Rita Ferro, global advertising president, Disney: It’s way more dynamic than ever. Sports, news, anything that’s live has elevated to top of mind and top of where investments are happening. The priority in terms of a marketer’s mindset and where they’re spending dollars—because they know that it resonates—is driving audience across all the platforms. And then when you look at the marketplace, it’s super interesting to see that you have an upfront marketplace, no question, but the scatter marketplace isn’t really scatter. It’s biddable, automation, programmatic and all of these other marketplaces.
Marianne Gambelli, former president of advertising sales, marketing and brand partnerships, Fox Corporation: We’re living in a very interesting time. I think we will look back at 2023 as a true inflection point, when technology and customization have given both the buy side and the sell side increased optionality, flexibility and the ability to personalize. It’s no longer about a single product or strategy or even currency, but rather about what will best serve each client. By being always and singularly advertiser-focused across our entire portfolio of sports, entertainment, news and streaming, Fox is uniquely adept at hearing and understanding what our partners want or need—and strategic and creative enough to always deliver.
John Halley, president, Paramount Advertising: CTV is growing fast but is no longer a homogenous category. The publisher’s ability to accommodate a client’s data and activation preferences is what separates the winners from the losers. There are many ways to buy media. As a seller, how many lanes can you play in? And the emergence of retail media has unquestionably changed the game.
Kim Kelleher, chief commercial officer, AMC Networks: We are seeing a clear shift away from advertisers trying to reach consumers by simply buying spots in shows and toward broader partnerships that span digital, streaming and even branded integrations that tie in the content. Those shifts, in addition to advances in addressability and programmatic buying, are allowing us to deliver the most relevant and outcome-driven impressions in our industry’s history, and we are still only scratching the surface of what’s possible.
Peter Olsen, president of ad sales, A+E Networks: Amazon Prime Video entering the video ad market continues the trend of all players trying to recreate the dual revenue stream model. The economics of streaming still haven’t found equilibrium but are coming into focus.
Mark Marshall, chairman of global advertising and partnerships, NBCUniversal: Technology has evolved the TV ad marketplace, allowing us to stop bifurcating linear and digital. It is more essential than ever that we follow the consumer wherever they are. And when you combine the scale of broadcast and the precision of streaming, there is an untapped, unduplicated reach that clients are craving beyond the 18-49 proxies. The future is all about total audiences and identity. It is time to throw out the old playbooks. Now.
