• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, June 16, 2023

Premium video content -- of all types -- continues to be needed everywhere by advertisers, even in places where marketers have not traditionally used it.

Expanding retail media networks are now in their sights. 

A new poll from LiveIntent says advertisers want to go behind what people assume to be at the core of retail media networks -- so-called “ads on site” where those retailers typically sell products.

Advertisers are in a serious hunt for reach -- perhaps the most important word, which continues to be amplified from upfront TV marketers with when it comes to flailing legacy TV platforms.

The LiveIntent poll says 64% of advertisers want more video, while 57% want more connected TV/streaming -- and 56% of that is coming “off-site media.”

At the same time, video-focused marketers still want to steer away from the Wild West stuff -- a la social media -- far from it. They want “logged-in” media -- that is,  access to real, fraud-free inventory, protected from disappearing cookies to come.

Logged-in retail media -- as one might expect -- comes from a retailer's or marketer's consumer base, and their logged-in information.

Where will this new video money come from? Analysts say continued declines in linear TV advertising mean even more will be shifted to these newer media platforms -- not just legacy owned connected TV streaming apps, but also more brand-safe video inventory wherever it's available.

Although new premium video-inventory supply continues to be added regularly -- especially now, with streamers like Netflix and Disney+ starting up advertising options -- there still is much less overall ad inventory per episode versus that of linear TV.

Now you know the reason why the likes of Pluto TV, Tubi, and the Roku Channel keep gaining business over the last few years. The slight downside is that those streaming platforms are heavy on older library TV/movie programming.

All this is to say that retail media networks might be a better option -- sometimes -- especially when considering this channel's strong engagement factor.

Much of this could happen for retail networks if linear TV providers give advertisers a hard time in this upfront period, in terms of asking for price increases. As TV Watch earlier reported this year, media-buying executives are chirping about negative CPMs -- price reductions. 

A recessionary market might shift things around even more -- with less upfront money overall for legacy media.

Retail networks might look to steal away some of this plum TV video business.