Significant portion of viewers prefer free, ad-supported streaming on CTV: Gavin Buxton
In conversation with Adgully, Gavin Buxton, Managing Director - Asia, Magnite, sheds light on the burgeoning significance of Connected TV (CTV) advertising in today’s media landscape, particularly in the Asian market. As the majority of TV viewing in Asia, including India, transitions towards digital platforms, CTV has emerged as a pivotal contributor to streaming enablement. Gavin Buxton shares insights into Magnite’s perspective on the evolving role of CTV advertising in shaping audience engagement and identity across diverse demographics, as well as the opportunities and challenges inherent in delivering personalized ad experiences. Moreover, he elaborates on Magnite’s strategies for effective targeting and measurement in the diverse Asian market, highlighting the integration of advanced technologies like AI and machine learning.
Could you elaborate on the significance of connected TV ad experience in today’s media landscape, particularly in the Asian market?
The majority of TV viewing in Asia, including India, is shifting towards digital platforms, with Connected TV (CTV) emerging as a leading contributor to streaming enablement. Research indicates that a significant portion of viewers prefer free, ad-supported streaming on CTV platforms. While global streamers initially leaned towards ad-free subscription models, Asian broadcasters, particularly in India, have led the way in embracing ad-supported streaming as a key monetization strategy. The ad experience on CTV platforms is crucial for viewers, broadcasters, and advertisers alike, as highlighted by research indicating that viewers may stop streaming if the ad experience is poor. Therefore, optimizing the ad experience alongside great content and viewing interfaces is essential for the growth and monetization of CTV.
How does Magnite perceive the evolving role of connected TV advertising in shaping audience engagement and identity across various demographics?
While CTV operates in a cookie-less environment and ultimately isn’t impacted by the fate of cookies, the ecosystem is still fragmented and presents its own set of unique challenges. With these challenges also come opportunities and in CTV and cookieless environments, publishers hold valuable insights into user interests, making their first party data and models critical to buyers’ future audience strategies. Magnite’s platform is designed to address the complexities of CTV advertising, offering tools for publishers to manage ad delivery and optimize user experiences while maximizing monetization opportunities.
What are the opportunities and challenges in delivering personalized ad experiences on CTV, and how does Magnite address them?
Challenges in delivering personalized ad experiences on CTV include frequency capping, latency, ad duplication, and managing multiple demand sources. Magnite’s platforms, such as Magnite Streaming and SpringServe, provide solutions to address these challenges by offering tools for inventory management, customized ad experiences, and advanced ad targeting. By leveraging technology and automation, Magnite enables broadcasters to optimize ad breaks, improve user experiences, and maximize monetization opportunities.
Could you share insights into the specific strategies employed by Magnite to ensure effective targeting and measurement of CTV advertising, especially in the diverse Asian market?
Collaboration across the industry is crucial for addressing the diverse measurement methods and challenges in CTV advertising. Magnite works with various measurement and attribution experts to provide clients with a range of solutions for targeting and measurement. By collaborating with ecosystem partners and leveraging technology, Magnite aims to enable easy activation of measurement solutions that bring transparency to the transaction and ensure advertisers get the most value from their investments.
How do advanced technologies like AI and machine learning enhance the effectiveness of CTV advertising and audience engagement, and how does Magnite integrate them into its solutions?
AI and machine learning can play a role in improving ad monetization and audience engagement in CTV advertising. Machine learning can be applied to a range of workflows to help with creative review automation, audience curation, forecasting, and optimization. By automating processes and leveraging past data insights, AI can help publishers enhance ad workflows, improve targeting accuracy, and maximize profitability. Magnite’s platforms incorporate machine learning-driven tools to streamline ad operations and deliver personalized ad experiences, ultimately enhancing audience engagement and advertiser ROI.
With the proliferation of streaming services and smart TV adoption, how does Magnite envision the future trajectory of CTV advertising in Asia, and what role does audience identity play in this evolution?
The growth of streaming services and smart TV adoption presents significant opportunities for CTV advertising in Asia. With advanced targeting capabilities and controls, CTV advertising is becoming increasingly important for marketers, including advertisers with smaller budgets. Publishers now have access to valuable audience data, enabling them to offer precise targeting strategies for advertisers. Magnite empowers the streaming ecosystem with tools for audience enablement, allowing publishers to maximize the value of their data assets while safeguarding user privacy and complying with regulatory standards.
How does Magnite collaborate with advertisers and content providers to optimize the ad experience while safeguarding user privacy and data security in compliance with regulatory standards?
Magnite collaborates with advertisers and content providers to uphold brand safety and transparency in ad placements. With dedicated brand safety teams and marketplace quality experts, Magnite enforces content standards across its publisher network and honours advertisers’ site blocklists. Monitoring a vast number of publishers in real-time is a huge technical challenge, so Magnite also uses third-party monitoring and classification services to help. We combine these efforts and our technology with third-party standards, partnering with providers like MOAT to help publishers confirm that ads are shown to real people in brand-safe environments.
Accomplishing this with privacy and data security in mind begins with respecting the data regulations for each territory in which we operate, which typically includes consent, clear privacy policies, and the ability to opt-out of tracking. We allow our clients to control how much data is shared with others, with tools such as “data lock” that allows publishers to choose and customize the attributes, device, and content signals they provide buyers in the bidstream. Much of our targeting is done using curation and deals, which means that data isn’t passed outside of our ecosystem, one of the biggest advantages of activating data on the sell side.