Switch-In Spots

Broadcasters face revenue limits due to fixed ad slots in scheduled programming, restricting ad inventory and revenue potential, especially at high peaks.
Switch-In spots utilize channel change moments, creating new ad inventory without extending traditional ad breaks, offering broadcasters additional revenue opportunities.
Our Switch-In Spot and L-Banner solution for Addressable TV enables broadcasters to monetize premium inventory using the HbbTV standard, combining display and video ads.
Switch-In Spots appear after channel change, framed by an L-banner with branding and countdown. Ads can be booked programmatically with precise targeting.

Description

Broadcasters face capped revenue potential with scheduled ad slots in linear TV due to limited flexibility in expanding ad inventory, particularly during peak-viewership periods. Advertisers might also limit ad spend after reaching target impressions or budgets.
Besides, it is crucial to collect valuable household data to enable programmatic buying, decisioning as well as targeting, with viewer consent to this being inevitable.

Switch-In ads offer a creative solution by utilizing moments when viewers change channels or switch programs in live broadcasts.

These brief transitions, which are typically not monetized, present an untapped opportunity to serve ads that capture viewer attention without interrupting the scheduled programming. By introducing ads there, broadcasters can create new ad inventory without increasing the number or length of scheduled commercial breaks.

For broadcasters, a Switch-In Spot placement is a new inventory that just didn’t exist before and generates additional revenue.

The Switch-In Spot and L-Banner solution for Addressable TV enables broadcasters to monetize incremental premium inventory in their DVB services using the HbbTV standard starting with 1.5 (V1.2.1). These are channel-branded display overlays combined with a short spot-promo streamed within linear live broadcast.

The Switch-In Spot solution is an integrated client-library with an API to our SSAI backend for ad-server communication, ad-conditioning and tracking. It allows advertisers to place targeted TV spots outside of the regular ad break. These spots are shown directly after switching over to a new channel, which provides maximum attention to the advertising message. The spot is surrounded by an L-shaped frame (L-banner) with the TV channel branding and a countdown indicating the remaining duration of the spot. Advertisers can book the placement programmatically using retargeting, geolocations and contextual attributes to target their audience, even on the same day.

Impact

In partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), we have launched Switch-In Spots in the Italian market. With eight popular TV channels, including Nove, HGTV, and DMAX, WBD reaches a wide yet targeted audience.

Viewer Experience: A frequency cap of one appearance per household, per channel, ensures that the Switch-In Spots maintain viewer engagement without being disruptive. This format is designed to capture valuable brand attention while preserving the program flow and viewer satisfaction. The broadcaster is gathering insights on audience acceptance and advertiser value as the format evolves.

Programmatic Supply and Demand: Switch-In Spots support programmatic campaigns due to their non-scheduled, on-demand ad inventory. Ads are served in real-time, enabled by a built-in Consent Management System (CMS) that generates a TCF string for programmatic SSP-DSP bidding. The solution is integrated with the broadcaster's Data Management Platform (DMP) for enhanced targeting, allowing for retargeting, geolocation, and contextual relevance. All impressions are sold on a CPM (cost-per-thousand) basis, eliminating the need for panel data or Gross Rating Points (GRP) reconciliation.

Revenue Growth: Incremental TV inventory with projected 50M impressions monthly, precise targeting, and higher CPM in a programmatic environment presents a strong case with significant revenue potential.