October 18, 2018 Universal Studios Lot 3900 Lankershim Blvd, Universal City, CA
KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Evolution of Scheduling in a Cross Platform World
Jeff Bader – President, Program Planning, Strategy and Research, NBC Entertainment
Key takeaways:
- The notion of scheduling has changed significantly in recent years. In the past, if viewers weren’t able to watch a show when it aired, they missed the show. The broadcast network then consisted of the network affiliates and the MVPDs that carried them.
- When we talk about broadcasting today, we’re talking about every place that our shows are available. This is in line with viewers’ expectation that their shows are available wherever they want, whenever they want.
- Scheduling requires a deep understanding of show performance, time period competition, and financials. This used to be more simple: the show performance was in a time period, the time period competition was discrete, and the financials were based on one revenue stream. Today, while it’s still important to perform well within a time period, it is also important to maximize the performance of shows wherever people are watching them.
- This shift poses new challenges. Shows compete for viewers’ time with every other show ever aired. Shows can also have different personalities depending on the platform.
- Measurement has not yet caught up with viewers’ consumption habits. Multiplatform ratings can lead to insights about the strengths of specific platforms, where people binge, and times of year when people do catch up.
- Ultimately, it doesn’t matter where or when – we just want audiences to watch.
Creating, Delivering, and Measuring Personalized and Immersive Ad Experiences in OTT
Rob Aksman – Co-Founder and CSO, BrightLine
The presentation explores how the shift in TV delivery impacts ad formats, and describes how leading OTT providers are innovating with personalized, dynamic, and interactive ad formats that up-end traditional models.
Key takeaways:
- OTT is to cable, what cable is to over-the-air broadcast. Cable introduced more channels, STB measurement, and new content standards. OTT brings another step-change in content availability and quality, measurement, and discovery. Living rooms are undergoing a fundamental shift in how and what we watch, one not seen since the advent of cable.
- OTT is the future of television. Nearly three-quarters of the population already own a connected TV. This has significant implications for television advertising, as TV ads can now be native, engaging, personalized, and immersive.
- Viewers were found to respond more favorably to ad formats that match the medium. For example, enhanced OTT ads drive a 14% purchase lift versus standard OTT spots, and a 35% lift in purchase versus traditional TV spots.
How Consumer Habits and Attitudes are Shaping the Future of OTT
Jill Rosengard Hill – EVP, Magid
Andrew Hare – VP, Magid
Consumer habits and attitudes will shape the future of the industry. Among the considerations in this viewing landscape: online video viewing, device ownership, SVOD subscriptions, cord cutting, live streaming, binging by generation, and fighting churn.
Key takeaways:
- To understand consumers’ preferences, attitudes, and behaviors in the television landscape, this presentation draws on findings from two propriety studies. The Media Consumption Study is an online survey that examines consumer media consumption across internet, television, and gaming. The Video Entertainment Study looks at emerging platforms in television over time.
- Four key themes emerged. First, streaming is TV for younger generations and has momentum over other platforms. Live TV still leads overall viewing platforms, but streaming is closing in. The most turned-to platform to watch video is fragmented by cohort, with streaming taking the lead for younger generations.
- From an attitudinal perspective, we are at the tipping point. Streaming is on par with live television as the “favorite” viewing platform.
- Second, there is a ceiling for the number of SVOD services that a consumer is willing to pay for.
- The average number of paid streaming services consumers are willing to subscribe to (6) and the average amount consumers are willing to spend ($38) suggests that consumers want price to go down in the space.
- Third, understanding SVOD churn is critical in developing acquisition and retention strategies. Consumers are highly satisfied in with streaming services, which explains in part the momentum in this space. At the same time, fighting churn is a constant battle in the SVOD landscape. When consumers sign up for a streaming service, they intend to dip in and out, particularly for younger consumers.
- The paradigm has changed – one click acquisition, one click sign on, and one click churn. Services need to constantly review their value proposition. They need to put out new content, not just to surprise and delight, but to retain.
- Finally, there may be more than one business model for streaming. Many viewers are indicating that they would rather pay than watch ads. Part of this stems from the interruption in the viewing experience.
- There is a willingness from consumers to pay for premium content.
- Innovation is needed in the market, particularly for free and ad-supported content.
Leveraging Consumer TV Viewing Habits to Enhance Media Buying Strategies
Dorothy Ann Advincula – Head of Marketing Insights, Samsung Ads
Ted Chi – VP, Marketing Strategy, NBCUniversal
Karl Meyer – Head of West Coast Sales, Samsung Ads
Consumers are using their TVs to search for and buy content, listen to music, engage on social and more, making it essential for content creators and advertisers to rethink their distribution channels. Connecting consumers with the right message, on the right medium, at the right time becomes even more important. This presentation and chat looks how consumers are really watching TV and the impact on content distribution and media planning today and into the future.
