VideoNuze Posts

Independent programmatic mobile video ad platform Beachfront Media has sold a majority stake to two private equity firms, Growth Catalyst Partners and PSP Capital, a fund started by Penny Pritzker who was previously Secretary of Commerce in the Obama administration. Deal terms were not announced.

As part of the investment, Bill Jennings, previously president of Page Science, will become CEO of Beachfront, with prior colleague Rich O’Connor becoming CFO. Beachfront co-founder and CEO Frank Sinton will become president, while is co-founder and wife Lisa Connell, will leave the business (both will remain owners).

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No surprise, at last week’s SHIFT // Programmatic Video & TV Ad Summit, the “duopoly” of Google and Facebook came up repeatedly on stage, mainly in the context of how they’re pursuing TV ad dollars and what the TV industry is doing to defend itself. In fact, the whole concept of “programmatic TV” - TV networks data-enabling and automating /streamlining the ad transaction process - pretty much captures what the industry is doing to become more competitive. 

But as I listened to and participated in the SHIFT sessions, one consideration kept coming back to me as possibly being the biggest single influence over how TV advertising evolves in the coming years: the idea that Google and Facebook are single entities, while the TV industry is fragmented with many different powerful players, each with their own agendas, capabilities and resources.

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I’m pleased to present the 397th edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. Many thanks to Brightcove, this week’s podcast sponsor.

This past Wednesday was our 3rd annual SHIFT // Programmatic Video & TV Ad Summit in NYC. There were so many great insights shared by speakers and in today’s podcast, I highlight (and we discuss) 4 main themes that recurred throughout the day.

Taken together, the themes reveal just how significant the challenges are that the ad-supported TV industry now faces. Changes in viewer behavior, ad buyer expectations, competitive forces and technology have created what a number of speakers characterized as an “existential threat” to ad-supported TV’s future.

As Colin and I discuss, there are no silver bullets that neatly address these challenges. The industry is trying a lot of different things, but it’s not clear yet what these efforts will add up to.

Listen in to learn more!
 
Click here to listen to the podcast (25 minutes, 4 seconds)

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Join over 350 industry colleagues at our 3rd annual SHIFT // Programmatic Video & TV Ad Summit, tomorrow, Wednesday, November 29th in NYC.

Over 40 industry leaders will be speaking on 11 sessions, including A+E Networks, Amplifi, Bloomberg Media, Discovery, eMarketer, Fox Networks, Meredith, National Geographic, Publicis Media, Roku, Time, Turner, Vevo, Viacom, plus many others.

Our 2 amazing keynote guests are Mike Rosen, EVP, Portfolio Sales & Strategy, NBCUniversal, who will be interviewed by Matt Prohaska from Prohaska Consulting and Jon Stimmel, Chief Investment Officer, Universal McCann, who will be interviewed by Matt Spiegel, Managing Director, MediaLink.

Overall, SHIFT promises to be a premier day of learning and networking.

All paid registrants are entered to win 1 of 3 Roku Ultra 4K players. Perfect for yourself or for a stocking stuffer gift this holiday season.

Many thanks to our 14 generous sponsors including Title Partner FreeWheel; Premier Partners SpotX, VertaMedia and Videology; Headline Partners 4C Insights, Beachfront Media, Brightcove, Cadent, Cedato, SintecMedia, Smart AdServer, Vemba; and Branding Partners Gotham Ads and Roku.

Learn more and register now!

Yesterday the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division sued to block AT&T’s proposed $108 billion acquisition of Time Warner. The suit breaks with decades of past practice where the DOJ has permitted “vertical mergers” (deals between companies operating in different segments of an industry) accompanied by certain operational limitations (so-called “behavioral remedies”). AT&T has pledged to counter sue, which means the deal’s outcome will now be decided in court.

Though I’m not a lawyer, I’m willing to bet that AT&T is going to prevail for one simple reason: the DOJ’s complaint virtually ignores realities in the TV and video industries. It is only by ignoring these facts that the DOJ is able to lay its foundation for asserting that the AT&T-Time Warner would have too much power, potentially harm competitors and stifle innovation. AT&T’s task is to demonstrate the DOJ’s foundation is faulty, and therefore that its decision to block the deal is unfounded.

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I’m pleased to present the 396th edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. Many thanks to Brightcove, this week’s podcast sponsor. Brightcove will be presenting insights on server-side ad insertion at our SHIFT Programmatic conference on Nov. 29th.

First up, we explore the potential of Philo, the entertainment-oriented skinny bundle that launched earlier this week. For $16 per month, it’s relatively inexpensive, but neither Colin nor I see it as a game-changer for its backers. Key issues are lack of marquee entertainment networks, completion from other skinny bundles and a glut of high-quality entertainment programming from big SVOD providers.

We then dig into Roku, which reported its first quarterly results as a public company last week. We’re both impressed with how Roku is transitioning from a pure OEM device maker to a licensing and media company focused on online video advertising. By growing its installed base of Roku owners, which in turn supports its ad business, Roku is in the early stages of building a nice flywheel. We discuss both the potential of its model and possible risks.

Listen in to learn more!
 
Click here to listen to the podcast (25 minutes, 31 seconds)

Click here for previous podcasts.

Click here to add the podcast feed to your RSS reader.

The VideoNuze podcast is also available in iTunes...subscribe today!

It’s no secret that connected TV devices have made huge gains in the U.S., with penetration at 60% of homes or more depending on the research source. But whereas these devices were initially used mainly for streaming Netflix and other ad-free SVOD services, evidence is building that viewers are also now using these devices to watch ad-supported video, in turn driving a huge expansion of ad inventory.

For example, Roku has been saying for a while that Netflix’s share of overall Roku users’ watch time has been steadily decreasing, with ad-supported channels gaining.  And today, Beachfront Media, a video supply-side platform, said that it saw a huge jump in CTV ad requests to over 2 billion in Q3 ’17. Beachfront works mainly with mid-tail and long-tail video providers like WatchMojo, Newsy and Crunchyroll.

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Two weeks from today will be our 3rd annual SHIFT // Programmatic Video & TV Advertising Summit on November 29th in NYC. The program is locked in with 40 amazing speakers who will be featured in keynotes, research presentations, fireside chats and panel discussions throughout the day.

Kicking things off will be Lauren Fisher, Principal Analyst at eMarketer, who will share details behind her forecast that programmatic video & TV will exceed $17 billion by 2019.

Our morning keynote interview is with Mike Rosen, EVP, Portfolio Sales and Strategy, NBCUniversal and the afternoon keynote interview is with Jon Stimmel, Chief Investment Officer, Universal McCann. In addition, Dan Aversano, SVP, Ad Innovation and Programmatic Solutions at Turner Ad Sales will be featured in an afternoon spotlight fireside chat.

A reminder that all SHIFT paid attendees will be entered to win 1 of 3 Roku Ultra 4K players, generously provided by Roku. Additional discounts are available on 5-packs and 10-packs. And, startups and students can register for the reduced $245 ticket (contact me for the code).

As always, there will be abundant networking opportunities with speakers and attendees at SHIFT.

Please join us for what will be the highest-impact day of learning and networking around programmatic video & TV of 2017.

Learn more and register now!