Audiences can access a wider variety of content on digital platforms and gain more control over the viewing experience as they connect their TVs directly to the internet. That change in viewing habits creates a win-win situation for viewers and the marketers that seek to reach them.

“For viewers right now, it’s the Golden Age of Television,” Mike Reidy, senior vice president of digital ad sales for NBCUniversal, said in this interview with Beet.TV. “It’s a great opportunity for viewers to access all the great content that best fits their viewing needs.”

That content includes sports, shows and movies going back decades, offering something for every age group and individual taste.

Another key improvement is the lighter ad loads on CTV platforms. As Reidy notes, NBCUniversal’s Peacock has ad breaks of a minute long and no longer than five minutes an hour. That lighter load helps to keep people engaged with programming, and has the added benefit of helping marketers to stand out among reduced clutter.

Source: Insider Intelligence/eMarketer

“Because it’s on a digital platform, you have all capabilities that data-informed advertising provides,” he said of the improved targeting abilities that help to make ads more relevant to viewers. In addition, NBCUniversal supports transactions for brands seeking to drive transactions with its NBCU Shoppable, NBCU Checkout platforms.

“You add that all up — less clutter, more relevant ads and more engaging ads — and that’s really going to drive brand impact and convergence that brands are looking for, ” he said.

Amid greater fragmentation of the video advertising market among the growing number of streaming channels, Reidy sees an opportunity to advertisers — whether they’re mass market brands or more localized businesses — with a brand-safe environment to reach consumers amid premium content.

With the improved data-driven targeting, advertisers also can avoid showing the same ads over and over to viewers.

“We’re able to build plans and create optimizations so that marketers are truly following those audiences,” Reidy said. “They’re maximizing their reach, whether it’s against age and gender or more customized audiences they’re going after.”

You are watching “Making CTV Happen: A New Ad Infrastructure Emerges,” a Beet.TV leadership video series presented by Publica. For more videos, please visit this page.