Roku and Spotify Collaborate to Introduce Video Ads To Roku App
Spotify’s app on Roku will now feature video ads thanks to cooperation between Roku and Spotify. In the US, Canada, and Mexico, Roku is the most popular TV streaming service. The cooperation between Spotify and Roku, which dates back over a decade, and the launch of the Spotify app on Roku, is strengthened by this collaboration. The new invention, according to the businesses, is the first step in bringing Spotify’s CTV partner network online. Through the relationship, Spotify will be able to offer additional video content, offering marketers more opportunities to engage with the platform’s more than 500 million MAU users. Spotify Video Inventory will be available on Roku as part of the Roku Audience Network. It will be accessible as a component of Spotify’s Video Everywhere ad service.
What’s in it for advertisers?
The ability to contact customers on any device is the key to successful digital marketing. Although it also applies to marketers, it is a best practice for user experience. Larger screens are now available in homes thanks to the expanding app ecosystem on Smart TVs. As consumer patterns change, businesses who don’t have a presence on this wider screen through CTV advertising are losing out. Additionally, viewers are increasingly turning to streaming to watch and listen to all of their favorite material. It includes everything from music to stand-up comedy routines to podcasts. In order to reach consumers where they are focused, advertisers are refocusing their marketing budgets. They are converting to linked gadgets from linear television. Brands will have an extra chance to reach the combined audiences of both streaming channels by partnering with Roku.
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Spotify’s CTV Partner Network
The agreement with Roku is a first step in expanding Spotify’s CTV Partner Network. The quantity of visual experiences on Spotify has been growing, and these experiences will now include video ads. A beta version of DJ, which provides music recommendations and comments from an AI disc jockey, was released by the streaming service in August. Spotify introduced Blend in 2021. It is a shared social listening platform that enables users to make custom playlists to share their individual musical preferences with friends and family.
The Video Takeover Ad experience from Spotify reaches customers listening to music on their smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers. Soon after, CTV devices will be added, starting with the Roku platform. Future additions to this offering by Spotify will include even more video ad offerings, like video podcasts. In order to reach more users, the new Spotify app on Roku will include artist snippets and video clips mixed with ad formats like Sponsored Sessions. In order to give users a more participatory experience, it will also include Call to Action cards for podcast advertisements.
Roku’s portfolio
For more than a decade, Roku users have had access to the Spotify video app. While most people use Spotify to listen to music and podcasts, they also use it to create playlists, search for content, and watch artist videos and audio podcasts on their screens. Roku has been busy releasing new ad experiences on the platform in addition to adding video ads to the Spotify app on CTV. In a recent announcement, the business said that it was expanding its collaboration with Shopify to enable customers to buy goods from Shopify merchants using Roku Action Ads. Viewers can make purchases straight from their TVs and pay with Roku Pay.
Read More: Amazon Prime Video to Introduce Limited Ads in 2024
Here’s what they said
Lee Brown, Spotify global head of advertising & business platform said,
As a longtime leader in the streaming space, we’ve had a front-row seat to audiences choosing streaming to enjoy content and advertisers following suit to reach them. It’s long been our goal to make Spotify available to anyone on any device and this partnership with Roku answers the call from advertisers who want even more ways to reach our users. Both our brands have been at the forefront of the streaming revolution and together we’re continuing to invest in more opportunities for advertisers to connect with our immersed users.
Alison Levin, VP, ad revenue and marketing solutions at Roku commented
As longtime partners, we’re excited to launch Spotify’s TV streaming video ads that will reach both of our streamers on platform and drive measurable campaign impact for brands. Roku and Spotify are uniquely positioned to make the largest screen in the home work harder for brands. We are thrilled to partner with Spotify on this at launch.
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Samsung Ads and Epsilon Partner for First-Party Data Advancements
Samsung Electronics’ advanced advertising division, Samsung Ads, recently announced a partnership with Epsilon, a leading provider of advertising and marketing technology worldwide. The partnership promises to provide brands with cutting-edge TV viewership data, network reach, precise activation, and measurement. Brands can access distinctive audiences produced from transactional and demographic data thanks to the connection. For activation across Samsung’s brand-safe Smart TV, connected TV (CTV), and mobile inventories, it also provides a brand’s own first-party data. Additionally, the collaboration enables businesses to use Epsilon audiences to launch ads across the US Samsung Ads Smart TV Ecosystem.
