MediaLink

SAN FRANCISCO – While there’s little question that being able to identify and target individuals across devices and screens will play a huge role in future marketing, we should not think that everything will go one-to-one. This might seem unusual for those with their roots in digital media, but not to Matt Spiegel. “I think […]

The rules around consumer consent for digital tracking will be reset this coming May – but not everybody is yet prepared to change their business to cope. The European Commission’s General Data Protection Regulation means new measures that must be followed by any global company processing EU citizens’ data, with penalties of up to 4% of global […]

MIAMI – What’s the best way to approach television targeting and measurement? And what’s the value of “waste” in the form of TV ad impressions? These and other topics were the focus of spirited and insightful debate at the recent Beet Retreat Miami 2017. Following are some of the more cogent exchanges during a panel […]

MIAMI – The old adage “don’t take it personally” will be upended in the world of advanced television. Respecting viewer attention and guiding them to relevant content are going to be critical elements in perpetuating the ad-supported business model. Such observations arise when people in key positions peer beyond what’s currently happening in the TV […]

MIAMI — These days, consumers have more choices than ever before about how to consume video and TV content. And that means a new spectrum of opportunities – and challenges – for content owners and distributors. For companies more used to selling the context of their content to advertisers, the hot new possibility – in […]

MIAMI — The medium of television is moving faster than than it has in decades, maybe even ever, as new opportunities to deliver, measure and monetize programming emerge almost weekly. In advertising, buyers are getting excited about a world in which planning moves beyond the broad demographic audience targeting of yore, to a world of […]

MIAMI – It’s not just the television industry that’s undergoing massive change as linear slowly cedes to other viewing options. Marketers, meanwhile, must embrace new forms of measurement as table stakes in their efforts to keep pace with that change. For both, the question becomes “How can we enhance the speed of change,” says Matt […]

CANNES – As long as television and premium video remain atop the ROI stack for marketers, agencies need to solve convergence of the two for their marketer clients. If they don’t, they could be disintermediated by giants like Facebook and Google and knocked down a rung on the value chain by new entrants like Accenture. […]

CANNES – Yes, broadcasting live sporting events is expensive considering the rights fees. But it’s a great viewing environment at a time when consumers can avoid ads in other programming. It’s that “other” programming that concerns media sellers like ESPN and Fox, as evidenced by the discussion during a Comcast panel at the Cannes Lions […]

CANNES – Even if unified cross-screen audience measurement remains a bridge too far at present, understanding linear television audiences gets better all the time. This is something that A+E Networks can attest to following an engagement with TV analytics firm 605 in which ad exposure data was matched with transactional records. The result, as moderator […]

CANNES – What constitutes “premium content” is in the eye of the beholder. So rather than trying to ascertain a common definition, one’s time is better spent understanding the drivers of ROI while taking into account things like environment, ad formats and targeting. “That’s really more what we’re focused on versus worrying too much about […]

CANNES – Is the semantical divide between “television” and “digital video” crumbling? Judging from discussions at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, the answer is yes. At least it is in the mind of Matt Spiegel, Managing Director of strategic advisory and business development firm MediaLink. Following his role as moderator of the FreeWheel/Beet.TV New […]

Buying television based on audiences as opposed to programming is a welcome evolution to media veteran Wenda Harris Millard. And while the term “quality programming” is in the eye of the beholder, she thinks marketers have every right to know exactly where their ads are running. “I’ve been in the business for a long time. […]

VIEQUES, PR – There’s no shortage of data to apply to linear television audience targeting and, likewise, a variety of ways to attribute campaign results. In the middle lies the customer experience, which is also data-fueled and growing more sophisticated by the day. These and other insights emerged from a discussion about enhancing the value […]

VIEQUES, PR – Imagine a future where the standard commercial load in one hour of video content is just five minutes. Where Facebook and YouTube have big subscription businesses reminiscent of traditional cable operators, and Netflix just might start selling ads. These were among a variety of possible scenarios explored at the annual Beet.TV Executive […]

VIEQUES, PR – Although consumers may perceive video content as being no different than traditional linear television programming, programmers and providers should try to look at things across a comprehensive ecosystem. The key word is “try.” This not to say that a common sales and measurement currency is in sight and, in fact, it seems […]

VIEQUES, PR – As Managing Director at MediaLink, Matt Spiegel attends more than his share of conferences and hears more than his share of jargon. So he’s heartened that much of the discussion at this year’s Beet.TV Executive Retreat was about business outcomes. “We’re having the business impact conversation, which I think is great,” says […]

BARCELONA — It was already consulting for media companies across the industry. Now MediaLink’s acquisition by Ascential, the company which runs the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity is set to give the firm a stronger role easing the concerns of worried brand execs. In fact, CEO Michael Kassan says the company plays kind of a “therapist” function for agencies […]

LAS VEGAS – If multichannel video programming distributors won’t share their set-top box data, how do media buyers and sellers expand the practice of audience buying? Not quickly. This is the main takeaway from a Beet.TV panel discussion at CES 2017 focusing on advanced television targeting. Held at held the OMD Oasis at The Venetian, […]

LAS VEGAS – Everyone agrees that data can help to inform better video advertising targeting. The question is how best to do it. The narrow range of options was the focus of a Beet.TV panel discussion at CES 2017 conducted at the OMD Oasis at The Venetian. It brought together representatives of 605, NBCUniversal, Omnicom […]