Key takeaways:
- With the rapid evolution in technology and the growth of viewing platforms, consumers today have nearly unlimited choices. They are creating their own viewing experiences according to when, where, and how they want it. Advertisers, meanwhile, are challenged to find meaningful ways to engage consumers.
- TV is alive and well – it just looks different than it did in the past. Traditional linear TV is still at the core of consumption, although OTT is on the rise. Consumers who use both linear and OTT don’t cut down on their linear TV viewing, they add to it.
- Advanced TV allows marketers to not just refine their targeting strategies, but to redefine them. Advanced TV data can be used for both precision and reach.
- For example, one film studio aimed to drive audiences to purchase home entertainment content based on affinities and viewer preferences, while also engaging niche sci-fi fans. Using automatic content recognition technology, targets were specified based on viewers’ behavior and preferences, specifically viewers with “cast affinity”, avid sci-fi viewers, and those exposed to the linear TV promotion. The brand was then able to reach these broad and narrow audiences and engage them. The custom audiences created were significantly more likely to watch the promoted title than those unexposed.
- Advanced TV data is actionable and can deliver better and smarter ROI, but we need to adapt and use the right tools to bridge TV and digital.
- Advanced TV is changing quickly, so it can be hard to stay current and figure out what’s working. Among the strategies shared: partner with experts in the space, be willing to test things and invest in trials, and have a broad learning agenda.
The Value of Free in an Era of Streaming
Tom Love – VP, Consumer Insights, Roku
In this session, Roku shares original insights on the challenges facing OTT today, opportunities for AVOD, and the future of ad-supported streaming TV.
Key takeaways:
- Linear television has long been a value trade-off. When the subscription model was introduced, consumers paid money but received access to more content in return. More recently it appears that the value proposition is beginning to erode.
- There are four challenges related to the current value trade-off:
- For most cities there are around 197 channels available, but most TV households only watch 15. Consumers feel that they are paying too much, and paying for channels they don’t watch.
- The decline in ratings is leading to “ad stuffing.” This translates to a bad viewing experience and bad value proposition for consumers. Neither is it good for brands that now have to find a way to break through the clutter.
- The average TV viewer watches less than 1/10 of 1% of all the content that’s available. This is not a sustainable situation for content creators.
- The average bundle for cable is $100 and but consumers can get a non-ad-supported bundle for $40.
- Nevertheless, these challenges present an opportunity in the OTT space. Research from Roku indicates that free and ad-supported has a role in the OTT environment.
- Once an individual cuts the cord, their streaming increases by three-fold.
- The majority of Roku users wouldn’t pay a dollar to skip commercials. Ads are seen as a fair trade, as long as the experience isn’t too cluttered and the ads are fairly well targeted to their needs.
- While streaming has always been about watching on viewers’ own terms, this has changed in the last three months. The latest cord-cutters want access to live television and free content that rounds out their portfolio.
Improving Campaigns and ROI through Addressable Products
Bill Herman – Digital Sales Director, Spectrum Reach
As the advertising landscape continues to evolve, targeting audiences is increasing over broad demographics. A look at addressable advertising (advanced audience targeting to deliver specific ads by household) from a digital, advanced TV and linear perspective.
How OTT Has Changed the Way People Consume TV and What It Means For Brand Building
Aaron Frank – SVP Insights, Strategy and Marketing, Branded Entertainment Network (BEN Group)
Jon Stewart – VP Measurement, Survata
As OTT rises and gains TV market share, advertisers cannot rely solely on traditional Linear TV for brand building. Discover the latest demographic and behavioral trends of OTT viewership along with how this is influencing the industry. What opportunities are arising from OTT viewership for building effective brand equity?
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Mobile Savvy Media Users DO Engage with TV, Cable, and VOD Content
Cheryl Idell – Head of Entertainment Measurement, Snap Inc.
Discover surprising insights about how GenZ and Millennial social media consumers are using TV, cable and VOD at different rates and in different ways than expected.
PANEL: Can we be Friends? The Evolution of Influencers & Influence
Moderator: Edwin Wong – SVP, Research and Insights, BuzzFeed
Hannah Williams – Creator, BuzzFeed
Andrea Mazey – Chief of Staff, BuzzFeed
Jonathan Steuer – Chief Research Officer, Omnicom Media Group
As influencer marketing and its direct line to audiences command even bigger ad dollars, influencers must evolve to keep pace with increasing demand for scale, relevance, and quality. Discover how a new wave of creators can harness the power, intelligence, and resources of publishers and platforms to become a class of super-powered influencers who are more than just an Instagram presence.