Samsung Ads and Epsilon’s first-party data integration
As the advertising sector gets ready to function in an age without third-party cookies and identifiers, collaboration will become increasingly crucial. This announcement mostly relies on first-party data. It provides the framework for exact ad targeting and campaign execution. It makes it possible to create unique segments. The relationship with Epsilon is a significant accomplishment for Samsung Ads. To improve precision, the new integration provides a direct one-on-one match. It also does away with the requirement for third-party data or crosswalks utilizing Epsilon segments. It improves productivity, generates cost savings, and streamlines business operations, adding value. With the help of top measurement partners, ads are measured using industry-standard Samsung measurement procedures. They differ according to the goals of the campaign, key performance indicators (KPIs), intended results, and other pertinent variables.
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Epsilon database
250 million verified US consumers are included in Epsilon’s consumer database. The volume of consumer data gives businesses the chance to identify and communicate effectively with each customer across channels. Additionally, it gives organizations the ability to monitor the success of their marketing initiatives while ensuring that consumer data is kept safe and secure at all times.
Here’s what they said
Epsilon general manager of data solutions Dennis Self said
Epsilon’s partnership with Samsung Ads provides a seamless experience for marketers who are looking to activate Epsilon’s audiences and their first-party data in CTV environments. Our unique audiences provide marketers with confidence that they’ll reach the right people at the right time with messages that matter, removing barriers to activation while simultaneously creating increased demand for CTV campaigns.
Courtney Howell, head of agency development at Samsung Ads commented,
Samsung Ads’s platform, device ecosystem and media assets, including Samsung TV Plus, are critical to reaching consumers across CTV. Through our direct integration with Epsilon, brands can leverage the Samsung TV universe and engaged audience to make CTV campaigns even more powerful. This partnership represents a milestone for Samsung Ads’ ongoing relationship with Epsilon to give even more brands and agencies the ability to immediately activate against our Smart TV footprint with improved measurement and attribution solutions. Our partnership with Epsilon also means that any brands working with Samsung Ads can expect a faster, more seamless execution, combined with the ability to leverage our leading TV data and scale to power CTV campaigns that drive significant performance.
Read More: Samsung Ads Partners with Brightline To Boost CTV Advertising
Microsoft Advertising Enters the Video and CTV Advertising Realm
At the DMEXCO conference, Microsoft Advertising unveiled a brand-new video ad product called Video and Connected TV (CTV) ads. Advertisers can now create online video and CTV ad campaigns on the Microsoft Advertising platform, thanks to the company’s video ad offering. The novel solution offers specific reach across large-scale properties to guarantee that the ad is presented to the appropriate target audience. The offering engine accepts search data. The internet juggernaut wants to profit from the burgeoning digital video landscape. By 2024, it is anticipated that people will spend 3.5 hours daily on average.
How does it work?
The new platform does not require advertisers to learn how to use the new platform. No set-up fees or lengthy onboarding procedures are needed, and campaigns are straightforward to optimize. The same platform offers the possibility to target ads on CTV. Because of this, creating campaigns only requires a few clicks. The only thing advertisers need to do is upload video assets that best represent their brands. Additionally, they must determine who they want to expose their ads to as well as how frequently they should do so across multiple devices. Setting frequency caps, reporting on domains where ads are served, and excluding any domains where ads should not be served are all features available.
Why should advertisers care?
Video and connected TV (CTV) capability increases conversion possibilities. It expands the options for ad-serving and using audience analytics to target high-value consumers. The choice to run commercials online or on CTV is also available. Advertisers can purchase CTV ads through a cost-per-completed view mechanism to target audiences on smart TVs and connected devices.
Moreover, according to Microsoft, search data is one of the most important components to enable this CTV and video service. Even when watching television, online searches have developed into one of the most potent intent signals. It is now a clear indicator of consumer intent. It reveals what the current needs of consumers are. Search offers information that can later be converted into marketing.
The rise of multi-screen viewing
As multi-screening is becoming popular, Microsoft’s new offering comes at a crucial time. According to recent studies, 4 out of 5 consumers read online news while watching TV, highlighting the opportunity for advertisers to target audiences who engage in multi-screen behaviors. Furthermore, 90% of Gen Z viewers in the U.S. utilize a second screen in addition to TV. This behavior creates attractive opportunities for marketers to better engage viewers. Even though the data just pertains to the U.S. market, the product is currently conducting pilots in 34 markets, with more than 405 billion monthly CTV impressions and 1.6+ trillion video impressions.

