WPLG-TV, the ABC affiliate in Miami, said it will be selling advertising based on audience impressions, rather than traditional ratings, joining a trend among local stations.
Owned by Berkshire Hathaway, the station said that impressions allow advertisers an easier way to purchase ad schedules across the platforms and screen it sells, including linear TV, livestream, on-demand, over-the-top and other forms of digital media.
“This isn’t so much a change as much [a]s it is adapting to the current times,” said Paul Wasserman, general sales manager at WPLG. “Advertisers want to know the number of people they are reaching. Impressions allow us to accomplish this and recognize our audiences across all platforms while still remaining accountable for deliveries.”
Last month, the NBCUniversal and Hearst owned stations said they were switching to impression-based selling. Some media agencies, including IPG’s MediaBrands have embraced the new metric.
The switch to impressions allows local stations to be more competitive with digital media and more compatible with automated and programmatic buying technology.
“We are eager to be a part of accelerating industry change to a single currency for all-inclusive measurement and effectiveness across all platforms,” said Bert Medina, president and CEO of WPLG.
In addition to its main ABC-affiliated signal, WPLG sells advertising in the MeTV and H&I networks it carries on its multicast channels. It also has digital and social properties including Local10.com, the Local10 app, Weather and Hurricane apps, and OTT streams on virtual MVPDs including AT&T TV Now, PlayStation Vue, YouTube TV and Hulu Live TV.
