campaigns and automatically optimizes to fulfill advertisers’ objectives.
• Efficiency and Simplicity: A more efficient and straightforward user interface that directs advertisers.

Blueprint workflow

In order to improve performance, Blueprint first considers the advertiser’s Key Performance Indicators (KPI) before making suggestions for target audiences or Private Marketplaces (PMPs). These suggestions are accompanied by forecasts of the effects that various audience targeting techniques will have on the designated KPIs. Customers are free to choose whether or not to use these recommended campaign tactics.

First-party data advantage

All Yahoo DSP clients have easy access to the blueprint via the current dashboard. New data visualizations, audience insights, campaign forecasting tool integration, predictive audience modeling, and customer lifetime value features are all introduced during the first phase of implementation. Yahoo intends to release additional information in the upcoming summer. Additionally, when it fits the needs of a particular campaign, Yahoo’s Backstage direct publisher connection is incorporated as a supply source for Blueprint optimization. Yahoo emphasizes how important its first-party data pools are. It is easier to comply with privacy regulations when first-party data that has been collected with user consent is used.

Transparency and accountability

Even though AI-driven optimization tools are very beneficial, there are still transparency issues. This is especially when it comes to competing products like Advantage+ from Meta and Performance Max from Google. Yahoo is dedicated to encouraging candid dialogue with advertisers about the information that goes into its algorithmic recommendations. Notably, when it comes to executing campaign modifications, advertisers have the last word.

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PubMatic Announces Groundbreaking Data Collaboration with Experian

Image source: Ian Coupland’s LinkedIn

The independent technology company PubMatic and the world’s top global information services provider, Experian have announced a ground-breaking data collaboration. PubMatic provides digital advertising with the supply chain of the future. Through the partnership, PubMatic became the first sell-side technology provider of Experian marketing data in the US and the UK, achieving a significant milestone in the advertising industry and offering its clients unique household-level commerce media targeting capabilities.

Experian’s syndicated audiences

Rich data such as consumer demographics, spending patterns, real estate information, and automotive audiences are all included in Experian’s syndicated audiences. These are further enhanced by the comprehensive cross-channel insights provided by Experian’s Mosaic segments. Moreover, the partnership will completely transform the way media buyers use data-driven marketing strategies across commerce media to engage their target audiences. They will be able to leverage the innovative and privacy-focused insights offered.

What’s in it for advertisers?

Media buyers will be able to maximize return on investment, optimize their campaigns, and increase engagement rates. This will be with the help of Experian’s extensive consumer insights and PubMatic’s sell-side targeting capabilities,  Through PubMatic’s Connect platform, advertisers will be able to fine-tune their marketing strategies and apply more precise targeting and personalized messaging to targeted audiences, all thanks to access to detailed insights into consumer behaviour such as shopping preferences and transaction details.

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Additionally, through this partnership, advertisers will be able to leverage Experian’s audience insights and consumer data across all of PubMatic’s premium omnichannel inventory. These would include connected TV (CTV), web, in-app, and mobile. The data will also be available at the household level for the first time in the UK’s programmatic ecosystem, instead of at the postcode level.

Pubmatic – Experian Data Collaboration for driving digital transformation

PubMatic and Experian are dedicated to advancing digital transformation and providing media buyers with unmatched targeting capabilities. This partnership transforms the media landscape for commerce. Furthermore, it puts both businesses on a path to influence the direction of data-driven advertising in the future.

Here’s what they said

Peter Barry, VP, of Addressability & Commerce Media at PubMatic said,

By integrating Experian’s robust commerce data into our platform, we give our customers an unprecedented competitive edge by empowering them with a deeper understanding of their target audiences as well as market-leading targeting capabilities, while remaining privacy-centric. We are looking forward to working with brands and agencies and helping them to make the most of this exciting new collaboration and a first for the industry.

Colin Grieves, Managing Director of Marketing Services UK&I at Experian added,

We believe that by integrating with PubMatic we can unlock tremendous value for media buyers, empowering them to leverage our consumer insights to accurately and effectively plan and deliver campaigns that advertisers have long wished for, but seldom found possible. This collaboration will pave the way for innovative marketing campaigns that connect with audiences at a deeper level, driving increased ad relevancy for consumers and stronger engagement for brands.

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