CMDC Media Digest, 2015-2016

TELEVISION VIDEO TELEVISIONS EVOLVING FUTURE A Q A WITH CATHERINE MACLEOD PRESIDENT TVB The engineer and futurist Roy Amara is famous for his law We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run Is he right about the role technology now plays in television advertising Certainly there is an element of truth to his law as it pertains to advertising but lets be clear Amara was discussing the effect of a single technology The current state of media reflects a proliferation of technologies Advances like return path data addressability and programmatic purchasing are often lumped together without a thorough understanding and the roles they may play in achieving the business goals of the stakeholders Its clear that some technologies are in a hype cycle in our industry but we also see the signs of enlightenment Industry players are stepping back to assess these technologies to determine their demonstrated benefits and risks Such consideration is a critical phase As you know availing advertisers of the greatest technologies in the world is meaningful only when those technologies contribute to the brands business objectives to grow revenue and profits Broadcasters are ideally situated to bring together the best practices of digital and traditional media as they continue to automate and innovate We will see greater efficiencies in the buying process increased targeting with digital ad insertion and other forms of addressability Data generated by real Canadians as they engage with television on a real time basis will support all of this innovation If you spend a week in our industry inevitably youll hear no one watches TV anymore Do you worry about that I do because not only is it untrue it doesnt account for the stellar growth in the consumption of television content on every other available platform This past broadcast year linear television reached over 97 of the 2 population on average each week Over 34 million people watched an average of over 27 hours of linear television per week What may be surprising to some is that Canadian millennials watched an average of close to 20 hours of linear television a week Those are significant numbers for brand marketers Add to that the number of people watching hours of television content on a myriad of other devices and it is clear that television is more popular than ever The conversation about television has fundamentally shifted Television is not just the set in the living room in the same way that movies have never been only about the theatre Television is professionally produced high quality content that is exceptional at emotionally connecting with viewers When an international film festival with the calibre of TIFF features commercial television programs as it did this year there can be no doubt about why people watch and love television We are in an exciting time for creators and broadcasters but also for advertisers The critically acclaimed and well loved shows that we see on television right now have the most engaged avid fan bases we have seen in a long time What an excellent environment for advertisers to introduce and build their brands with Canadian audiences 93 Media Channels CANADIAN MEDIA DIRECTORS COUNCIL CATHERINE MACLEOD President TVB