I know I did a blog on CTV vs OTT earlier – but this is a more of a deep dive into the technical side of it rather than the basics….. Dealing with multiple clients, there is definitely a lot of confusion with small to medium size businesses in regards to OTT, CTV, “digital TV” and navigating the differences. I will go over some terminology, I also want to try and help define this new technology so everyone has a better understanding because it’s not going anywhere – it’s only going to grow!
What is OTT – An advanced television video ad delivery platform that enables advertisers in local DMA’s to target viewers through reputable and validated data targeting sets.
What is CTV -This refers to traditional televisions that are either a Smart TV, (TV with built-in internet capabilities / wifi) or a TV that has been connected to a device that will allow streaming content to be viewed through it such as Roku, Apple TV, Gaming Devices, Chromecast, Amazon FireTV, etc….
CTV and OTT is a real murky topic… but I want everyone to understand exactly what they are buying. Hopefully, this will help you understand the differences:
EXAMPLE 1: A commercial during a college football game on your 72′ HDTV Smart TV on espn.com through your Amazon Fire stick is CTV (connectedTV)….. an ad at the beginning of a YouTube video is pre-roll (not OTT or CTV)… A commercial airing Live on HGTV through your Sling TV monthly subscription package on the app on your iPad is OTT.
EXAMPLE 2: You are in an automotive dealership having your vehicle serviced, you are watching your ESPN app live college football game on your iPad – this is OTT. You glance up at the 90″ TV on the wall in the waiting lounge and notice an apple TV box on top of the tv, the TV is airing another college football game on it – this is CTV.
FEP – Full Episodic Programming (Grey’s Anatomy, Shark Tank, Wheel of Fortune) • NON-FEP – Refers to streaming video viewed through any device, but is shorter than traditional TV programming. IAB defines short form video as video less than 10 minutes and long form video as video longer than 10 minutes. Both can contain OTT content, but ONLY FEP programming is considered premium content.
PRICING……..Non-FEP = OTT pricing on Desktop / Laptop, Mobile App, Mobile Web, is very low, It is similar to Pre–Roll pricing. Non-FEP content running on CTV is slightly higher. FEP Content = Is considered a premium and prices increase significantly. The NON-FEP on CTV = Can be 50% higher depending on device FEP on CTV = Typically is 50% higher or more than Non-FEP. When you are given a CPM for OTT/CTV the actual rate can help you determine if you are actually buying true OTT/CTV or you are buying a “blended” campaign.
The company I am a proud to work for is CompulseOTT! We are strategically different in several ways…..
- The only OTT platform with comScore-validated targeting for every commercial served
- One of the largest buyers of OTT inventory in the US
- Direct relationships with top OTT TV Brands provides the highest quality inventory
- True CTV & OTT inventory, never blended with pre-roll
- Focused on ad placement in FEP on CTV devices
- Average over 90% of ads running on CTV
- Near real-time dashboard reporting with full client access
- Full transparency
- Non-Skippable ads
- Can sell any DMA in the US – one-stop solution for buying
- Can have separate impression counts for individual DMA’s or ZIPs
- Can have unique creative per DMA with separate reporting by creative by DMA
- Can have any combination of DMA, ZIP, & creative versioning
CompulseOTT Targeting:
- Targeting in OTT is not the same as digital — no cookies on CTV devices
- Need DMP (data management platform) born in a CTV environment for purity & accuracy
- CompulseOTT uses TruOptik as our DMP — includes over 75 million
- validated households
- We use all of the major reputable 3rd party data providers
- Over 100 integrated data sources: ComScore, Experian, Kantar-Millard Brown, Lotame, TiVo, Neustar and more
- comScore validated post-campaign reporting on every targeted campaign
How CompulseOTT Protects Advertisers from Fraud
- In addition to having verified reporting by comScore, CompulseOTT takes
the extra step to identify any fraudulent behavior in the OTT/CTV space - Device Atlas delivers real-time device detection in all connected environments including web, mobile & native apps in CTV
- CompulseOTT has a direct integration with DeviceAtlas
- Detects which CTV device ads are viewed down to make & model of TV
- Relays data to CompulseOTT to detect fraud spoofing devices, bots, etc.
- Leading companies such as AOL, Nielsen, Adobe, & IBM use Device Atlas
For more information or to start a new OTT /CTV campaign – let’s start with a strategy call and see what your desired goals consist of…. 205-229-8203 or mbelmont@sbgtv.com
I look forward to hearing from you!