Verizon Media said it is teaming up with Innovid and BrightLine to offer marketers interactive ads on connected TV.
Amid the pandemic, CTV has been hot, with impression volume growing 66% in August, compared to a year ago.
“There’s no question that audiences have altered their consumption behavior, perhaps for good, as a result of the pandemic. Innovation is now at a premium as brands adapt to new ways of reaching audiences, with interactive ads leading the way in meeting consumer expectations,” Verizon Media said in a blog post.
Verizon said that interactive ads are already six times more engaging than standard pre-roll ads. Interactive ads layer on additional targeting capabilities to reach viewers that are most likely to lean in.
According to the company 71% of CTV viewers use their mobile devices to look up related content while watching TV, creating an opportunity for advertisers to make connections with target audiences.
The two companies Verizon is working with have long backgrounds in interactive TV.
Innovid in 2008 filed the world's first patent to insert interactive objects into video. It delivered an interactive ad for Pringles during the 2019 Super Bowl.
BrightLine’s technology inserts enhanced ad format for CTV across a large footprint of TV partners and OTT technologies. During the 2018 Olympics BrightLine delivered a unique ad experience. It also worked with Hulu to allow shoppable video for Hulu.