Image credit- Microsoft Advertising Blog
Video and CTV ads highlights
Microsoft’s access to billions of first-party data points is what distinguishes this platform. It makes it possible for advertisers to precisely identify their target market. Advertisers can target viewers on desktop, smartphone, and tablet devices with online video advertising purchased using a viewable CPM model for both in-stream and out-stream placements. User behavior from Bing, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Start, and other properties is included in this treasure trove of data.
Max, Hulu, and Bloomberg are just a few of the venues where you can see video and CTV advertisements. Additionally, it has been reported in media sources like the Wall Street Journal, MSN, and the Huffington Post. A hyper-targeted audience is created by the platform using machine learning algorithms based on a variety of variables, including product preferences, demographic data, and browsing patterns. The goal of this strategy is to make targeted ads better so that marketers can reach the most relevant audiences.
Read More: Loop Media-Microsoft Advertising Forge New CTV OOH Inventory Category
Search data insights
One type of data used to create intelligence signals is search. However, Microsoft permits the use of billions of legal first-party data sets across numerous properties in advertising. They range from preferences for content and brands to LinkedIn profiles and much more. All of these signals are applicable to the video targeting feature. Based on viewing and browsing information, Microsoft Advertising Video and CTV advertising enable advertisers to use these signals to place brands in front of viewers with the appropriate messages.
Forecasts suggest a significant increase in ad expenditure
Forecasts indicate that between 2023 and 2025, U.S. programmatic video ad expenditures will increase by $22.51 billion (30.2%). The latest feature from Microsoft is made to effectively develop this growing pattern. Another appealing factor is the ease of application. The announcement is noteworthy because it signals a significant effort in an industry that is constantly developing. Additionally, it provides marketers with a more comprehensive, data-driven tool for audience interaction. Microsoft’s CTV and Advertising Video advertisements provide targeted audience capabilities. The growing rivalry and possible ad saturation have led to continuous innovation for success.
Here’s what they said
Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft Advertising, Liam Mackessy, told Search Engine Land:
This product has been designed for ease of use. You can get started in just a few clicks, there are no long onboarding processes, no set-up fees, and it’s simple to optimise. We’re making CTV advertising, which typically can be a little bit more complex to buy, more accessible to a lot more advertisers on the Microsoft Advertising platform. However, we still provide control and flexibility to advertisers – they can set their own frequency caps so that they can accurately plan budgets and campaigns accordingly. We also have the usual domain reporting and domain exclusions to help advertisers keep track of where their ads are serving so that they can decide which sites they may not want their ads to be served on.
Read More: Microsoft Submits Revised Activision Blizzard Proposal to UK’s CMA
Imagine Communications Join Forces with Google Ad Manager
Imagine Communications, a well-known provider of advertising technology solutions has teamed with Google Ad Manager. Converged TV advertising is expected to change thanks to this creative alliance. By enabling seamless cross-platform campaigns and assuring uniform ad placements across all delivery channels, it will provide broadcasters and TV operators with greater power. It will include cable television broadcast over the air or online. Additionally, the alliance brings cutting-edge programmatic capabilities that enhance direct ad sales by maximizing yield and raising the effectiveness of ad sales. Attendees at IBC2023 will get a first-hand look at the results of the relationship.
Google Ad Manager Integration
The media business is always changing. The combined strengths of the two businesses will aid in bridging the direct sales gap between the ever-evolving world of programmatic sales in-streaming CTV and traditional linear TV. Direct and programmatic ads are made possible across all deal kinds by Imagine’s SureFire video ad server, which also offers ad demand management features. Direct Sold/programmatic, Private Marketplace Deals, and RTB are a few of them. Broadcasters and TV operators can now cover unsold inventory thanks to this integration. Additionally, it allows them to rapidly allocate parts of the ad inventory to optimize fill while preserving a high standard of viewing.
Broadcasters can offer premium ad placements across a variety of media because of this complete approach. Additionally, it provides programmatic components that facilitate effective yield optimization. To facilitate implementation irrespective of the sales, order management, and traffic services that TV operators may pick, SureFire offers a wide set of APIs and integration points.
