How are you seeing TV consumption change?
The viewing of TV content is swiftly changing, beyond the traditional single screen. Viewers today are just as likely to watch their favourite programmes on mobile devices, or learn about new shows from social media rather than TV programming schedules. Audiences can and do access video content via computers, tablets and smartphones, and sometimes all at once. While viewers are still choosing to watch TV/video content, they no longer carry any preference for any specific platform. The game is no longer about TV, but about video anywhere.
What changes are you seeing in the way marketers use television?
A few years ago, we heard the news telling us that TV is dead. What is funny is that even TV people believed this for a while. Today brands are calling TV back into their plans and budget, as several of them have concluded that from a branding and scale perspective TV is unavoidable.
Brands need to connect with users across many touch points that offer the right context, the right timing and brand safety. Add budget considerations to the equation and the game becomes about understanding which touch points generate the best ROI for brands, across the entire funnel (traditional and digital included). This is where attribution modelling kicks in. It has already come into play and I believe that we will be seeing it become an essential part of the planning and buying processes.
What is the biggest challenge facing the TV industry and how are you tackling it?
At an industry level, the obvious one is to have a transparent and credible TV measurement currency endorsed by all the major players of the advertising industry. This currency will make a major contribution to boosting the TV advertising market, its growth, and sustainability.
At the channel level, the biggest challenge is to understand how the ecosystem has changed forever. The way content is created, distributed and consumed is evolving very quickly. Channels need to adapt and modify how they create and distribute content to match the users’ expectations for a seamless journey.
What changes in TV are you most excited about in the next couple of years?
Traditional TV is still the most prominent custodian of premium content that provides value and safety to brands and brings highly coveted entertainment to users. The excitement comes from the opportunities brought by the digital disruption, which offers an infinite number of channels to distribute, market and monetise premium content. Those who understand this and ride this wave of change will undoubtedly reap the benefits and lead us into the next era.