Connected TV

As CTV Data Wars Escalate, You May Already be Data-Rich

Device data is the latest hot spot in the streaming wars—but advertisers may not know they already possess some of the best audience data available

As CTV Data Wars Escalate, You May Already be Data-Rich

4 Min Read

Amazon made headlines with the recent news they’d be entering the TV manufacturing game. While the likes of Samsung, Vizio, Sony and others aren’t thrilled with increased device competition, they’re even unhappier about the underlying reason for Amazon’s big move: 

This is the ecommerce giant’s first step in challenging for control of the new connected living room. 

That’s because Connected TV audience and viewership data is a big part of the new connected living room ecosystem. Advertisers need access to this data to help them reach the right viewers, and TV manufacturers are in a pretty strong position to collect it. With smart TVs, device manufacturers collect a treasure trove of audience info that is practically gold to advertisers. With Amazon’s move, that near-monopoly on device data is seriously threatened—especially because Amazon is no stranger to CTV advertising thanks to Prime. 

This all puts CTV audience data in the spotlight. And that’s great news, because it gives us a chance to remind CTV advertisers that they’re already sitting on a wealth of first-party audience data which can be used to target valuable consumers. 

More on that later—let’s dive into how Amazon’s move reflects the current state of the CTV data industry.  

Escalations Follow

Amazon’s entry into TV manufacturing has seen device manufacturers respond. For example, LG’s ad division announced new TV software for its televisions to lure more advertisers into using their service. 

It’s likely we’ll see other features and improvements announced shortly as well, because CTV device data is big business. Vizio announced upfront ad commitments of over $100M for its streaming smart TVs. Samsung is raking in significant ad dollars, and is launching new ad units and bolstering its offerings. 

It’s clear that device manufacturers aren’t going to let Amazon steamroll them in pursuit of ad spend, and will innovate to help fight them off. It’s a prize worth fighting for; CTV advertising has become a massively lucrative industry, and everyone who can tap into it is doing so. With so much money at stake, CTV audience data’s value is at an all time high—so can advertisers expect this to affect their bottom line? 

Advertisers Already Hold Valuable Data

Will advertisers end up paying for additional costs to access vital CTV targeting data? Thankfully no—as long as they work with vendors in the CTV ad supply chain who ensure audience costs aren’t passed on to the advertisers. Makes sense, right?

Case in point, MNTN’s Performance TV platform offers audience segments sourced via Oracle Data Cloud for no additional cost. Advertisers can target a wide range of audiences that fit their ideal customer profile and not have to worry about it affecting their budget. Third party offerings like Oracle’s combine online- and offline-data sources—everything from credit card purchases, to geolocation data.  

What’s more, and this really is the “valuable data” we teased earlier in this piece, is that advertisers already have priceless and hard-to-find data at their fingertips. Their first-party data, which includes site traffic and customer info housed in their CRM, is extremely effective at reaching viewers on Connected TV. They just need to work with a CTV ad solution that allows them to take advantage of it (and not all of them do). 

Advertisers can launch CTV retargeting campaigns that target viewers who visited their website, and even segment their audience based on the actions viewers’ took while browsing. The ability to parse site actions allows advertisers to target consumers who demonstrated high intent (for example, those who visited multiple pages, or left items in their shopping cart), and thus spend budget wisely on those who are likely to engage and convert. 

Email lists are also usable on Connected TV—but note that this is not a feature that is common at all. For advertisers using Performance TV, they can simply upload their email lists, and the platform automatically matches the emails to CTV audience targeting data. If this is a feature that interests you, be sure to ask whether your CTV ad solution of choice can support it. 

Make the Most of Your CTV Audience Data

While there are plenty of third party audience providers out there, don’t forget that you possess some of the most hard-to-get data yourself. By tapping into your first-party data, you can truly get the most out of what CTV is capable of when it comes to reaching the right audience—and that’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss.