Defining premium video—how VAB and Comcast’s FreeWheel are trying to settle TV industry debate

“Premium video,” a seemingly simple phrase, has become a bone of contention in the U.S. media market of late as TV networks battle digital platforms, especially Google’s YouTube, over what it means. Now the Video Advertising Bureau, which represents TV-centric media companies, Comcast and its FreeWheel ad tech unit have come together with a definition billed as “a definitive checklist.” And despite their obvious interest in defining premium video in favor of their constituents, the complex definition they’re proposing is one that even VAB and FreeWheel users don’t always meet and allows room for rivals such as Google’s YouTube and other digital platforms. See all of Ad Age’s Breakout Brand Leaders here The VAB and FreeWheel Council for Premium Video, made up of 30 publishers, propose a definition of premium video that includes a quality environment with trusted programmatic delivery, less clutter and an optimal viewing experience. They also believe it should hold media partners accountable for meeting brands’ adjacency requirements and avoiding objectionable content with legitimate verification. And they’re calling for transparent measurement so buyers know exactly what they’re buying and ensuring viewable ads are running in appropriate content seen by real people. While the networks are behind the effort, the definition is informed by survey research of 305 marketer and agency executives through Advertiser Perceptions and a Comcast-commissioned consumer survey of 284 people. It’s not as simplistic as what some critics of network-backed efforts have seen as simply defining “premium” as content produced by studios or sold by TV networks. One of those critics, Dave Morgan, CEO of Simulmedia, applauds the new effort. “Considering some of the rhetoric, I was expecting something that was going to be more skewed,” he said. “This is much more down the middle of the road and much more inclusive than what I was expecting. And given the research they’ve done, it seems to align with what legacy TV buyers or digital buyers want.” The definition aligns with what the VAB has seen as a level playing field between traditional TV, streaming services and digital platforms, and which it’s demanding the Association of National Advertisers embrace if the network group is to support its efforts to pilot a cross-media measurement initiative. The VAB has pulled out of talks to support a viewership panel to back that effort, citing concerns about undue influence from digital platforms. Among the things the VAB and FreeWheel Council are proposing in their premium video definition are full brand safety disclosure with third-party tracking and day part log level disclosures to buyers. Those are things that programmatic buying of connected TV inventory from affiliated free ad supported networks (FAST) and ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) don’t necessarily deliver, according to buy side executives. Dentsu, for example, launched a program with GumGum in September to allow keyword buying of CTV that would allow for such safeguards, but the effort is starting with only limited support from supply-side and demand-side platforms. “The standards that we’re held to,” said Mark McKee, general manager of FreeWheel, “must be a definitive checklist for the rest of the buying community. Don’t hold TV to a higher standard than you would anything else you buy. In fact, you should focus on that standard, because it’s at the top of the bar.” He acknowledged that FAST in particular, as a relatively new part of the industry, isn’t always offering the same level of tracking and disclosure as AVOD and linear TV networks. Recent news: Advertisers aren’t moving to streaming TV quickly “We’re hoping that this really does have a strong impact on the marketplace,” said Danielle DeLauro, executive VP of the VAB. “This is something that the industry has been wrestling with for a while. Television has been held to a different measurement standard for years. However, with convergence, it’s really coming to a head in the past year or so. With this checklist, it’s a standard way of marketers being able to look at this and say, what is premium?” The FreeWheel-VAB checklist is more of a discussion starter than the end of the discussion, DeLauro said. “We always are looking to reach across the table and to discuss this more openly,” she said. “We would absolutely embrace [having digital platforms weigh in on the definition] and and have this be a cross-industry initiative.” Media measurement blog Tracking TV, social and digital updates Click here

Defining premium video—how VAB and Comcast’s FreeWheel are trying to settle TV industry debate

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