LONDON — TV isn’t dying, it’s just changing. Whilst that isn’t necessarily the view of tech aficionados who like to declare telly “dead”, it is the view of many within the TV industry who are trying to march the medium on to a brighter future.

TV isn’t without its challenges, of course. But, in this video interview with Beet.TV, Finecast chief product officer Rich Astley, whose company helps brands buy ads for targeted audiences through connected TV platforms, paints a more nuanced view of the shifting dynamics.

“The challenge with linear TV is obvious the ratings are going down in most TV markets,’ he says. “But revenue is kind of holding up.

“That means that inflation has been a challenge in most TV markets and big TV advertisers are looking at where they can spend in audio-visual advertising.

“So, naturally, that starts to lend itself to other platforms, potentially other formats that are TV-like still and offer that trusted, quality environment, but allow us to extend our reach into other areas of television.”

Astley’s Finecast is a new unit established by GroupM to smoothe the path to buying addressable campaigns by aggregating inventory.

The company aims to “help advertisers address hard-to-reach TV viewers through a single access point with standardised measurement”. It has launched first in the UK but has previously said it wants to roll out to global markets.

It also plans to deliver a self-serve tool to both agencies and brands.

This video is part of Beet.TV’s coverage of the Future of TV Advertising Forum 2018, London. The series is sponsored by Finecast. For more segments from the series, visit this page.