Page 34 - Adnews Magazine May-June 2021

Agenda
“And from a linear-versus-BVOD perspective, we're seeing an evo- lution there rather than a struc- tural decline.
“We're talking about total tele- vision, that’s where we're going to.” Mark Frain, CEO of Foxtel Media, says 2021 is proving that, in times of uncertainty and turbu- lence, TV is the most trusted
advertising medium.
“Demand is also coming from
the fact that Australians have a higher disposable income at their hands to spend locally due to the lack of international travel,” he says.
“Marketers are looking to tried and tested brand environments like TV. Flexible work arrangements also mean that viewers have more time to engage with content. This, coupled with the quality content that is currently available makes for a great TV advertising environ- ment. The viewing customer has never had it so good when it comes to availability of content choices.”
Food, gaming, and health and beauty have been some of strongest sectors to bounce back, says Frain.
“Given the challenges of lock- down and travel restrictions, it has not been surprising to see a spend- ing decline from travel, and loca- tion-based hospitality and enter- tainment sectors,” he says. “But when these sectors come back, and we’re already seeing positive signs in domestic tourism, they will further propel the growth we have seen across the board.”
Frain says brands are looking for effective advertising. They want to reach the right audience, create awareness, change behav- iour and ultimately drive sales.
But they are increasingly becoming more sophisticated in their briefs, demanding personal- isation and addressability to make those moments of impact and attention even more engaging.
“For Foxtel Media, it’s about pro- viding the media platforms that offer brands and their agencies smart options for securing audiences, one that marries mass appeal with quality content and an enhanced viewing experience,” he says.
“As an industry, we know there is a slowly trending decline in overall linear audiences as a result of how we view content. However,
“What we’re noticing is the growth in audiences has led to advertisers shifting their perception of TV advertising from a simplistic cost view to a much more sensible assessment of effectiveness and value.”
Kim Portrate, ThinkTV
the massive growth across BVOD and streaming audiences is more than making up for this.
“We are also seeing a ratings bump across marquee events, such as sport,” says Frain. “2020 gave us the highest ratings season for live AFL and live NRL and the highest ratings cricket Test series and one-day international series on STV. This, in turn, gave our brand partners fantastic ways of engaging with fans, through the use of QR codes, for example.”
Juliette Stead, SVP, for independent sell-side advertising platform Magnite, says TV is excellent for brand exposure and awareness.
“Last year, the industry saw a significant increase in OTT and CTV viewing across catch-up, catalogue and live linear, and we expect to see that growth continue this year,” she says.
“On the content side, live sports will be a big driver of TV viewing with the Olympics slated for later in the year.
“On the business side, there’s also been a shift from IO to program- matic buying so brands can have greater flexibility.”
According to the IAB, 61% of video was bought programmatically in Q4 2020, and Magnite expects to see that trend towards programmatic carry on through 2021 and into the future.
Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia, says investment in digital video advertising more than tripled between 2015 and 2020 with the total Australian digital video market worth $1.9 billion in 2020.
Early revenue reporting in 2021 shows continued strong growth in digital video investment, with content publishers seeing a 31% year-on- year increase in January and 45% year-on-year increase in February (IAB Australia Online Advertising Expenditure Report).
“Although there was strong growth in linear TV into early 2021, we’ll see this shift with serious growth in audiences via digital channels, including SVOD, BVOD, YouTube, gaming and other digital offerings on the TV screen,” says Le Roy.
“Advertisers and brands will follow this growth in audience reach and time. There are already signs of this, with video investment on CTV increasing from 35% to 45% between 2019 and 2020.
“For the convergence of traditional and TV worlds to become a reality and deliver on the promise of CTV at scale, the industry will need tech- nical standards that enable interoperability and efficiency.”
Milo and Nic from
Gogglebox Australia.
www.adnews.com.au | May/June 2021 34