Here’s what they said
Rob Malcolm, General Manager of ad tech at Imagine Communications said,
Imagine Communications is expanding cross-platform ad management solutions to help broadcasters and media companies unify TV ad sales and deliver all the attributes advertisers love about traditional Linear TV onto CTV platforms. Our partnership with Google Ad Manager underscores this commitment, as we revolutionize not only direct sold placement, but add programmatic capabilities to meet the evolving media landscape.
About Imagine Communications
Imagine Communications supports the media and entertainment sector by transforming innovation. Broadcasters, networks, video service providers, and businesses all around the world rely on its efficient, future-proof multiscreen video and revenue enablement solutions to support their mission-critical operations. Today, almost half of all video channels on the planet use its technologies. Moreover, close to a third of all ad revenues worldwide come from its software solutions. They provide the most cutting-edge IP, cloud-enabled, software-defined network, and workflow solutions in the market through ongoing innovation.
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GumGum Unveils Social Empowerment Initiative with In-Video Ads
GumGum, a contextually relevant, international digital advertising platform, unveiled a new project through GumGum Gives. It is an initiative that uses audiences’ and participants’ strengths to improve social interactions. Its objective is to assist advocacy groups in getting people to pay attention to and become aware of them through the GumGum non-interruptive In-Video linked TV ad format. The Trevor Project, a non-profit dedicated to preventing LGBTQIA+ adolescent suicide, WildAid, and Digitalundivided, an organization that supports Latina and Black women entrepreneurs, are the first organizations to collaborate with GumGum.
GumGum Gives
As one of its broad social impact pillars, this fresh effort is a crucial component of GumGum’s dedication to social impact. The business is dedicated to fostering a more inclusive and diverse tech sector. It contributes to the community’s and society’s positive effects. By utilizing their In-Video connected TV ad unit, GumGum promotes awareness of and advocates for advocacy organizations through this project.
The newest and most cutting-edge advertising format offered by GumGum, In-Video, enables brands to interact with viewers in real time without interfering with their viewing experience. Publishers who permit In-Video advertising have additional options to profit by providing extra material for advertisers to use. For both free, ad-supported TV (FAST) and video on demand (VOD), all CTV publishers utilize overlay advertising.
Premier Partnering Organizations
Until the end of the year, campaigns for The Trevor Project, WildAid, and digitalundivided are all running across GumGum’s inventory. Additionally, they have had great success. For a period of the campaign’s flight duration, one of the organizations in particular received over 20%-point life in organizational awareness and ad recall.
Read More: WPP and Optimizely Team Up for Data-Driven Digital Experiences
Here’s what they said
GumGum’s Chief Technology Officer, Ken Weiner said,
The CTV audience is huge and continues to grow, and we are excited to work with advocacy organizations like The Trevor Project, WildAid, and digitalundivided to leverage our In-Video ad unit to help them amplify attention and grow awareness. The biggest benefit of In-Video is that it’s an extremely cost-effective and low-lift way to help these organizations meet audiences in the right moment as they watch streaming TV.
Abie Peacock (she/her), Senior Director of Integrated Marketing for The Trevor Project commented,
We are grateful for the partnership of GumGum in helping us reach new audiences to raise awareness of The Trevor Project’s critical life-saving work. At a moment where anti-LGBTQ legislation and rhetoric is at an all-time high, and LGBTQ young people need our support more than ever, it is inspiring that through the power of this partnership, so many target audience members have been moved to take action in support of Trevor’s life-saving mission.
Brittany S. Hale, Interim CEO & COO of digitalundivided stated,
As the number of women of color entrepreneurs continues to grow, we understand the value of meeting them where they are and cultivating a supportive ecosystem of partners that share an aligned vision to advance equity in the innovation space. We’re grateful to be a part of this initiative and to have resources like GumGum to help further build awareness around the work we do to champion equity and opportunity for women of color founders at all stages of their entrepreneurial journey.
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Magnite-Mediaocean Enhance CTV Access to Local Linear Buyers
The largest independent sell-side ad agency in the world, Magnite, established a collaboration with Mediaocean. It is a mission-critical infrastructure for omnichannel advertising to give local linear buyers direct access to streaming and CTV content. Magnite sought to offer compatibility with important members of the advertising ecosystem. It went on to say that it was crucial in a sector where cord-cutting had been picking up speed.
