Executives from Facebook, ViacomCBS and The Trade Desk joined Heidi Chung, Media Analyst and Correspondent for Variety Intelligence Platform, in the Variety Streaming Room presented by The Trade Desk to discuss how advertisers are focusing on connected TV to reach growing streaming audiences and adapting to the rapidly evolving landscape.
Panelists included Taylor Wynne, digital lead of media investment at Facebook, John Halley, chief operating officer of advertising revenue at ViacomCBS, and Jed Dederick, senior vice president of global client development at The Trade Desk.
“The Trade Desk had been investing in connected television for years and seeing the benefits that could lend to everybody — to advertisers, to consumers and to the networks,” Dederick said. “What we’ve seen was, as part of obviously a very, very difficult year, an opportunity to take advantage of that change in consumer behavior, and really improve a lot of the advertising experience and ROI for everybody.”
Speaking on how connected TV can be a more effective avenue than traditional methods, Wynne said Facebook’s goal is simply to get in front of the users they want to reach, which can be easier to track via CTV.
“The great thing about the diversification of this space is there are now more places to do that in a way that’s a little bit more measurable,” Wynne said.
Halley noted the amount of ad-supported television that has been displaced by ad-free television, also saying that the decline of long-form content supply is facilitating the need for specialized methods of reaching consumers.
“We are seeing a real supply crunch, which creates the imperative for things like Unified ID and the use of data and more efficient routes to meeting targeted consumers,” Halley said.
