In the MiX | Fall 2022: Here’s What We’re Reading Right Now
From turmoil at Twitter, Netflix's new ad tier launch, and a digital OOH rebound to Prime TV's NFL Thursday Night Football takeover, and the quest for programmatic ad transparency; catch up on what's top of mind—and at the top of our feeds—across the media landscape right now.
Fall programming is underway, mid-term campaign ads are in full swing, and the holiday season is fast approaching. Despite some notable upticks in revenue & performance projections among retail media, CTV/OTT, and even digital OOH spaces, many advertisers remain focused on preparing for an economic downturn, with heavy focus on furthering purpose-driven marketing initiatives and DE&I commitments. Marketers also are interested in avoiding reactive, over-investment in lower-funnel marketing activity at the expense of more long-term brand building, especially given the heightened focus on programmatic transparency and the “ad tech tax.”
On the sell side, shakeups across the media landscape are also in full swing. Netflix launched their ‘Basic with Ads’ tier this week, with Disney+ to follow suit next month. Though, so far, the streaming service’s inventory has been met with a good bit of sticker shock and “wait-and-see”, more than a few brands have already signed on to get in front of viewers. Netflix’s decision to partner with Microsoft to offer the ad-supported tier may also signify an important upshift for Microsoft within the digital ad space—aligning their tech, cloud and gaming infrastructure with what will be the world’s largest streaming ad service.
Amazon Prime TV and digital OOH sellers also appear to winners this season. NFL Thursday Night Football’s move to Prime TV, so far, has yielded higher viewership performances and gains among a younger viewers. Surprisingly, out of home revenue has reemerged from pandemic lows and is projected to continue to grow, largely thanks to the growing popularity of digital formats.
However, among the most notable—and chaotic—disruptions of the acquisition of Twitter by tech giant founder, Elon Musk. Despite tepid efforts at outreach to advertisers, the new CEO’s decisions and several executive departures have led to an exodus of users and advertisers from the platform, with IPG advising clients to pause ad buys on the platform.