YouTube is replacing its Google Preferred ad product with YouTube Select and creating a dedicated streaming TV lineup as part of YouTube Select in the U.S. for advertisers looking to reach connected TV viewers.
Noting that more than 100 million people watch YouTube and YouTube TV on their TV screen each month, the Google unit said that the new streaming TV package makes it easy to reach your audience with a single, scalable offering on the big screen across the best content.
The TV offering comes in time for TV’s upfront ad buying season, which in some cases might be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
YouTube created its preferred product to steer TV advertisers seeking premium content to its most-watched content. YouTube said that YouTube Select is a reimagination and unification of Google Preferred and prime packs.
"It offers more flexibility to reach the audiences you can’t find elsewhere in the content and places they choose to watch--with the confidence that your buy is brand-safe," Vishal Sharma, VP, product management at YouTube Ads, said in a blog post.
YouTube Select videos are classified by machines and verified by humans.
YouTube Select Lineups--collections of videos chosen to be globally and locally relevant--can be bought via Google Ads, Display & Video 360 and reservation.
"For Omnicom Media Group UK, the ability to build relevant and customized content plans to support the unique needs of each of our clients is critical. The YouTube Select product will allow us to achieve this, and will also provide us added controls like human verification and brand measurement,” said Harriet Perry, general manager at OMG Digital. “Additionally, we are excited about YouTube Select’s audience and scale on OTT/connected TV devices, which will be a core part of our overall connected TV strategy."
YouTube said that YouTube Select global lineups in 2019 delivered an average awareness lift of 13% and an average purchase intent lift of 9%. YouTube Select lineup also had a greater ROI than TV in 73% of the marketing mix model examined by Nielsen.
