A majority of marketers are using forms of advanced TV advertising to reach target audiences, according to a new survey for Comcast’s ad tech company FreeWheel conducted by Advertiser Perceptions.
The survey of about 300 marketers and agencies found that 66% of respondents have bought advertising on over-the-top or connected TV.
Addressable TV was bought by 57%, full-episode players by 57%, audience-based linear by 56%, virtual MVPDs by 33% and set-top-box video on demand by 33%.
The results showed growth in advanced TV from a similar study conducted in December 2018.
For OTT/CTV, the study’s measure of spending optimism rose to a score of 59 from 37 a year ago. For addressable, the score increased to 54 from 38. Ad agency execs were more bullish on advanced advertising than their clients, the study found.
Buying advertising based on target audiences, rather than on traditional demos, is also gaining growing. The survey found that on advanced TV, 55% of those surveyed planned to buy based on audiences, up from 47% a year ago. For linear TV, 47% said they expected to buy on audiences, compared to 41% in the 2019 study.
“In 2019, we saw our clients embrace data and automation for TV buying in ways we’d never seen before,” said Brian Wallach, senior VP, advanced TV media sales at FreeWheel. “The technology is there and the interest is there. We expect the breadth of capabilities and applications to increase as we move through 2020.”
Digital video was seen as a way of extending the reach of TV campaigns by 80% of the respondents.
The survey also found that marketers and advertisers expect audience-based buying to increase in 2020. At least half of TV advertising will be addressable within five years, according to 68% of those surveyed and 57% said that a full shift to IP delivery of linear TV will occur in five to 10 years.
Advertiser Perceptions conducted 301 interviews in October.
