Overcoming the challenges of broadcast and digital advertising

As audiences increasingly split their attention between traditional broadcast television and OTT channels, advertisers and media buyers are keen to break down the barriers between these two silos. But, up until now, it hasn’t been easy.  

This is because the two areas operate very differently. Broadcast has a direct sales method with fixed one-way pipes to audiences and non-real-time data measurement. In contrast, streaming video has a programmatic sales method and benefits from a dynamic, two-way connection with a single viewer, via real-time and always-on connected devices.  

Applying addressable advertising across both platforms equally and effectively has typically required separate solutions: one for broadcast, one for streaming video. This, in turn, creates several business and technical challenges. 

The business challenges of addressable advertising 

For a start, having multiple addressable advertising solutions requires multiple technical solutions, not to mention multiple sales, operations, and management personnel. This doubling up not only reduces efficiency but increases operational costs. 

Broadcast and streaming also present a clash of business models. Today’s advertising industry ecosystem is more compartmentalised than ever. Each agency, data provider, back-office system, or other partner has a different way of working, making the optimisation of a multi-platform campaign almost impossible. Advertisers and agencies then need to navigate this complexity across their publishers, perhaps missing out on opportunities to fine tune allocation of their investment. 

And if you can get a campaign up and running, you still need to comply with local content regulations and privacy laws, all of which are likely to have multiple touchpoints across each advertising technology platform. 

The technical challenges facing advertisers and operators 

The problems of combining broadcast and digital advertising don’t end there. There are some heavyweight technical challenges to consider. How do you measure campaign performance effectively? Given the differences between the delivery and measurement mechanisms of broadcast and streaming video advertising, cross-platform reporting and forecasting could be inconsistent and unreliable. 

Then there’s the question of reach. Many set-top boxes are only partially IP-connected or lack a hard drive for storing ads, yet still represent a large proportion of the devices that viewers use. Leaving these behind means missing a potentially large portion of ad audiences that could be targeted, resulting in not only loss of revenue, but also a less relevant and disjointed viewing experience. 

The good news is that there’s a way to combat all of these challenges. A way to expand advertising inventory, gain greater control over data and deliver a better experience. It’s a way that frees addressable advertising from its silos, delivering tangible and measurable benefits to operators, viewers, and advertisers alike. A win-win-win. 

Addressable advertising with Synamedia Iris  

Synamedia Iris is a unified and modular cloud SaaS solution that can unlock more value from your inventory on all services and devices. Operators like Sky (UK) and Astro (Malaysia) are already successfully transforming their advertising business across all screens with Synamedia Iris, attracting new advertisers and improving viewer engagement. 

To find out how to unify and unleash your addressable advertising potential, download our eGuide.