TV

Walmart buys smart TV maker Vizio to boost its ads business with streaming inventory, viewership data and, of course, shoppable TV ads.

Loop Media is squarely focused on monetizing out-of-home streaming in public venues such as bars and restaurants. But it takes legwork to convince advertisers to give “sorta CTV” a try.

Roku had a promising Q4, with steady revenue growth thanks to more active accounts and new ad offerings. But ARPU was down, and investors had a skeptical response.

This past weekend’s Super Bowl was different for a few reasons, particularly the presence of Taylor Swift and Chinese ecommerce challenger brand Temu.

Nielsen’s complaint against VideoAmp is the ninth patent infringement lawsuit it’s brought against rival companies in just three years.

HyphaMetrics is integrating its own data with viewing data from measurement provider Samba TV as part of a new panel offering later this year. But make no mistake: HyphaMetrics is not trying to become a currency.

On Thursday, TEGNA-owned CTV ad platform Premion announced the acquisition of Octillion Media, a DSP launched in 2019 to serve local CTV ad buyers. Premion declined to disclose the terms of the deal.

After being summarily booted from the board of LG Ads in late 2022, Alphonso’s founding team has won its lawsuit against LG Electronics.

2023 was an eventful year in the land of TV ad measurement, from buy-side demand for performance-oriented CTV campaigns to the dramatic competition between alternative TV measurement providers.

AdExchanger asked a handful of agencies and advertisers to (anonymously) name which they consider to be the top TV currency contenders going into 2024.

The days of direct relationships in TV ad buying aren’t over yet. CTV ad buying platform Madhive is partnering with TV identity resolution company Blockgraph for a more direct connection to media supply.

TV programmers and agencies say they’re ready to transact their ad buys using a measurement provider other than Nielsen. But panel-based currency is proving more difficult to dethrone than anticipated.

The Media Rating Council has the same goals of promoting fair media measurement as it did when it formed in the ’60s. But it has had to polish its methodology to keep pace with change in the TV measurement space, says Ron Pinelli, the organization’s SVP of digital research and standards.

Ampersand has a new self-service tool within AND, its TV ad buying platform, that turns linear campaign reporting around in 24 hours so buyers can optimize campaigns quickly based on a short list of priority metrics.

FreeWheel unveiled a sell-side product called Audience Manager to help CTV programmers tie granular audience segments to their inventory at the speed of programmatic advertising.

TV industry vets convened at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in New York City last week to discuss the streaming industry’s maturation.

When the MRC revoked its seal of approval for Nielsen’s TV ratings in 2021, it spurred a hunt for alternatives. Now, media and tech companies are debating whether MRC accreditation is even necessary.

The US ad market will be boring next year. In a good way. Brian Wieser predicts stabilization in 2024. But if you double-click on his numbers, there are several interesting – and somewhat disturbing – trends to note.

Integral Ad Science added a new capability to measure brand safety and suitability for off-YouTube sites and apps through YouTube’s ad network.

There isn’t going to be one single resolution to the measurement debate. The TV market will most likely end up with a hybrid model that includes everything from ACR and big data via smart TVs to, yes, much-maligned Nielsen-style panels.

Charter’s full linear footprint is going programmatic, the result of a partnership between Spectrum Reach, the ad sales division of Charter, and supply-side platform Beachfront.

Dish is making its linear TV inventory addressable. Advertisers will be able to buy addressable TV programmatically on Dish alongside buys on Sling TV, Dish’s streaming service.

Programmers that held upfronts came bearing gifts for advertisers, most of which were packaged as improvements to ad targeting and/or buying.

Startup Telly announced it’s giving away 500,000 smart TVs completely for free to the first 500,000 folks who sign up on its website. Signups for the TVs include an agreement that customer data can be used for targeted advertising.

AppLovin has added CTV supply from streaming video distribution platform Wurl, which it acquired last March, to its mobile user acquisition platform, AppDiscovery. AppLovin’s marketer clients can now buy CTV inventory on a cost-per-install basis.

This year, TV upfront spend will likely be softer, and buyers will be slower to make long-term commitments. Consider it a plateau.

Nielsen is reverting back to its panel-based C3 and C7 ratings that track average commercial time over three or seven days. The currency switch-up just weeks ahead of the upfronts has only added to the industry’s mounting frustrations with Nielsen.

Affinity Solutions has a new platform that lets advertisers create audiences with purchase and viewing data, and plan campaigns based on competitor ads.

The MRC reinstating its accreditation of Nielsen’s national ratings might improve the measurement giant’s standing in the TV currency race.

Nielsen has re-earned its accreditation from the Media Rating Council for national TV ratings. But will Nielsen be able to regain the industry’s trust before it’s too late?