Hey, readers! Welcome to the last connected TV newsletter of 2023. 🤭
This was such a busy year in CTV land that we had to launch a dedicated newsletter just to keep up with all the trends, from measurement, currency, targeting and attribution to streaming data, identity, supply-path optimization and new ad formats – just to name a few.
This week, we’ll look back at the most-read editions of this newsletter, which reflect the topics our readers cared about most this year – and we’ll look ahead to what these developments could mean for 2024.
Let’s dive in.
1. Hulu Has Too Many Ads (March)
For consumers, the promise of streaming TV is a better user experience than traditional cable or satellite. But in many cases (including this one), a “poor user experience” is a euphemism for “way too many ads.”
While many media companies spent the beginning of 2023 bragging about how low their streaming ad loads were, Hulu served me considerably more ads in one hour of content than I experienced on most other streaming services.
The most common reason streamers bombard viewers with ads is to generate more revenue per user. It’s a simple equation: More ads mean more ad revenue. And Hulu isn’t the only platform guilty of this offense. Turns out, most major streaming services gradually increased their ad volume throughout the course of the year, according to MediaRadar.
Looking ahead: Hulu also offers nontraditional ad formats, such as pause ads with QR codes. Expect to hear a lot more about how streamers are managing their ad volume using new ad formats – including shoppable ones – in 2024.
2. Pluto TV’s Ad Insertion Tech Has A Frequency Problem (May)
Most streaming services struggle with ad repetition because of the sheer complexity of the programmatic supply chain. Due to nuances in how ad insertion tech functions, the frequency challenge is even more acute for platforms that have both on-demand and linear content feeds.
Media companies have made progress addressing this issue using more direct tech integrations. For instance, Paramount rolled out a new product called Conduit in October to connect its CTV ad buying platform – which provides access to Pluto TV and Paramount+ inventory – to SSPs because consolidating bid requests in one single place helps programmers create ad pods without duplication or competitive adjacency.
Looking ahead: How programmers manage ad frequency will continue to be an important trend to watch in 2024.
3. Nielsen Will (Finally) Add Big Data To Its National TV Currency (August)
And, of course, it wouldn’t be a TV advertising year-in-review story without a mention of measurement – and of the industry’s beleaguered TV ratings incumbent.
Nielsen had quite a busy year.
As competition ramped among alternative currency providers, Nielsen had to get serious about adding more granular data sets to its measurement – namely, set-top box and automatic content recognition data from broadband and smart TV distributors. Nielsen finalized its plans to add big data to its now-reaccredited national TV measurement product in August (after pushing back that plan in May).
Looking ahead: Even though panel-based ratings remain its officially endorsed currency (for now), even Nielsen knows panels are no longer sufficient as a standalone TV measurement option. Why? Because they don’t effectively account for streaming.
Which is why, as linear loses its stronghold, we’ll see alternative currencies and new approaches to TV measurement stay top of mind for TV advertisers in 2024. 📺
Thanks for reading! See you in the new year. 🥂
