The Future of TV Briefing discusses the current state of measurement currencies in the annual upfront market, with a focus on advanced audiences. Despite Nielsen's legacy panel-based measurement remaining the primary measurement currency, the growing importance of advanced audiences in upfront ad sellers' pitches opens opportunities for alternative measurement providers.
VideoAmp is one provider gaining significant traction. Several TV network executives have expressed their reliance on VideoAmp for advanced audiences and strategic targeting measurement data. While Nielsen's legacy measurement will drive traditional age-and-gender-based upfront deals, VideoAmp is positioned for advanced audience agreements. This could give VideoAmp a boost in the primary currency changeover that may occur next year, depending on Nielsen's decisions regarding its legacy measurement deprecation.
However, there is still preference for having Nielsen in the mix, particularly its newer big data-based measurement system, referred to as "Nielsen big data". This system is considered VideoAmp's main competition, but it has faced some challenges. While some agencies and sellers are open to adopting Nielsen big data, others are hesitant.
The TV ad industry is expected to make more significant moves on the measurement front, as advanced audiences become a larger part of upfront deals and new measurement currencies are adopted. This transition will involve reconciling different deal types and assessing how CPMs translate in the new currency.
The briefing also includes updates on AI in TV networks, the impact of streaming services on the upfront spotlight, the NBA's broadcast rights tussle, YouTube's 2024 upfront pitch to advertisers, and Amazon's upfront presentation.