Mediaocean-Magnite Partnership
In accordance with the new partnership, Mediaocean’s ad infrastructure for multichannel marketing has been linked with Magnite’s sell-side streaming TV footprint. It’s a recognized plan-to-pay media management system on the market. It will further enable agency teams to work more productively with a consolidated procedure across sources and buying techniques. Utilizing user security and permissions standardizes the procedure. It also easily interfaces with partners in supply, technology, and data. It has a financial system that manages the whole client and vendor bill-pay procedure.
Local linear TV buyers can use Mediaocean’s convergent workflows to access Magnite’s entire premium CTV supply directly through sell-side advertising. Local consumers now have access to Magnite’s streaming and CTV supply, something they had not had before the recent conjunction. Magnite’s supply reaches more than 80 million CTV households in the US, or 90% of CTV viewers in the country funded by advertisements.
Read More: Magnite Launches Programmatic Offering With Samsung Ads
Adapted for linear purchasing
Local purchasers will be able to designate localized spend to Magnite within Mediaocean as part of the deal. It will reduce operational challenges for linear buying teams by enabling the smooth execution of CTV purchases with its current planning tools. Magnite is in a good position to assist local linear buyers in adapting their buying strategies to account for the ongoing shift in viewing preferences as the cord-cutting movement gains momentum. This will help ensure that they can reach their target audiences across a broad range of demographics and maximize the efficacy of their campaign.
Here’s what they said
Richard Pacheco, SVP of Strategic Partnerships at Mediaocean said,
As traditional television and digital increasingly converge, we remain committed to enabling omnichannel execution and providing interoperability with key players across the advertising ecosystem. We’re excited to give local linear TV buyers a direct avenue to the entirety of Magnite’s premium CTV supply through existing workflow in our platform.
Matt McLeggon, SVP of Advanced Solutions at Magnite commented,
The integration of Magnite’s streaming TV footprint into Mediaocean provides a fully converged workflow for local linear buyers to extend their reach into streaming. This direct line into CTV unlocks efficiencies which will allow agency partners to direct more dollars toward high quality working media, agnostic of screen. We’re excited about the impact that this partnership is already having on the fluidity of local linear media investment.
Read More: Brightcove Partners With Magnite To Boost Ad Monetization
Loop Media-Microsoft Advertising Forge New CTV OOH Inventory Category
Microsoft Advertising and Loop Media, a provider of free ad-supported TV content, have teamed together to develop a new advertising inventory for SSP collaboration. Loop Media is a provider of digital video content with over 2 billion video views every month via eateries, shops, workplaces, medical facilities, airports, clubs, and colleges. In a pioneering arrangement in the SSP format, Loop Media and Microsoft Advertising will give marketers and demand-side platforms (DSPs) fresh distribution segments from which they may access and obtain Loop Media’s promotional engagements. Digital Out of Home (DOOH) and CTV (Connected TV) are the company’s key offerings on DSPs and SSPs (supply-side platforms). All prospective buyers of DOOH marketing will have access to Loop Media through the new category CTV Out of Home that was created as a result of this agreement. Buyers wanting to investigate ads on CTV OOH service networks will be among them.
Advertisers Rejoice
Through this strategic partnership with Loop Media, Microsoft Advertising seeks to grow its advertising business. It aims to give its advertisers access to the exposure and reach of Loop Media. This cooperation will also open up fresh options for marketers to efficiently and effectively interact with their target audiences.
Advertisers will have access to cutting-edge tools with the development of this brand-new sort of advertising inventory, the CTV OOH. They will be able to effectively connect with and interact with the demographics they want. The collaboration benefits both businesses and will increase Loop Media’s visibility in the constantly changing market.
Loop Media and Microsoft Advertising have paved a revolutionary ad landscape. The launch of CTV OOH under the aegis of the SSP partnership helps advertisers to precisely accomplish their marketing objectives. It has paved the way for a promising future by increasing market potential and improving client outreach with this agreement. Loop Media and Microsoft Advertising have created a game-changing advertising landscape by working together. The roll-out of CTV OOH under the SSP partnership framework gives marketers more freedom to precisely accomplish their marketing goals.
