There’s a revolution taking place in the living room called OTT. As video content delivered digitally to TV screens grows, so too does the opportunity for brands on OTT video due to its unique combination of big screen addressability, and consumer’s tendency to lean back and engage with ads and longer form content. According to eMarketer, OTT devices have demonstrated a higher video ad completion rate than desktop/PC and mobile devices.
The growing popularity of OTT video―which is video carried to a TV connected to the internet―is shifting the traditional TV landscape, bringing interactivity, data, and targeting long associated with digital media to the television ecosystem. It’s also opening up a new level of choice in content and pricing models for consumers who can choose from a continually growing menu of apps with professionally produced as well as user-generated content. For marketers, there is the opportunity to create dynamic, interactive, even “shoppable” ad experiences that can drive increased engagement and brand recall, bringing consumers further down the purchase funnel.
The purpose of this one-sheet, developed by IAB’s OTT Working Group, is to provide agencies and marketers with a quick reference guide to OTT, with insights on the current landscape and how brands can leverage the OTT opportunity. The content focuses on the advertising delivered in ad-supported video viewed on a connected TV screen.
Given how quickly the connected TV space is evolving, readers should consider this guide a starting point for buying and selling of video advertising on OTT. With options to buy directly from OTT content providers―using viewing information and the program environment as a proxy for product interest―ad targeting continues to improve, informed by viewing information, device matching, and the research that indicates what viewers do online in terms of purchasing goods and services.
We welcome you to join the discussion. If you’re an IAB member and would like to participate in IAB’s OTT working group, please email [email protected].