With Automated Data Pipes and Data Fuel, the Broadcast TV Ad Sales Engine is Ready to Roar
At this year's NAB Show, one of the most compelling expert panels was about a new focus on reducing friction between buyers and sellers of local broadcast television advertising. The panel discussed the importance of automation and progress on standards for APIs. Although APIs – the data "pipes" – are an important starting point to solve the automation puzzle, there's still a missing piece: the data synchronization "fuel". Think about it this way: even if the data pipes are in place, if the agency uses gasoline and the broadcaster uses diesel fuel, the ad sales "engine" still won’t work.
Why all the fuss? Agency leaders from GTB and Publicis Media put it best: Local linear TV is losing revenue to advertisers who need to be on air in hours, not weeks. Digital advertising, already automated, today takes the bulk of every new dollar spent on advertising.