Research shows audience-based buying and targeting becoming more important as demonstrated by a 39% YoY growth of ad views using audience targeting for streaming campaigns

Advertisers rank viewer experience, targeting, and premium content as key factors when planning multiscreen campaigns

Today, Comcast Advertising released its annual Comcast Advertising Report, revealing data-based, actionable insights gleaned from billions of multiscreen TV impressions into how viewers are viewing, buyers are buying, and sellers are selling today to inform and improve the media buying process of tomorrow. The report shows that as advertisers start planning for 2025, over half rank maximizing specific reach and frequency in their TV and video buys as their biggest challenge heading into the new year.

“While TV advertising continues to be a highly desirable way for brands to get in front of consumers, delivering campaigns to the right audiences at the optimal frequency and scale can feel daunting,” said James Rooke, President of Comcast Advertising. “Success in today’s ecosystem requires a strategy built around premium data, quality media, sophisticated technology, and, most importantly, a focus on transparency throughout. Without these, you risk marring your brand with a suboptimal TV experience.”

Targeting and Measurement

While many different signal and identity solutions have emerged in recent years, first-party data and contextual solutions are securing the most attention from advertisers. Over two-thirds of them are actively using first-party data and contextual advertising solutions, while less than half are relying on traditional identifiers, IP addresses or universal IDs.

According to the report, 56% of advertisers say they’d increase their video advertising spend if it came with better measurement, attribution or optimization capabilities. This comes as more advertisers turn to multiscreen TV as a full-funnel solution, not just a vehicle for cheap reach.

Insights Into Buyer Trends Driving Success

According to the latest report, 97% of advertisers plan to increase or maintain their streaming TV spend in the next 12 months, while 74% plan to do the same with traditional TV. Additionally, about a third of advertisers are looking to increase their spend in free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST.)

The report reinforces that advertisers are increasingly looking to solutions such as addressable TV advertising and programmatic to more effectively reach audiences. In fact, 53% of advertisers now consider addressable TV a must-buy, while data shows that advertisers are increasing their use of programmatic, showing 15% YoY growth.

Additional key findings of the report include:

• Advertisers rank overall viewer experience (76%), targeting capabilities (82%), and content (88%) as some of the most important factors when planning multiscreen TV campaigns.
• It’s all about the big screen: Over 87% of viewers prefer watching streaming content on the TV screen – across paid TV streaming and free streaming.
• Sellers are enabling more streaming inventory to be transacted programmatically, with 21% of streaming video ads today being programmatic.
• Audience-based buying and targeting is becoming more important for advertisers indicated by the 39% YoY growth of ad views using audience targeting for streaming campaigns.
• 56% of advertisers rank delivering specific reach and frequency as one of their top two factors for measuring success, demonstrating the need for providers with sophisticated technology that can enable effective campaign delivery and transparent performance reporting.
• As access to reliable identifiers becomes more challenging, 89% of advertisers are actively using or planning to use contextual advertising solutions to deliver relevant experiences.

What Will Drive Advertising Success in 2025

The report posits that multiscreen TV advertising success in 2025 will lie at the intersection of good data, good media, and good technology. The report goes on to define each of these terms, using the findings of the research to qualify what defines the best kinds of data, media, and technology.

The report concludes with several industry predictions for the year to come. Among the predictions is that live events like sports will shape the streaming landscape, especially as programmatic activation increases; addressable will continue on its growth trajectory as advertiser look for accuracy, accountability, and unification across screens; viewers will expect better advertising experiences; and multiscreen TV will be embraced as a full-funnel performance engine that can drive awareness, consideration, and action, while providing transparent measurement.

The Comcast Advertising Report is based on an in-depth analysis of impressions from Comcast’s advertising sales division, Effectv, and from its advertising technology platform, FreeWheel, as well as commissioned research into viewing and buying habits from research partners.

To view the full findings as outlined in Comcast Advertising’s latest report, visit here.

Note: The full list of sources can be found in the 2024 Comcast Advertising Report.

About Comcast Advertising

Comcast Advertising is the advertising division of Comcast Cable. As a global leader in media, technology, and advertising, Comcast Advertising fosters powerful connections between brands and their audiences as well as among publishers, distributors, MVPDs, agencies and other industry players. Effectv, its advertising sales division, helps local, regional, and national advertisers connect with their audiences on every screen by using advanced data to drive targeting and measurement of their campaigns. FreeWheel, its media and technology arm, provides the technology, data enablement, and convergent marketplaces required to ensure buyers and sellers can transact across all screens, all data types, and all sales channels, in order to ensure the ultimate goal – results for marketers. Comcast Advertising, along with NBCUniversal and Sky, is part of the Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA). Visit http://comcastadvertising.com/ to learn more.

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