Maximize monetization for streaming and linear channels

Successfully monetizing live sports, live events, and on-demand video content for digital platforms, free ad-supported streaming television (FAST), traditional broadcasting, and everything in between can be complex. Today, Tier 1 media, sports, entertainment, and technology companies are competing for both global and hyperlocal audiences while navigating multiple platforms and different ad strategies.

The challenging divide between streaming and linear channels

In the linear TV world, the longstanding strategy of broadcast advertising had been to cast a wide net. Before smartphones, social media, smart TVs, and streaming accounts, linear channels reached audiences on shared household TVs. Brands had to take a chance on purchasing air time across various channels and time slots, armed only with panel-based audience measurement to know whether ads would reach targeted audiences or not.

The digital world is entirely different — namely, the method of delivery, the method of discovery, and the method of targeting. Today, the ad-buying habits of brands are beholden to the digital content consumption habits of their audiences. Consumers have more power to watch what they want, when they want, on any device, nearly anywhere. When 9 out of 10 adults have smartphones, digital advertisers can invest in targeting ads to individuals on their devices and social media.

Traditional broadcast advertising is now in the minority because of a tremendous shift from the consumption of 24/7 linear channels to more event-based viewing. With more on-demand content experiences on streaming platforms, viewers don’t need to search for specific channels when they can search their apps for what they want to watch, when they want to watch it. Because of inherent differences, the linear mindset cannot be applied to digital advertising. However, there is a way to bridge the gap and maximize the opportunities for content monetization.

Data-driven dynamic ad insertion that drives hyper-regionalization

As media companies find different angles to expand their reach into new markets, they’re also guided by the mission to deliver localized content and captivating experiences that resonate with viewers and deepen engagement. Brands need better ways to more precisely target, reach, and connect with prospective buyers. Unfortunately, their investments have had limitations. Sending messages to audiences that are too broad — most of whom are unlikely to take action — is a waste of money. This is where brands find the greatest value in the efficiency and effectiveness of today’s targeted advertising.

Digital marketing has completely changed the way brands invest advertising dollars — and that’s all thanks to data. Brands have the ability to know more about consumers than ever before. Thus, the impetus for agencies that sell nothing but data-driven buyer personas.

This has become particularly valuable for brands who aren’t seeking universal appeal, but rather those that go after a narrow audience with hyper-targeted regionalization, messaging, and coordination — all to increase the likelihood of being in the right place at the right time. This type of strategic targeting comes with a premium price tag, but because it’s such an effective and sustainable customization strategy, brands are willing to make the investment.

Applying the digital framework to broadcast advertising

In this complex landscape, the media companies that are winning the ad investments of brands are the ones who have learned to apply the customization strengths of digital to linear advertising. There’s a particular advantage for content distributors who have the infrastructure in place to support digital ads sales. They can apply their digital framework to the linear side of their house, and create offerings that deliver a value similar to digital ad packages. They do this by building their broadcast advertising platforms around the concept of impressions, rather than air time — the same way digital ad platforms are constructed. By successfully implementing digital and broadcast advertising workflows internally, both powered by the core metric of impressions, they can offer brands consolidated ad packages across both digital and linear channels, maximizing every opportunity to monetize.

Efficiently customize and monetize content across streaming and linear channels

Solutions like LTN Wave are the key to maximizing opportunities for media, entertainment, technology, and sports monetization across both digital and linear platforms. Designed with modularity and flexibility, LTN solutions empower global brands to more efficiently produce highly regionalized content that targets multiple markets simultaneously — all while using the same resources. If four versions of the same event are needed, it doesn’t require four times the CapEx.

Powered by automated versioning technology that bridges linear and digital ecosystems, LTN removes the need for media companies to duplicate the production of content or events. By efficiently creating and inserting multiple versions of SCTE 35 markers, we can effectively enrich the downstream experience for any region, audience, or platform in the world.

Over time, more and more valuable content will be produced, delivered, and consumed through the event-based model, progressing the shift from broadcast advertising to the targeting capabilities of on-demand streaming. As that happens, media, sports, entertainment, and technology companies leveraging LTN will be well-positioned to navigate the changing landscape confidently, on a future-proof path forward.