VideoNuze Posts

Online video and TV advertising are converging as viewers increasingly watch long-form content - entertainment, news and sports - on multiple devices. How this convergence is actually happening and the key challenges that remain are a critical focus of our 6th annual VideoNuze Online Video Advertising Summit, coming up 2 weeks from today, on Tuesday, June 14th in NYC.

Two of our sessions will directly address convergence, one from the opportunities standpoint and the other from the challenges standpoint. Our opening session, “Convergence Realized: Why TV and Video are Now Inseparable” will set the stage for the day, by exploring strategic drivers behind convergence such as fragmenting viewership, advertisers’ interest in efficient, cross-platform campaigns, the unifying role of data, etc.

Videology’s Managing Director, North America Tim Castree will share a short presentation with the latest data, and then moderate a session with David Bickford (Head of TV Sales & Multi-Platform Group Director, Bloomberg Media), Jon Heller (Co-Founder and Co-CEO, FreeWheel), Nick Johnson (SVP, Digital Ad Sales Strategy, Turner Ad Sales) and Paul Williamson (Chief Investment Officer, Publicis Media Exchange - U.S.).

Even as the convergence opportunities are sizable, so too are the challenges, with many moving pieces, manual inefficiencies and disjointed workflows. So the afternoon companion session, “How to Move Video Ads at the Speed of Today,” will dig into these and other challenges, as well as explore current solutions.

The session is moderated by Prohaska Consulting’s Steve Grubbs and includes Peter Olsen (EVP, National Ad Sales, A+E Networks), John Roland (CEO and Co-Founder, Extreme Reach) and Mitch Weinstein (SVP, Director of Ad Operations, IPG Mediabrands). Expect to come away from both sessions with an improved understanding of how convergence is playing out and what still needs to be done.

In addition, there are 11 other sessions planned at the Video Ad Summit, which features 50 speakers in total. All of the most important industry topics will be explored, with convergence as the over-arching theme.

Review the whole program and register now!

I'm pleased to present the 324th edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia.

Earlier this week provided a synopsis of a fascinating article in Vulture describing the massive changes that big SVOD providers have brought to the TV production business. The most startling statistic is that the number of scripted TV shows has soared from 36 in 2005 to over 400 in 2015.

In today’s podcast we discuss the consequences of this explosion and speculate on whether all of this is sustainable, or whether a bubble has been created, and if so, what might cause it to burst. Colin is more optimistic that current production volumes can continue, while I’m more skeptical simply because SVOD business models are still in flux.

Another dimension to the value of more TV shows is how important both stacking rights for current seasons and access to back catalogs are becoming for the existing ecosystem. With VOD, binge-viewing and time-shifting all on the rise, there appears to be an emerging consensus on broader availability of TV shows. We explore all of this as well.

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GroupM’s advanced TV unit MODI Media will use Innovid as its preferred ad server for all connected TV campaigns, the companies announced today. Seth Walters, senior partner at MODI, who oversees its connected TV business, told me that Innovid addresses a key pain point of delivering video adds into the highly fragmented connected TV space, while also offering real-time analytics on campaign performance across devices.

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Yesterday research firm Strategy Analytics released a forecast showing growth in domestic SVOD spending will slow slightly in 2016 vs. 2015 and then drop by almost 50% in 2021, to just 8% year-over-year. The 2016 slowdown is nominal - a $1.19 billion increase vs. a $1.21 billion increase in 2015, which could be easily tweaked by minor changes to churn rates, as just one example. Domestic SVOD spending in 2016 will be $6.62 billion, still an increase of 22% year-over-year, a growth rather most industries would happily take.

The key takeaway shouldn’t be the current year forecast, but rather what’s expected over the next 5 years, to 2021. Strategy Analytics Digital Media Director Michael Goodman said that the spending forecast was modeled assuming an 85% saturation rate of broadband households in 2021, comparable to pay-TV’s current adoption (60% of households currently subscribe to one or more SVOD services), with Netflix alone accounting for 53% of subscriptions.

