Discovery gets into shoppable TV as it looks to make streaming more interactive

Discovery introduced several new advertising capabilities for its streaming services, including shoppable ads, as it looks to help brands reach younger audiences and drive consumer engagement. For the first time, Discovery will allow viewers to purchase products that align with its library of food and home programming through their TV screens. Ads will feature a QR code that will take the viewer directly to a site where they can purchase items from the ad. This comes as other traditional media companies push into the e-commerce space, finding new opportunities to help brands drive sales. NBCUniversal was an early adopter of shoppable TV, and last week the company announced a new augmented-reality online store as well as a livestreamed shopping show. Discovery is also adopting some other familiar ad formats for its streaming services, like delivering a commercial-free experience to viewers who are binging shows, and the ability to interact with viewers when they pause a program. Both formats are similar to offerings on platforms like Hulu and Peacock. Other new offerings include so-called "Green-Light" ads, which allow marketers to have their commercial appear as the very first ad all viewer sees when they watch Discovery+, as well as "High-Light" ads, which allows advertisers to own the first ad break of any given show. Discovery is also unveiling a selection of ad products that let marketers fine-tune exactly where their creative runs; its “Marquee Collections” offering, for example, will allow advertisers to curate collections of episodes select during which their ads will be shown, as well as the opportunity to match ads with certain words and expressions that appear in programming, like “ice cream” or “garage door.”

Discovery gets into shoppable TV as it looks to make streaming more interactive

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