Read More: Connected TV Explained: The Essential Glossary Of CTV
And what they said
Bob Gruters, Chief Revenue Officer for Loop Media stated,
With this new category, Loop Media may be seen and purchased by an expanded group of advertisers in the marketplace. My team and I have been working diligently to get Loop Media positioned well across all revenue advertising categories including Microsoft Advertising’s CTV Out of Home category.
Erik Zamkoff, Microsoft Advertising associate director of Marketplace Development said,
We are pleased to launch our new CTV-OOH library on the Microsoft Advertising platform which provides a path for clients to buy CTV-OOH supply in the proper context with clear labeling in our new venue category packages. We are thrilled to feature Loop CTV-OOH supply in our new venue category packages.
About Loop Media
Loop Media, INC. is a market leader in digital out-of-home (DOOH), television, and digital signage. Through its Loop TV Service, it assists businesses in optimizing campaigns on various platforms by offering free music videos, news, sports, and entertainment channels. Loop Media has a license to stream music videos to companies in the United States using its patented Loop Player. Millions of users access its digital content at DOOH locations every day across the U.S. They include office buildings, retail enterprises, bars/restaurants, university campuses, TV platforms, airports, and local gas stations. It is the most comprehensive and important inventory of short-form entertainment.
Read More: Disney+ Hotstar Amp Brand Outreach With CTV Targeting
Disney+ Hotstar Amp Brand Outreach With CTV Targeting
For South Asian nations, including India, cricket is a profound enigma. As a result, cricket enthusiasts are in for an adrenaline rush next month as the major tournaments kick off. The ODI World Cup this year will be the ideal venue for companies to partake in both festive ecstasy and cricketing enthusiasm. As the holiday season approaches and these prominent tournaments are taking place, businesses have the perfect opportunity to take advantage. Brands can now leave their imprint by engaging with consumers in creative ways thanks to Connected TV (CTV) targeting.
A CTV Recap
As a part of programmatic advertising, CTV has risen to popularity in recent years. To explain CTV in short, simple terms, it is any device that can be connected to your traditional TV set, like a Smart TV. It offers online viewing and streaming experience via the internet. These ad formats are very cost-effective, easily trackable, and safe for brands. As such, they also offer a broadcast-quality experience. In a report by Exchange4Media, and a survey by Statista, the CTV advertising market is expected to grow by $45 billion by 2025.
CTV expansion is responsible for India’s rising content consumption. As a result, Disney+ Hotstar, the largest OTT platform in the nation, leads the curve. Disney in India has revealed that users can stream the Asia Cup and the Men’s Cricket World Cup on their mobile devices for free. In a statement, the company stated, “The move to lift the paywall for mobile-only viewers is aimed at further democratizing the game of cricket and making it accessible to as many mobile users in India as possible for the duration of the season.”
How will it benefit Advertisers?
CTV offers shared viewing. During peak sports tournaments like the Men’s Cricket World Cup or the FIFA World Cup, spectator emotions are high. This results in heightened emotional responses to the ads they are subjected to at that time. Disney+ Hotstar offers a subscription video-on-demand viewing experience. During live events like these sport world cups, Disney+ Hotstar switches to a hybrid model where, during commercial breaks, they display ad campaigns from brands. Viewers are also shown ads on their screens while live streaming the sports content, however, the ad does not cover the entire screen like traditional TV. They can access the brand’s website without disrupting their streaming experience. Here’s how it will help brands in their outreach strategies with Disney+ Hotstar
Brand Reach
As CTV popularity grows in India, more brands opt for CTV advertising. Disney+ Hotstar has a wide audience base in India. As such, the platform’s track record of offering the highest CTV results, brands are excited to collaborate with them in the upcoming cricket season. By combining their first-party data with the streaming platform, they will receive perceptive insights about their target audiences while controlling ad frequency and reach. This will help them understand how and when their ads are to be displayed so they reach the right cohort.
Audience targeting
Brands will be able to efficiently identify where and how the Disney+ Hotstar audience streams with first-party data. This will help them cater their ads according to not only the audience but the location as well so that they resonate with the population better. Advertisers will also be able to measure the campaign’s efficacy.
User actions
While streaming events like cricket or other sports, audiences are not constantly inundated with commercials. Hence, there is a high chance that viewers will watch the entire ad without skipping it. For the upcoming cricket season, Disney+ Hotstar has introduced video and display billboard ads. This will work in favor of the brands as audiences are more likely to remember the brand resulting in high brand recognition and loyalty. Although viewers might not convert into customers immediately, they will have gained a worthy prospect.
