The TiVo One cross-screen ad platform is exactly what it sounds like — a way for advertisers to reach viewers across almost every TiVo device. But, as the platform begins its initial roll-out, The Home Page Hero is taking center stage. We connected with Cara Hathaway, vice president of product management for monetization, to discuss TiVo One in more depth.
First, what exactly is the TiVo One cross-screen ad platform?
Cara: The platform is the way that we will be able to manage ads across the back-end systems of various technologies, which then allows us to be able to deliver a common ad unit across multiple platforms (TV, IPTV, connected car).
With the TiVo One ad platformwe will be able to combine inventory into one offering for advertisers across common markets, with different user experiences, enabling them to reach unique viewers and providing additional reach to their campaigns. Previously, advertisers had the one app platform, you bought IPTV ad units or you bought TV ad units and everything was very separate. This technology will allow us to be able to bundle common ad inventory as it goes out in specific geography.
What will be a key capability of TiVo One?
Cara: Unified buying will definitely be a major core capability. We will package via TiVo One and deliver platform reach with advertisers desired audiences, which will all be unified into a common ad unit buy, instead of as an individual buy on separate platforms. Advertisers will be able to determine the reach across all of the owned and operated platforms and execute campaigns to extend their desired reach.
The measurement potential of the platform is also a key capability. We will partner with advertisers’ measurement teams to analyze the overall and specific campaign performance. This will provide the ability for the partner measurement and TiVo One measurement to present unified campaign outcomes. Overall, it should make their buying and measurement processes easier.
How will TiVo One enable brands to optimize their advertising campaigns across multiple screens and devices?
Cara: Throughout the campaign we will be able to optimize performance on each individual platform with the advertiser, using continual data feedback reporting on delivery. We’ll also be able to work with their buyers to see how their audiences are performing based on full loop attribution. We’ll do that throughout the life of the campaign, working behind the scenes to get that unified data.
What are the potential benefits of this cross-platform approach?
Cara: Ease of implementation will be a huge benefit. The biggest challenge for advertisers is that it’s complex to buy CTV, especially on platforms that are unique or typically difficult. What we’re trying to do with TiVo One is to deliver a system and an ad offering that is common to other ad offerings in the market yet providing unique audiences, so that we’re not creating more work for advertisers.
This allows advertisers to buy from our platform and to measure our platform against others. The more integrated into their process we are, the easier it is for them to buy.
Can you explain the Home Page Hero ad unit that TiVo One is now offering? How does this ad format work, and what makes it effective for advertisers?
Cara: The homepage ad, or what we’re currently calling the Home Page Hero ad — is the first of many new ad units within the TiVo One experience. The homepage ad is a flagship ad that a user experiences when they come into the platform and get exposed to a brand. By the very nature of that front and center experience, it’s the most prominent and most visited place and where we’re going to get the most exposure for a brand.
One of our goals is to drive more interest in and get substantial consumer value out of that homepage. So, we want to be able to deliver more meaning behind what a person is seeing on that page and to help people to discover new content. A homepage ad is one way to do that.
Home Page Hero ads are currently offered only to entertainment advertisers on the platform to really help drive viewership or subscriptions for that content, though there’s becoming more of an appetite for non-entertainment ads. Making these ads more relevant to the viewer will be key to the value consumers find in these types of ads.
There is much more to come with TiVo One over the coming months and year ahead.
For more information on TiVo One, click here.
