Many TV networks have struck measurement deals with VideoAmp, one of a handful of companies eager to provide an alternative to Nielsen’s tabulation of audiences. Now a company that buys TV time for blue-chip advertisers has done the same.
Horizon Media, a large media-buying firm that works for clients including Corona and the National Football League, will use VideoAmp’s audience-measurement tools to help negotiate and transact ad deals between select clients and sellers for national linear TV inventory. Horizon will also use VideoAmp for planning, analytics, and measurement.
“There has been a more meaningful movement this year to actually participate with alternative currencies and transact on them,” says David Campanelli, Horizon’s chief investment officer, in an interview. The bulk of the deals, he says, “are still happening on advanced audience targets, versus what we commonly think of with Nielsen ratings, which are demo and impressions counting.”
A group of measurement vendors have struck alliances with various media companies, but Horizon chose VideoAmp, says Campanelli, because its technology is more easily integrated with the functions of a firm that specializes in media buying and media planning. “Alternative currencies to date have primarily been about what airs and posting data on it, not on the planning process,” he says. “VideoAmp is the furthest along on that.”
“We are excited to announce our work with a forward thinking, results-driven, and progressive agency like Horizon Media and its adoption of VideoAmp as a new currency for the coming Upfronts. We have a unique approach in that we not only provide more accurate and reliable measurement than the legacy panel-only currency, but also the tools to plan and optimize against that data throughout the campaign,” said Michael Parkes, president of VideoAmp, in a statement. “This means that Horizon and its clients will be able to leverage big data as currency for more sophisticated transactions that have shown to increase advertiser return on investment. We look forward to helping Horizon and its clients achieve success.”
VideoAmp is being utilized by Paramount Global, NBCUniversal, TelevisaUnivision, Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery and Allen Media Group, while also having measurement agreements in place with Disney and several streaming service providers.