• by Alex Weprin , May 22, 2019

Roku is expanding its suite of OTT advertising tools. The latest addition is a solution called Activation Insights, a tool specifically designed to track and target audiences that have shifted their viewing from linear TV to streaming video.

The solution is meant to try and bridge the divide between linear TV and OTT, with Magna Global research showing that OTT now represents 29% of TV viewing, but only 3% of ad spend.

Activation Insights conducts a review of the marketer’s linear TV campaign performance, as well as an analysis of the streaming audience the campaign may have missed.

It then suggests where to spend the budget on Roku’s platform to make up that gap.

The new tool will be part of Roku’s Ad Insights Suite, which leans on the company’s 29 million active users to measure streaming reach and effectiveness. 

“By adding the ability to tie advertising performance on linear with a specific audience that advertisers can gain on OTT, we are addressing a longstanding industry challenge for OTT media planning,” said Scott Rosenberg, senior vice president-GM of Roku’s platform business. “We believe it’s no longer a question of when advertising budgets will shift to streaming but how much.”

Roku is among the most popular OTT platforms, securing market share through its own hardware and as a software provider for smart TV makers. It has also expanded its advertising and data reach by launching its own streaming offering, The Roku Channel, which provides free streaming movies and videos, as well as access to premium subscriptions purchased with one click.