This year in TV was full of highs and lows, with broadcast video on demand (BVOD) growing and the traditional TV ad market sliding.
TV bosses at this year's upfronts each spoke to the shifting industry landscape, as viewers look to consume content on a variety of screens throughout their households.
Enter VOZ or Virtual Australia, the new measurement platform to launch in February next year.
Agencies and TV executives both see this new system give\ing clients a better understanding of how audiences are shifting and, \while they may not be watching the traditional TV screen as much, they are still engaging with the major network's across multiple devices.
AdNews asked some of TV's senior executives for their predictions on what 2020 will look like.
Nine’s director of sales – television Richard Hunwick:
“My call is that 2020 will be the year ‘Total Television’ comes into its own, as Brand returns to fashion and VOZ allows real and robust cross platform measurement between Linear TV and BVOD. VOZ will prove that Television’s total scale and reach remains unmatched, and continued work on measuring effectiveness will reinforce TV’s position at the top of the marketing funnel, building brands and businesses.”
Seven chief revenue officer Kurt Burnette:
"2020 is going to be a massive year for the television industry, game changing in fact. The Evolution of TV as Total Video will continue, with VOZ, coming in to further enable the evolution. Consolidation is likely to continue in media with more examples of coming together to make investing in media and TV easier and more effective. As part of that BVOD will grow and be bought more and be bought differently. All of which will further validate the effectiveness of TV and will start the re calibration of where the marketing dollars flow. The year in total advertising will start slow but predicted to build to a much stronger year than 2019. None of us can control the ad market or consumer confidence but we can control our content strategy and what’s exciting for Seven for 2020 is the scheduling across the year and content across broadcast and BVOD that has been meticulously planned and being implemented."
Ten national sales director Lisa Squillace:
"There will be a rise of global content providers increasing their presence in Australia, advancing the TV industry in more ways than ever. For advertisers, it will combine the power of traditional TV platforms - including linear, BVOD, connected TV and online - with international experience, innovation, reach and technology. It’ll be a really exciting time to be part of it all."
SBS managing director James Taylor:
"With a steady stream of new media players along with further consolidation domestically and globally, providing a genuine point of difference will be critical in an increasingly challenging and homogenous market. Having a truly distinctive offering and best in class experience will be key drivers of success. Trust will continue to be paramount - ensuring audiences know who you are and what you stand for will set media brands apart."
Foxtel Media CEO Mark Frain:
"The biggest change to hit the television market in 2020 will be the seismic shift in how people connect with content, and the providers they choose to engage with, as we accelerate towards the video streaming wars. The fragmentation of the media world in providing consumers with more choice than ever before, will indirectly impact audiences for broadcasters with ad funded models. This will in-turn make it increasingly challenging for the advertising industry to continue with business-as-usual, posing the question: what will the video advertising landscape consequently look like? In our fast-evolving world, the winners of the advertising video wars will be the change-makers. Those who are prepared to make big bets, disrupt and innovate."
Nine director of powered Liana Dubois:
“The market’s tough say most on the advertising street. A reversable, self-fulfilling prophesy. My prediction for 2020 is that our local advertising economy will grow, because the business c-suite recognise that those to thrive will be the ones investing in brand building, using television’s role as the “cultural campfire” to cut through with consumers. For us, we’ve seen multiple examples of where instinctive bravery (not data-driven decision making) works for brands, be it: Uber Eats Ambushing the AO, Honda’s innovative engineering with Lego Masters or Hi Pages leveraging The Block, to name a few. And while a spreadsheet may not always be able to qualify ahead of time, the impact a creative decision will deliver, that does not mean it is not the right decision. Next year, instinctive creativity will take its rightful place as more brands step in to lead. I predict we’ll see more marketers look for long term, real, sustainable growth and invest in making their brands famous.”
Seven network director of sales Natalie Harvey:
"2020 is shaping up as a revolutionary year for the television industry. When VOZ launches, we will finally be able to accurately measure our audiences across all screens, providing advertisers more insight on their campaigns. For our new prime time shows like Big Brother and Mega Mini Golf, VOZ will show their power beyond the overnights as they draw in more viewers on 7plus. And beyond 2020, we’ll build off VOZ, a world-first DSP for the industry, showcasing how Australia’s TV industry is leading the world."
Ten digital sales director Sophie Hicks Lloyd:
The connected TV platform will hit the big time with the introduction of VAST 4.X to market delivering improved measurement and tracking for the platform. Expect it to take bigger chunks of media budgets. VOZ will deliver consolidation of digital and linear audiences. More and more advertising campaigns will take advantage of greater targeting and personalisation options as the demand for people’s attentions increase. More inventory will be traded programmatically. Buyers just want easier options to trade.
SBS Media director Adam Sadler:
"Audiences will continue to fragment, viewer habits will continue to evolve, and new media players will continue challenge. The attention economy will be more precious than ever. Environments with higher brand recall and the ability to reach a unique audience will be key in breaking through the clutter. And brands are on notice: you can’t ignore the diversity of Australia today, and those that better reflect and invest in authentically connecting with audiences will see the benefits."
Foxtel Media director of advanced advertising Nev Hasan:
"Over the coming year we will see viewer experience play a huge role in the way brands advertise and partner with broadcasters. In 2019 we saw a blurring of the lines between broadcast and digital delivered TV/Video advertising. In 2020 these lines will no longer exist. For the average Australian viewer, the choice is no longer a linear click-and-wait process. It’s a journey of discovery through multiple libraries on multiple devices. Knowing viewers are switching between advertising-funded content platforms, the industry will therefore look to create better ways to engage with customers behind these pay walls. This means brands will be increasingly open to new ideas and evolve their approach to advertising to build content-driven experiences, not just TVCs. With the added arsenal of improved data, new formats, and multiple-channels at marketers’ fingertips, 2020 will see some truly incredible campaigns powered by video advertising."
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