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View Video: “I Let My Kids Do My Makeup” NBC
Moderator: Horst Stipp, EVP, Research & Innovation, ARF
Moderator: Janet Gallent, SVP, NBC Consumer Insights & Innovation, NBCUniversal
Virtual MVPD: The Next Disruptor
Cathy Hetzel – EVP, Strategic Partnerships, comScore, Inc.
Michael Pinnell – Sr. Operations Manager, Sling TV
What does the rise of virtual MVPDs for the traditional cable landscape mean? How are these changes shifting advertising spend? An in-depth look at today’s OTT content consumption and device usage and what this means for the evolving viewing landscape.
Online Purchasing Behavior of Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Viewers
Erin Crapser – VP Marketing, 7Park Data, Inc.
John Sollecito – Head of Client Solutions, 7Park Data, Inc.
Discover what Amazon brands and categories are purchased by viewers of specific shows on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, to inform sponsorship, product placement and licensing strategies.
Increasing Inventory Yield in OTT
Chris Hock – Director, Business Development, Adobe Primetime
Consumers are increasingly shifting to OTT viewing, however MVPDs and programmers have surprisingly few insights into their OTT ad inventory. Find out how data and machine learning can unlock more value out of OTT ad inventory.
Better Measurement on Shows/Content Viewing Across all Platforms
Panel Perspectives: Cross Measurement – What’s the Right Level of Transparency?
Moderator: John Willey – Media Research Consultant, JAW Consultants
Lisa Heimann – SVP, Multiplatform Research, NBC Entertainment
James Petretti – SVP, U.S. Research & Analytics, Sony Pictures Television
John Sollecito – Head of Client Solutions, 7Park Data, Inc.
Brian Fuhrer – SVP, Product Leadership, Nielsen
Media companies are independently compiling their own total audience for programs – mixing syndicated and proprietary data, leading to inconsistent looks at viewership across platforms. As change continues, new data sets have emerged to fill certain gaps. Initiatives are underway for syndicated cross platform measurement (including SVOD), but these are not fully launched services and there are still gaps understanding how viewers discover and watch programs. What is the right amount of transparency in viewing data, allowing the studio, platform, advertisers, and competitors to best understand the marketplace?
Mass Appeal: The New Connected Living Room
Amanda Tarpey – SVP Product Leadership, Nielsen
How do we watch video? Television has undergone significant transformation over the last few years, driven by the evolving ways people watch content and lead their lives. Find out the latest insights on video viewership engagement, how habits vary based on who’s watching and what device they have in front of them, and how measurement is helping to power the dynamic frontier of OTT content and advertising.
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Improving OTT Measurement with Location Analytics
Chris Falkner – VP Advanced TV, Cuebiq
Increasing fragmented viewership and audiences has created numerous challenges for OTT advertisers to effectively reach target audiences and measure efforts. How do Location Intelligence and analytics give marketers a tool to map, understand consumer behavior, engage with the right audiences and measure campaigns?
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Panel Perspectives: OTT Today and A Look Into The Future
Moderator: Tommy Cheng, VP, Research & Analytics, CBS Television
Jonathan Steuer – Chief Research Officer, Omnicom Media Group
Cathy Hetzel – EVP, Strategic Partnerships, comScore, Inc.
Michael Pinnell – Sr. Operations Manager, Sling TV
Chris Hock – Director, Business Development, Adobe Primetime
The panel shares some of the challenges and trends they see related to OTT, and highlight the ones most significant to their business today.
Key takeaways:
- Among the challenges cited by the panel: how to target all the people a brand wants to talk to, regardless of delivery method; how to understand unique reach and incremental frequency across all the platforms; and possible “peak streaming” given the proliferation of streaming services.
- A persistent challenge is related to data, in particular obtaining the data and metadata. Which data works and across which platforms is it available? How can the data be normalized across all the different platforms? An identity solution is also needed to tie the data together. Alongside this data, a panel is needed to understand who is using what devices at which time, in order to connect all the delivered ads across devices back to viewers.
- In a future world where every delivery is measurable, the role of measurement providers may change to one that is more focused on auditing and calibration – e.g., making sure that the data is clean, that it’s combined the right way, and that it’s not fraudulent.
- As an industry, we have to be more willing to be transparent and trust data with other partners. We also have to work together to identify the pieces we can collaboratively solve. There is an opportunity for collaboration within the industry to create a solution that multiple parties can fund and use. An open question is whose responsibility it is to spearhead this effort.
- In the future, there will likely be fragmentation as well as aggregation. There is a lot of content that is being created on different services, but consumers need to be able to find it. Between the 500-channel bundles of the past and fragmented content today, a balance exists. Advertising can continue to be a part of that experience if it’s relevant to consumers.