The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is moving into a busy year ahead after wrapping up its NewFronts that were for the first time in a virtual format because of coronavirus pandemic. By bringing buyers and sellers together online, the IAB was able to expand attendance beyond the confines of an event space.
Participation in this year’s NewFronts was “orders of magnitude higher than what we could fit into a typical NewFronts venue,” David Cohen, president of the IAB US, said in a Beet.TV interview recapping the digital media marketplace. Among the 14,000 people who registered for the week-long event, the IAB swa 12,000 viewers and 5,500 unique viewers, he said.
The IAB also supported connectivity after the sales presentations with a NewFronts marketplace with more information about digital media outlets and their offerings. About 300 media buyers went into the marketplace, Cohen said.
This year’s presenters included newcomers such as social media companies Facebook, Snap and TikTok, along with Tubi, the streaming platform that Fox acquired this year for $440 million. Founding partners Hulu and YouTube were there, along with American Public Media, Condé Nast, Crackle Plus, Ellen Digital, Forbes, Roku, Wall Street Journal/Barron’s, Vevo, Vice Media, Vibenomics, 3Blackdot, GSTV, Samsung Ads, TiVo, Tremor Video and AT&T’s Xandr.
Looking ahead, Cohen anticipates several issues becoming more prominent, such as renewed concerns about brand safety that may require the adoption of a code of conduct for media platforms. Digital media outlets also will have to confront the diminished role of third-party cookies to track online audiences, Cohen said. The IAB will host the Podcast Upfront on Sept. 9-11.
This video is part of a series about the 2020 IAB NewFronts. Please visit this page for additional segments from the Road to the NewFronts 2020. This Beet.TV series is presented by the IAB.
