• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, April 5, 2013

With the video NewFronts coming up later this month, a panel of agency and video executives addressed the question of whether a separate digital event, apart from the upfronts, is still needed. The consensus among the five panelists was: “yes.” Online video still needs its own forum for showcasing its programming and potential before the traditional upfront season begins in May.

Chris Senio, a sr. director at MEC Interaction, said the NewFronts coming first forces the broadcast industry to focus more on the digital side and collaborate with the agency on new initiatives. With video still at a nascent stage, it should maintain a separate venue to focus on issues around emerging standards and measurement, where those topics is mostly settled on the TV side, according to Francois Lee, SVP, group client director, MediaVest USA. Roland Hamilton, managing director, Daily Motion, US, also noted that most advertisers still view TV and video as very different markets, so continuing with NewFronts makes sense for now.