Originally published in B&T Magazine
A changing video landscape means advertisers need to rethink how they approach the medium. In this piece, PubMatic vice president of video Jonas Olsen shares his thoughts on all things video.
Even after all these years, video is still growing. Year-on-year viewer growth across all digital video channels has been 7.2 per cent this year according to eMarketer. And with $37.5b pouring into digital video advertising (Zenith), it shows no signs of slowing.
And while video continues to grow as a medium, the way in which it is presented is in a state of massive flux.
Video is still largely defined by siloes, whether that be OTT, CTV, desktop, mobile or mobile web. As a result, ads are being bought in these same siloes.
But with the proliferation of screens, devices, platforms and methods, these siloes are beginning to be removed, meaning future of video is going to look very different to how it looks today.
In the coming years, we will start to see a shift, where all video inventory is bought programmatically, in a way that allows advertisers to measure across offline and online.
While server-side header bidding solutions for video are only just starting to come to the fore, they have already been billed as a way to boost the monetisation of video.
Embracing the opportunity
At PubMatic, we see the evolution of video as an enormous opportunity for publishers and buyers alike.
That’s why in September we expanded our header bidding solution OpenWrap to support OTT and CTV, making it the world’s first true open source server-side header bidding solution that works with all platforms.
For buyers, this allows them to reach consumers across a host of different platforms, while for publishers can now monetise all of their assets.
Not only does it simplify workflows by managing omnichannel programmatic inventory in a single wrapper, being built on open-source, there is no bias in options.
This also means it is constantly being improved and updated as the market continues to evolve.
Open-source also brings a sense of transparency – something which has eluded the ad tech market for too long.
The identity factor
Along with header bidding, identity solutions will also play an important role in the future of video.
Identity solutions are a way for buyers to reach consumers and for publishers to be able to monetise the data they have.
They also provides alternatives to the ‘walled gardens’ that occupy so much of the market.
That’s why we are taking an agnostic approach to existing ID solutions – to give buyers as much choice as possible.
Ensuring ROI
PubMatic has traditionally been a publisher focused business – building products and solutions that help our publisher partners monetise their inventory so they can continue to produce independent quality content for their audiences.
But increasingly we are speaking to the buy-side as they focus on supply path optimisation and driving efficiency for their clients.
By delivering increased efficiency and more quality working media for buyers, PubMatic is able to offer buyers better ROI on their programmatic investments, which ultimately benefits everyone involved.
