LONDON — Recent estimates are that around 46% of US households can receive household-specific, individually-targeted TV ads, through so-called “addressable” TV advertising.
But, whilst US penetration is high, it is not necessarily the country leading the tech charge, says one exec with a multi-country view of the opportunity.
“We see, in the addressable TV world. very much the UK is at the forefront,” according to Rhys Nöelke, the strategy SVP for German-based RTL Group, the FremantleMedia owner that also has a stake in online video ad tech operator SpotX.
“(It is) a market where we are not present with our broadcasters, but we see a lot of activity from Sky, for instance, with the AdSmart platform. That is very much the most advanced ad platform in the world, I believe.”
AdSmart is the addressable TV offering launched by UK pay TV leader Sky – a satellite TV firm, telco, channel owner and media sales house. It helps advertisers place ads on set-top boxes that, using data, can be triggered in individual households during commercial breaks.
But, whilst the UK apparently leads the way, other parts in Europe are far behind, Nöelke says.
“Don’t even speak about regulation,” he grumbles. “For instance, Germany and France, local advertising on TV is or geo-targeting is not permitted.”
RTL’s SpotX was just named the most trusted video ad platform in the US.
This interview was conducted at the Future of TV Advertising Forum in London. Beet.TV’s coverage is presented by the 605. For other videos from the series, please visit this page.
