SAN JUAN, PR — By embedding sensors on a consumer’s TV, automatic content recognition (ACR) promises to give advertisers and publishers precise data with which to target.
But recent concerns and policies over consumer privacy put that powerful technology on a critical footing – gaining consumer permission is vital.
ACR is practised by the likes of Samsung Ads, Vizio’s Inscape, Nielsen’s Gracenote, Roku and Alphonso.
Another, Samba TV, has been working in the area since 2008. In this video interview with Beet.TV, its chief revenue officer Dan Ackerman explains how shifting privacy landscapes give such companies new things to think about.
“Getting that consent early (is important)… developing the relationship with the consumer from the onset when they’re setting up their television,” he says.
“But also down the line, having all of the mechanisms to be able to not only manage data and privacy, but giving that mechanism to be able to get the TV into those relevant environments, like connected TV, for targeting and for measurement.”
Europe’s GDPR, California’s CCPA and similar regulations which may follow compel data collectors and manipulators to obtain stronger opt-in from audiences for use of their data.
“With those new regulations in place, now more than ever, being responsible in the way that you manage consumer privacy is not just the right thing to do, it’s now mandated by those regulations,” Ackerman says.”
San Francisco-based Samba was set up to help advertisers and broadcasters know, with certainty, which TV shows viewers were watching, for how long and how attentive they were.
Launched in 2008 and backed by investors including Mark Cuban, the outfit works by having software embedded on millions of viewing devices via app makers which bundle Samba’s recommendation features.
Its dataset is collected from now over 20 different television brands globally, from over 25 million opted-in households, including 10 different manufacturers in the US.
Ackerman was interviewed by TV[R]EV co-founder Alan Wolk at Beet Retreat San Juan 2020, where he was a participant.
This video was produced at the Beet Retreat San Juan 2020 sponsored by 605, DISH Media, NBCU, Roundel & Tubi. For more videos from the series, please visit this landing page.