Cost-Friendly
CTV advertising is cost-effective for brands. This is because CTV ad format reaches only a single individual device according to the brand’s targeting campaign. It is unlike traditional TV advertising where viewers are subjected to the same ad around the network. Brands will be able to manage their cost per impression thanks to this ad format. At the same time, advertisers will be able to produce high quality, high performance, and targeted ads. Brands will benefit from this as the audience is more likely to respond positively to better quality ads, increasing loyalty and visibility. Advertisers with niche audiences will also enjoy a better ROI while eliminating any extra costs that might otherwise occur.
Disney+ Hotstar and CTV
Disney+ Hotstar is known for its sophisticated targeting capabilities. Therefore, this cricketing season offers marketers a fantastic chance to succeed with audience involvement. They ran 47 campaigns ICC T20 World Cup in 2022. The results can be used to measure the efficacy of their CTV advertising campaign. The analysis provides insightful information on how sports advertising affects brand visibility. Here are some of the analysis’s major takeaways.
By the numbers
The campaign delivered 25% higher results than the industry benchmark
- Sponsor brands were twice as high as inventory buyers.
- Brands with investments over Rs. 5 crores saw two times more impact on awareness and favorability
- Brands with supplementary campaigns like branded cards, billboards, etc. witnessed 1.5x and 2x higher impact on awareness and favorability respectively.
With Disney+ Hotstar, a number of brands have already found success, and they are grateful for the platform’s assistance in reaching previously untapped audiences.
Read More: PubMatic Takes On DSPs in Video & CTV Deals, Aims for Direct Access
PubMatic Takes On DSPs in Video & CTV Deals, Aims for Direct Access
PubMatic has introduced a new product called Activate, which allows brands and agencies to purchase CTV and online video inventory directly through the SSP. This is similar to Magnite’s ClearLine and The Trade Desk’s OpenPath, providing an end-to-end solution for buying inventory. Unlike real-time bidding, Activate supports direct deals, including programmatic guaranteed and private marketplaces. PubMatic is positioning Activate as a supply path optimization (SPO) solution, which involves removing intermediaries from the supply chain.
According to PubMatic, Activate has the potential to boost revenue for both publishers and buyers. The new product eliminates intermediary costs associated with the bidding process and addresses outdated transaction methods currently used in CTV and video. Almost 60 percent of CTV and 18 percent of online video transactions are non-programmatic. By enabling programmatic guaranteed and private marketplaces, Activate could unlock $65 billion in programmatic spend. PubMatic co-founder and CEO Rajeev Goel said,
By seamlessly connecting buyers and content owners via a single layer of technology, we are significantly reducing the hops, discrepancies, data proliferation, opacity, and complexity in the programmatic marketplace. This will result in higher ROI for buyers and increased revenue for publishers, consistent with our mission to fuel the endless potential of internet content creators who rely on advertising as a primary source of revenue.
Read more: Connected TV Ad Fraud: Is It Real And How To Avoid It?
How does it work?
Activate works by providing buyers with access to available inventory and the ability to apply their own first-party data to target relevant audiences. Buyers can then activate their campaigns and access reporting and analytics for optimization purposes. One key feature is that buyers can use their preferred ad server. In return for the service, PubMatic collects a percentage of the advertiser’s spend, but is also considering subscription models.
Ad agencies Dentsu, Havas, and OMG Germany, along with CPG brand Mars, LG, and Fubo, are among the launch partners of Activate. Mars gains enhanced budget control with Activate, while Fubo embraces increased transparency for media owners.
The CTV and online video market
Both PubMatic’s Activate and Magnite’s ClearLine are concentrated on video placements, encompassing CTV (Connected TV) and online video. Currently, the majority of CTV inventory is acquired through direct deals rather than programmatic methods. PubMatic estimates that 57% of the $65 billion global CTV market is currently transacted via direct insertion orders. That’s $37 billion just waiting to go programmatic. PubMatic also estimates that roughly 18% of the $150 billion online video market, or $28 billion, is transacted via direct IOs. The decision of PubMatic and Magnite to prioritize end-to-end solutions for CTV suggests that Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs) may have certain limitations or challenges in effectively addressing the CTV market.