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One of the highlights of the upcoming 6th annual VideoNuze Online Video Advertising Summit on Tuesday, June 14th in NYC will be my morning keynote interview with Marc Debevoise, EVP/GM of CBS Digital Media at CBS Interactive.

Marc oversees all of CBS Interactive’s major digital properties in Entertainment, Sports and News. These include CBS.com, CBS apps, SVOD service CBS All Access, CBSSports.com, CBSNews.com and the 24/7 digital news network CBSN, among others. Marc also manages all digital content distribution on all platforms, TV Everywhere and original digital productions.

All of this gives Marc an excellent perspective on what’s happening at the intersection of online video and TV. I’ve known Marc for years and have always been impressed by how he balances strategic priorities and practical realities.

In our discussion, Marc will discuss what he sees as the most important industry trends and how they’re informing CBS’s digital strategies. We’ll dive into topics such as how convergence is shaping CBS’s monetization approaches, the value of platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Amazon to video providers, CBS’s goals in providing marquee TV programming for its CBS All Access SVOD service, how the company is leveraging viewer data and much more. Marc will also share thoughts on where the industry is heading in the near term.

Overall the session will offer valuable insights for anyone with a stake in the video/TV business going forward. Marc will also take audience questions at the end of the session.

Aside from Marc’s keynote interview, there are a dozen other sessions throughout the day focused on all of the hottest topics in the industry and featuring 40+ senior executives. The Video Ad Summit promises to be a must-attend day of learning and networking for anyone who wants to really understand what’s happening with the convergence of video and TV.

Learn more and register now!

For those interested in a deep-dive look inside how dramatically the business of making TV shows has changed over the past several years, last week’s Vulture cover story, “The Business of Too Much TV,” is essential reading. At 10,000+ words, you’ll need to set aside a chunk of time to get through it, but it’s well worth it for a peek behind the curtain of how SVOD has influenced every aspect of TV production.

The biggest driver of change has been the massive increase in the number of scripted TV shows being made - from 36 in 2005 to over 400 in 2015. Cable TV networks were the initial cause of this explosion, but in the past several years it’s been the major SVOD services, Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, which have each turned to originals as a source of differentiation as competition has intensified.

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With video and TV viewing fragmenting across numerous devices, services and apps, advertisers are more challenged than ever to efficiently build holistic, measurable TV ad campaigns. That has created a big opening for major platforms like Google/YouTube, Facebook and others to differentiate themselves with single source, in-depth user data that can be mined for targeted campaigns across their massive audiences.

Concerned by these dynamics and the precedent of how platforms seized ad dollars from print publishers, NAB Show is seeking to play a leadership role, forming a new digital committee including executives from TV networks, pay-TV operators and TV station owners. The committee, headed by Lorne Brown, Founder and CEO of Operative, a leading video ad tech provider, held its first invite-only meeting a few weeks ago at the NAB Show.

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Today is the LAST day to save $100 on registration to the 6th annual VideoNuze Online Video Advertising Summit on Tuesday, June 14th in NYC. Reminder that as a bonus, all early bird registrants will be entered to win a 55-inch TCL 4K Roku TV.

We have an amazing program planned, including C-level executive speakers from agencies, content providers and technology companies. Over 35 executives from A+E Networks, American Express, Bloomberg Media, CBS, Conde Nast, Facebook, Fox, Hershey’s, IAB, Initiative, IPG Mediabrands, Mindshare, NBCU, Newsy, Turner, USA TODAY Network, Viacom, The Washington Post, The Weather Company, Whistle Sports, Xaxis, Zenith and many others who are participating in the Ad Summit.

The Ad Summit is generously supported by 16 industry-leading companies, including Title Partner Videology, Premier Partners Altitude Digital, DashBid, Extreme Reach, Verizon Digital Media Services and VertaMedia, Headline Partners Alphonso, Beachfront Media, Cedato, FreeWheel, Genesis Media, JW Player, Operative and Placemedia and Branding Partners Brightcove and Roku.

Don't delay - register now and save!