Behind Headlines: 180 Seconds in Ad Tech — Cross-Platform Measurement & Seller-Defined Audiences

Hi folks! This is Ari at Sharethrough back with a new episode of Behind Headlines. In this episode I'll be giving you a 180-second recap of what happened the week of February 28th in ad tech. Just as heads up to all our listeners, moving forward, we’ll be releasing new Behind Headlines episodes every Monday. Be sure to check out our next episode, it’ll be the first to include video, which you can watch on our blog or YouTube. Audio versions will still be available on our website, Spotify, and other podcasting platforms. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

First up, what do Nielsen and VideoAmp have in common? Both media measurement companies agree on the importance of a Media Ratings Council (MRC) accreditation. Nielsen lost its MRC accreditation in 2021, after it was found underreporting audiences during the pandemic. And with Nielsen ONE, the cross-platform measurement tool, in alpha testing, Nielsen hopes to regain that accreditation from the MRC. VideoAmp is also undergoing the lengthy process of obtaining accreditation for the first time. As the industry is calling for cross-platform measurement, there needs to be common metrics to measure. Both companies hope that third-party accreditation helps speed up the adoption of cross-platform measurement tools by removing any doubts of a company’s ability and transparency, however there needs to be a singular standard in order for it to work. (Source: AdExchanger)

Speaking of measurement platforms, iSpot.TV pulled an acquisition hat-trick when it recently acquired Tunity, the OOH TV measurement company, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition was part of iSpot.TV’s effort to add OOH measurement to its cross-platform portfolio. Tunity helps viewers watch TV in public places by streaming the audio through a viewer’s phone, and uses that audio verification to measure ad performance. And Tunity too, is a proponent for a single measurement standard. They believe it’ll increase the competition, as accurate cross-screen viewing will allow agencies to be less averse to risks. (Source: AdExchanger)

And while we’re on the topic of TV, according to a new MediaRadar report, ad-supported video on demand (aka AVOD) grew to a $1.3B sector, accounting for 3% of online ad spend, and growing. The top 5 AVOD platforms like Hulu, NBCUniversal’s Peacock, and HBO max account for 2/3rds of all ad spend from the entire advertising ecosystem. A majority of that spend is in the “media” category, meaning that other media, tech, and entertainment companies are promoting their own shows and apps. After all, how many ad-free streaming services can people pay for? (Source: MediaRadar)

Next up, Netflix is doubling down on its games offering when it recently purchased Next Games, a Finnish mobile-game developer, the studio that developed games for franchises like Stranger Things and The Walking Dead. Although Next Games earned 95% of its revenue from in-app purchases, that stream will dry up as Netflix Games are included for free with a subscription. But it’s the only of the streaming services to provide free games as an added value. Amazon’s Luma is an additional $6, while Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass, are an additional $5, and now both passes include access to Verizon as well. However, Apple makes it easier to purchase Apple Arcade by lowering the cost when users bundle it with other Apple services. Microsoft also has a game pass for Xbox, which will probably expand with their recent Activision-Blizzard acquisition. Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft use their gaming passes to bolster their data collection for their respective advertising businesses, giving advertisers greater insights into their target audiences. (Source: PRNewswire, AdExchanger)

And finally, the IAB Tech Lab officially released their new Seller-Defined Audiences (SDA) specification that was developed within Project Rearc. The SDA spec will allow publishers to make their data and audiences transactable from other sites and sellers while still maintaining user-privacy. The user data doesn’t usually make it to the bidstream because of data leak concerns, but with cookies being phased out from Chrome, the SDA can help balance privacy with personalization. It works in a way similar to Google’s Topics API, but rather than the browser determining the audience, SDA will allow publishers to create their own data labels for audiences, like the nutrition labels on food products. Advertisers can then buy from whichever labels best fit their needs. Of all the addressability initiatives, which one will stick? (Source: IAB Tech Lab)

Thanks for tuning in! For more in-depth information or to subscribe to these weekly updates, check out the links in our blog. This has been Ari at Sharethrough for our weekly 180 second-recap in Ad tech. Until next time!