TV Takes a Back Seat to AdTech and CTV at 2022 Upfronts

The Upfronts have historically been about the new shows and the postlaunch parties where ad execs and brands alike ate drank and enjoyed the celebrity petting zoo This year had its share of celebrities and shows but just as many reboots like Hocus Pocus Night Court BelAir Quantum Leap and so many more The real story was the shift from GRPs to impressions and from linear to streaming as nearly every company39s Upfront talked about their move to streaming and the emergence of dominance and strength with their depth in programming live sports and movies most notably Amazon39s pickup of Thursday Night Football for Prime Video where the 2022 Thursday games will exclusively streamThis shift is happening now and is happening for good reason Industry leaders like NBC have put Nielsen on the ropes by betting on new currencies doubling down on streaming and working to counter the massive shift that COVID viewing has created as sports and other viewing move to the new TV CTVCouple the dropping linear viewership Samsung reported 78 of their US HHs mostly stream while only 22 mostly watch linear with the many entrants into streaming further fragmenting the audience and viewer behavior and it is easy to understand why CTV and streaming is the future of TV This is not to say that linear is dead nor going away anytime soon but programmers and broadcasters alike must now hitch their wagons to data measurement and accountability or performance guarantees to keep hold of the valuable and coveted Madison Avenue dollar as the shift to streaming continues More importantly Madison Avenue is no longer the only place where that dollar is coming from With CTV Main Street and Madison Avenue are jumping into TV as a result of the lower price and ability to measure business outcomes As viewership shifts the ability to deliver TV with cost efficiency and performance almost certainly guarantees TVamp8217s future successThe future of TV has a quotCquot in itThe way TV is sold must also change While the Upfronts will continue to evolve especially as NFL and other sports rights come up for bid and as the potential for more live events move to streaming at scale the market is not ready for them to go away They still add value to showcase whatamp8217s now and whatamp8217s next as well as to begin trading discussions However buyers and sellers alike should expect less Upfront amp8220tradingamp8221 to happen Buyers are prepared more now than ever to pay higher CPMs for their coveted audiencesAre sellers prepared to not sell so much up front and instead wait for the programmatic market to drive rate and consumption Or will they continue to sell up front and potentially undersell their inventoryThe one thing for sure is that as Main Street enters the TV market in a more meaningful way sellers should recognize that there are new buyers who are prepared to pay more for the same impressions and they also have deep pockets When this recognition happens the Upfront market as we just experienced it will changeClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

TV Takes a Back Seat to AdTech and CTV at 2022 Upfronts

Author

Publish date

Channel

Gabe Greenberg

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

More Videos:

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

TV Takes a Back Seat to AdTech and CTV at 2022 Upfronts

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Gabe Greenberg

Stay in the know with more from MediaVillage

TAGS:

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

Cookies