Broadcasters See Advanced Advertising and Partnerships as Crucial

What keeps the country's major broadcasters awake at night? The idea that Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple are going to steal their markets and there's nothing they can do about it.

But there is something: They can fight back by joining together and using advanced advertising tools to create more attractive options for viewers.

According to a report released by research and strategy consultancy MTM and sponsored by ad technology company Yospace, broadcasters are moving quickly to create partnerships that let them offer better options for viewers and advertisers. The report identifies four priorities for broadcasters to stay relevant to viewers:

1. Smart Ads: Giant ad breaks don't work online. Broadcasters need to keep viewers happy by putting shorter ad breaks in their linear streams, but packing them with more relevant spots.


2. Smarter Data: To get the maximum value from their linear streams, broadcasters need to mine data and create addressable options, providing targeted opportunities for advertisers.


3. Work Together: Traditional broadcasters and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) need to join hands and develop cross-publisher solutions that reduce market fragmentation and allow advertisers to meet their goals.


4. Grow Options: Broadcasters and MVPDs need to create a wide range of advanced advertising solutions that reach viewers on any device.

"Negotiations are all about what we can do together and how we can partner. It's absolutely driven by a collective fear of Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple, says a U.S. cable network executive. A cable operator seconds that: "We have to get together and get this right. There's a clear threat from digital media companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon. With their scale and money, they have a lot more room for trial and error than we do."

For more on how the industry is changing and the imperative of creating smarter ad solutions, download the report for free (registration required). MTM and Yospace have created a European edition of the report, as well.

Troy Dreier's article first appeared on OnlineVideo.net