Doing The Keynote At The OTT.X/XFronts, And I Couldn't Be Happier

I am so looking forward to delivering the Keynote Address at the OTT.X / XFronts in Los Angeles on May 22nd. OTT.X is the global community of organizations, throughout the OTT streaming space, that includes content, service and technology providers, channels, platforms, and retailers. Advertising agencies and PR firms are also deeply involved in the trade association. The XFronts is the place where the OTT community gathers each year to pitch, learn, collaborate and get down to business.

If you're not a member of OTT.X, and not attending the XFronts, you should change both of those things today. All of my most important OTT meetings take place at the XFronts each year. It is really a must attend event for everyone on the West Coast. Some of you New Yorkers may want to turn out as well.

My Keynote Address is entitled How OTT Turned ‘The Art of TV Advertising’ Into A Science. I have long maintained the world began to change for television advertisers the day someone figured out how to connect the Internet to a television screen… and, as a result, add more science to the art of TV advertising.

Think about it! Advanced TV, in its various forms, already reaches most US television households. Nearly nine in 10 US television households own at least one OTT device. Either an integrated smart TV that connects directly to the Internet, or one of the many OTT devices: Roku, Apple TV, Xbox, Amazon Fire Stick, PlayStation, or an Internet-connected Blu-ray player.

Those devices have decisively changed how Americans watch TV. By the end of 2021, almost 240 million Americans, roughly 70 percent of the population, used one or more streaming video services through individual or family subscriptions. By comparison, the traditional US pay TV market — made up of cable and satellite TV users — fell to an estimated 150 million viewers by the same point. That was down from an estimated 175 million just two years earlier.

That shift is reflected in what Americans watch, as well as how they watch. In 2021, streaming video service providers produced more new TV shows than all cable TV networks combined, according to entertainment newspaper, Variety. That came just two years after the streaming service sector passed broadcast TV in total viewership.

You’re not going to want to miss the presentation, so be sure to secure your tickets to the XFronts today.

The event will be packed with content from start to finish. Why you may ask? Connected TV buys have become critical components of all effective media plans. While Connected TV was once a “nice to have,” it’s now a must-have, if you want to achieve efficient and effective campaign reach.

Within the Connected TV realm, AVOD and FAST have emerged as major players, not to be ignored. Core to the X-FRONTS will be a two-day exchange consisting of pitches and presentations by prominent and up-and-coming AVOD and FAST platforms, networks, and channels to an audience of brands, advertisers and ad agencies.  I am so looking forward to being there.

The conference programming will educate media buyers on the ins and outs of the AVOD and FAST landscapes via a series of panels, presentations, research findings, and interactive roundtable discussions focused on the growth of FAST and how it’s being utilized to get the most out of advertising spends, as well as revenue opportunities, operational issues, and projections for the future.

I am looking forward to sharing the stage with thought leaders including tvScientific’s Jason Fairchild, NBC/Universal’s Mike Hood, OMD’s Suhaila Hobba, Quigley Simpson’s Jeff Ratner and Traction’s Brian Hovis. I am also looking forward to spending time with OTT.X CEO Mark Fisher and old, dear friend and business associate Mark Papia (he’s an old friend…not an old friend).

See you at the XFronts.