Unlocking the potential of connected TV for advertisers - Opportunities & challenges

One of the media touchpoints which has started being in the limelight of late is connected TV. Connected TV is emerging as that platform or opportunity in today’s world where marketers and advertisers are looking for opportunities to target the top-of-the-audience pyramid. While there are arguments to and against the platforms, today we will deep dive into the topic and understand this phenomenon better, writes Vibhor Mehrotra, Chief Digital Officer, Zenith.

How big is the Connected TV market in India?
Various industry sources peg connected TV households currently around 25 million (expected to double up in the next few years) and with a multiplier of 3-4 users per Connected TV, the expected reach of the touch point is expected to be 75-100 million audiences.

What makes Connected TV the right platform?

Those who are using connected TV would in general be having:

• Either an internet-enabled TV or a dongle like Google Chromecast, Amazon FireTV, etc., which can be used to streaming
• High speed Internet connection, at least 50MbPS and above
• A paid subscription for OTT platforms for getting quality streaming, because most free OTT platforms provide limited or no streaming capabilities

Hence, with such kind of discretionary expenses, these audiences seem to be sitting right on top of the audience’s pyramid of affluence

How can brands and advertisers leverage Connected TV?

Connected TV can be leveraged for advertising in the following ways:

• OEM audience targeting, that is, the likes of Samsung, Xiaomi provide opportunities to advertise on the native apps
• Devices or Dongles like Amazon FireTV
• OTT audiences via their Connected TV viewership
• YouTube audiences, that is, viewers on connected TV
• Video aggregators like VDO.ai, etc., which provide innovative video capabilities on Connected TV

All these platforms can be activated either through programmatic buys or via direct media buys.

Which targeting capabilities are available on Connected TV?

All the regular digital targeting options, like Demo, Geo, Audiences, are available. Further, the OEMs allow the targeting to be done on the basis of price points or screen sizes and OTTs allow content line-ups.

While it has been used across the board by brands in various categories, largely it’s the D2C, BPC, premium lifestyle/ durable/ tech/ auto brands, which are leveraging it the most.

What are the challenges or things to address in connected TV?

Measurement as media, as well as active audience impression, immediate call-to-action, are a few factors or challenges to be worked on and addressed, as Connected TV becomes the preferred affluence targeting platform.

With democratisation of devices, data and content, and growth of personalised consumption along with a burgeoning user base, and with the right addressability in place, we expect the connected TV ecosystem to grow by leaps and bounds.