The Digital Content NewFronts may have been conceived as a showcase for publishers to wave under the noses of ad buyers for the year ahead.

So what is a tech platform doing at the event?

Amongst a series of appearances last week, Rocket Fuel, a predictive marketing platform, partnered with both Integral Ad Science and IAB to deliver data-driven presentations the truth behind publisher’s claims about their inventory.

Speaking with Beet.TV in this video interview, Rocket Fuel senior director Jon Stewart says legacy media still light the way to the future of digital growth.

“Despite the fact that we’ve seen explosive growth in digital TV and digital video, linear TV is still king,” Rocket Fuel’s Stewart says.

“Any digital solution for brand marketers needs to be layered on top of traditional TV. It’s the most important and largest ad format still today, by far.

“Nobody’s going to be satisfied with user-generated content and clips to give the volume and GRPs (gross rating points) that are required  or expected. It’s going to take high-quality, long-form entertainment.”

This video is part of Beet.TV’s coverage of the IAB’s Digital Content NewFronts 2017. The series is sponsored by the IAB. For more videos from the #NewFronts, please visit this page.