Media manufacturers are leveraging content material catalogs and driving advert income with linear channels

Sponsored by Brightcove • March 27, 2024 • 4 min learn •

Whereas many media corporations and advertisers have narrowed their focus to streaming and video on demand, there’s nonetheless important viewers demand for linear tv’s lean-back expertise.

Regardless of claims that linear channels are dying, audiences nonetheless crave extra passive media consumption. In response to Nielsen, broadcast and cable mixed for 50.9% of all U.S. TV utilization in February 2024. Streaming, together with Pluto TV, Tubi, and the Roku Channel, captured a share of 37.7%. These FAST platforms stream their programming linearly and are gaining traction with audiences and advertisers.

With this in thoughts, media corporations and publishers with in depth content material catalogs are turning to linear channels by way of their very own websites and apps to drive viewers engagement and create new income streams.

“An important portion of audiences actually just like the expertise of somebody setting a lineup of content material, like a linear channel, in order that they’ll devour present after present,” mentioned Marty Roberts, senior vice chairman, product technique and advertising and marketing at Brightcove. “It’s a very nice approach of driving engagement. And as we drive that engagement, we lengthen our watching time with our viewers members, creating new monetization alternatives for promoting.”

For media corporations, a video service — significantly a linear channel — makes present video content material extra accessible and fascinating for purchasers.

“The ecosystem began with FAST channels, however we’ve discovered it equally priceless for purchasers with owned-and-operated web sites and apps to supply linear channels as nicely,” Roberts mentioned. “This ticks three bins: higher utilization of again catalogs, higher engagement by viewers members and new monetization alternatives.”

Media corporations and publishers might not want as a lot content material as they could anticipate to gasoline a linear channel.

To profit from their out there content material, corporations can curate and create linear channels with a number of hours of video, repeating a content material playlist on a loop to achieve completely different audiences all through the day. Another choice is to launch a linear channel for primetime viewing fairly than working it 24/7.

Given the fragmented nature of tv, corporations can select to distribute their channels by way of owned-and-operated web sites and apps, together with these on sensible TVs.

“Understanding the place your viewers is, after they’re tuning in and what sort of gadgets they’re leveraging is vital,” Roberts mentioned.

Media corporations that have already got video-on-demand (VOD) content material in storage solely have to pay for the bandwidth per linear stream, per Roberts. Nonetheless, with the monetization alternatives in play for these channels, it’s a web optimistic for media corporations.

A sturdy video platform reminiscent of Brightcove helps completely different monetization and distribution models for linear channels, together with promoting and subscription-supported channels. Some organizations might go for each, requiring customers to check in in the event that they don’t need to see ads.

In response to Roberts, it is a boon to media corporations enjoying with linear. CPM charges are typically larger for video content material, primarily when publishers use server-side ad insertion.

“We’re injecting adverts dynamically all through this system on the proper cue factors, which advertisers recognize as a result of this avoids advert blockers and reaches a extra engaged viewers watching linear channels,” Roberts mentioned. “That’s valued extra by advertisers, so these channels are likely to monetize properly for our prospects. Whenever you take a look at the related prices towards a income alternative, it’s a easy ROI for our prospects to determine.”

How Harness Racing Victoria reached youthful audiences with TrotsVision

Media corporations of all sizes are discovering success with linear channels. In a single instance, Australia’s Harness Racing Victoria partnered with Brightcove to make use of video to develop its viewers and drive income.

Globally, harness racing has struggled partially as a result of getting older demographic of its followers.

This has created a ripple impact, resulting in much less demand for racing and hurting the game’s means to stay related and entice audiences and advertisers.

Harness Racing Victoria partnered with Brightcove to relaunch its streaming platform, TrotsVision. Accessible to look at on the group’s owned-and-operated web site, TrotsVision has change into an always-on touchpoint for followers. Content material consists of race replays and movies that includes the harness drivers.

Since partnering with Brightcove, TrotsVision has grown from 54,894 views in August 2021 to 83,292 in January 2022. Moreover, TrotsVision has helped Harness Racing Victoria develop its 18-35-year-old viewers by 250%. That demographic is now outpacing all different age segments for progress, whereas the general viewers grew by 76% over the identical interval.

The success of Harness Racing Victoria reveals how linear stays priceless for corporations seeking to maximize their catalogs and have interaction with audiences in search of lean-back experiences.

“After we take into consideration linear channels, we begin with how we need to interact viewers members extra after which how we need to assist our prospects monetize their content material higher than anybody else,” Roberts mentioned. “As media corporations get extra attain and engagement, they should scale up their monetization. As they get extra monetization, they need extra attain and engagement. And that turns into a virtuous circle for our prospects.”