SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Connected television relies on an internet hookup, making the transmission of advertising and programming easier to measure directly than with traditional broadcasts. Because metrics don’t necessarily reveal much about which members of a household are watching, marketers and media companies are seeking more information to help determine the value of CTV audiences.
“While we’re really good at measuring devices and understanding which devices are tuned to what, it’s really difficult to understand who’s in front of those devices,” Dan Aversano, executive vice president of advertising operations, data strategy and advanced advertising at TelevisaUnivision, said in this interview at the Beet Retreat Santa Monica with Beet.TV contributor Rob Williams.
“Part of the problem is measurement companies still think that their job is to count, and while in the linear environment that was true, that was the primary thing that we needed,” Aversano said. “In a CTV environment where I can perfectly count, I don’t necessarily need them to count, but what I do need them to do is explain co-viewing personification.”
Greater insights into the viewing behaviors of CTV audiences will spur a bigger shift in media spending to streaming, he said.
“That’s the white space for measurement companies and somebody’s going to figure it out,” Aversano said. “I don’t know that anyone’s quite there yet.”
Brand Safety and Suitability
Google’s YouTube is the most popular platform on connected television with its vast library of video content to appeal to almost every kind of viewer. However, the abundance of user-generated content that isn’t carefully vetted can mean that marketers may not realize that their brand messaging is appearing next to objectionable content.
“You have this challenge in this less curated environment: how do you figure out what content is safe for your brand and what content is the right place for your brand?” Aversano said.
More powerful technologies such as artificial intelligence that can quickly analyze vast amounts of data is likely to have a bigger role in providing contextual insights.
“Things like AI and generative AI in terms of how we can scrub content and understand what that content really is is a big light at the end of that tunnel,” Aversano said.
You’re watching “CTV Unlocked: Driving Transparency and Brand Safety in a Fragmented World,” a Beet.TV Leadership Series, presented by IAS. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
