Foxtel Media (formerly MCN) has announced a suite of new advertising products, "shaking up" its traditional advertising models across both linear and digital platforms.
The company, which unvielded the changes at a Foxtel event overnight, stated the new ad models and formats have been designed with a clear purpose, to enhance the viewer experience, while delivering increased impact for advertisers.
To be rolled out over the coming weeks, they include reducing ad loads and introducing new advertising opportunities across the Foxtel Media network.
Foxtel Media CEO, Mark Frain, says that as part of the journey to becoming more closely aligned to Foxtel, the business has reset the way it brings advertising to Foxtel’s highly engaged and valued customers to create the best of TV and On-Demand advertising, all in one place.
“Audiences are being presented with more choices today, which alter their viewing habits, and so it’s time for us to change the way advertising is delivered to these customers, and the subsequent outcomes that are generated for advertisers,” he says.
“Foxtel is revolutionising its platform now and for the future, putting the viewer experience at the centre, and so as Foxtel evolves a richer, deeper content experience, we must evolve our advertising experience with it. This thinking puts Foxtel Media ahead in the attention economy battle.
“Our new suite of ad innovations further extends our ability to talk to a more receptive audience, but now with lower ad loads, which make advertising stand out more. By introducing targeting to linear IP content and creating the themed and targeted short break structures on linear television, advertising on our platform becomes more impactful with greater relevance.”
Speaking last night on the importance of clients tapping to data, Frain also says he estimated that only 10% of blue-chip advertisers in Australia have both the systems and strategies in place to effectively take advantage of their data.
He says over the next five years any advertiser that is not optimising their data to create and deploy marketing campaigns will be at a major disadvantage.
The Foxtel Media's new product line-up includes:
Q Break: Linear six second advertisements
Foxtel Media will be rolling out six second ads across 15 broadcast channels. These ads will be presented as a Q Break: a bespoke 15-second slot that will run a three second intro to inform customers there is a quick ad break coming, and then two six-second ads at the end or start of a new program.
M Break: reduced linear ad loads
The M break represents a one minute ad break with only two advertisers running within the format on linear TV channels. We will therefore reduce the standard ad break in half and give back time to our viewer, whilst providing them with a more engaging advertising experience.
Unified digital ad experience across Foxtel
Foxtel Now and Foxtel Go will offer the same experience, with advertising now consistent across all Video On Demand content. This replaced formerly disjointed advertising formats across Foxtel’s VOD mobile and online platforms.
Ad-Pods: two pre-rolls, but no more than 30 second of ads across Foxtel Go and Now
Foxtel Media will be removing mid-rolls from all our BVOD on demand platforms to therefore never interrupt the viewing experience once a viewer commences watching. To allow advertiser to engage with our audience it will be transitioning to two pre-rolls, but for only 30 seconds of ads in totality.
Targeted Video On Demand advertising:
Foxtel Media will be rolling out new ad targeting options based on de-identified, privacy compliant, subscriber data for our Video On Demand platforms. Tapping into the company's data, based on billing information, initial targeting will be available based on age, demographic, location and region, but will evolve over time with further personalisation.
IP Ad insertion
Foxtel Media will be upgrading live streaming across Kayo Sports, Foxtel Go and Foxtel Now to enable the insertion of digital advertising on what has of late been linear feeds directly streamed to viewers. This will increase inventory, while enabling advertisers to use the data from Foxtel’s digital assets to target those ads and make them more relevant.
Foxtel Media director of advanced advertising Nev Hasan says the new products were a disruption to many traditional advertising models, designed to create "new and exciting opportunities" for advertisers.
He says the changes are just the start of Foxtel Media's journey and the business will continue to invest, not only in new products and capabilities, but also research to prove the effectiveness of these initiatives.
“Innovation has always been a core part of our DNA and with our closer alignment to Foxtel, we are well positioned to offer new ways to connect with audiences, by bring greater targeting capabilities to better connect with our customers," Hasan says.
"It’s a win, win, whereby our customers get greater relevance in their viewing experience, less interruption, and buyers receive more impactful ways to target and engage their core audiences."
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