The development of Activate took PubMatic 18 months, with the acquisition of measurement and reporting platform Martin in September 2020 helping to accelerate the process. The Martin deal provided PubMatic with additional expertise on the challenges faced by agencies and advertisers in campaign planning, as well as buy-side workflow tools, analytics, and optimization technology. Additionally, with the decline in third-party data availability due to regulatory changes and device manufacturer policies, direct access to first-party publisher data has become even more valuable for advertisers. The solution leverages this first-party data to provide advertisers with enhanced control and insights for their campaigns.
Google Ads Enhances CTV Advertising
Google’s Display & Video 360 (DV360) platform has added new features that help advertisers better plan, buy, and measure their connected TV (CTV) campaigns. With the shift to streaming over the last few years, an increasing number of advertisers have prioritized building connected TV (CTV) campaigns into their media strategies. As more advertisers focus on CTV, the platform’s new features aim to improve the targeting, forecasting, and measurement of CTV campaigns.
Let’s take a look into some new features in Display & Video 360 that advertisers use to plan, buy and measure CTV campaigns.
Plan: Reach Planner
Reach Planner in Display & Video 360 is a tool to accurately forecast the reach and expected performance of CTV campaigns. It helps advertisers discover new publishers and CTV inventory and drive more efficient budget allocation decisions.
TV functionality feature in Reach Planner enables advertisers to evaluate the unique and incremental reach of streaming publishers such as YouTube, Hulu, and Roku, as well as linear TV. This information helps advertisers make more informed decisions when it comes to budget allocation and discovering new CTV inventory.
The Reach Planner update is currently available to advertisers in the US, Japan, Vietnam, France, and Germany. Advertisers in the US can also use TV consumption data from the top 150 local Comscore markets to narrow their target audience further.
Another new feature is Deal ID forecasting, which allows advertisers to understand how a Preferred Deal or Programmatic Guaranteed deal might perform before running. This is particularly helpful for CTV campaigns since much of the valuable inventory is sold through deals, especially during significant events like the World Cup or Super Bowl.
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Buy: Premium placements
YouTube CTV (Connected TV) inventory refers to the ad space available on YouTube that can be accessed by viewers through a TV device that is connected to the internet. Advertisers who want to access this inventory can do so through Instant Reserve, which is a feature that enables them to easily book premium placements on YouTube CTV. Instant Reserve also unlocks audience targeting capabilities that were previously only available for open auction buys.
Instant Reserve offers curated packages that include YouTube TV and other YouTube Select lineups. These packages allow advertisers to reach their target audience more effectively by selecting placements that align with their specific goals and objectives.

Credit: Google
Besides Instant Reserve, another way to secure premium CTV inventory is by creating deals or activating inventory packages in the TV section of Display & Video 360’s Marketplace. This means that advertisers can access premium CTV inventory and secure it in advance of their campaign launch, giving them greater control and certainty over their campaign performance.
In addition to the Marketplace, Display & Video 360 also recently launched CTV audience features that allow advertisers to reach audiences wherever they stream connected TV content. Advertisers can use their first-party audience lists to connect with people they already have relationships with, and then expand the reach of their CTV campaigns to reach larger groups like “sports enthusiasts” through Google audiences. This helps advertisers to increase their campaign reach and effectiveness by targeting specific groups of people who are more likely to be interested in their products or services.
Measure: Ad Frequency and Reporting
Display & Video 360 can help advertisers manage ad frequency on CTV devices. Advertisers can manage ad frequency by tracking how many times an ad has been shown to a viewer and using this information to adjust the delivery of ads accordingly. It also provides insights into which publishers and strategies are driving the greatest incremental reach, which enables advertisers to optimize their campaigns and improve their overall performance.
They also released a Unique Reach Overlap report that helps advertisers identify duplicate reach across publishers, campaigns, and devices. The report provides information that can be used to determine campaign-level frequency caps, which helps minimize overlap and reduce media waste. This feature is available globally for all Display & Video 360 accounts and Campaign Manager 360. Advertisers can use this report to make data-driven decisions and optimize their campaigns for better performance.
Google’s Display & Video 360 platform has introduced new features to help advertisers plan, purchase, and measure their CTV campaigns, indicating the platform’s responsiveness to the increasing demand for CTV advertising.
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