With somewhere between 20% and 30% of all television content now being delivered in an addressable manner, Viacom predicts some organic growth in the next several years but not rapid acceleration without big technology advances from newer players.
This prognosis is offered by Kern Schireson, EVP, Data Strategy and Consumer Intelligence, Viacom Media Networks, which as a content provider takes a holistic view of the addressable TV landscape and thus a fluid approach to platforms.
“We recognize we are in the business of TV as an art form, not TV as a platform,” Schireson says. “We don’t make screens, we don’t make cable boxes. We really think of it as how our storytelling finds its way into the homes and hands of our audiences.”
Such fluidity is realistic given the shortcomings of working solely with cable providers to advance addressable advertising. While Viacom is “excited” about what its distribution partners have done to date, it must seek out newer distribution ecosystems whose technology might offer more flexibility.
The result includes Viacom’s partnerships with companies like Roku, Hulu and most recently Snapchat.
“Lots and lots of people consume Viacom content through a Roku box on a television screen, and then they see 30-second spots and those spots are 100% addressable,” Schireson observes.
Its work with Snapchat will enable Viacom to “reach that next generation of television viewer right where they are, in full-screen video surrounded by premium publisher content,” he says.
We interviewed him at the Videology Full Frontal Conference in New York. Please watch other videos from Beet’s coverage here.
