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Addressable TV and streaming ads
Television with the targeting of digital and the attention of broadcast. The measurement is better than television and worse than it appears.
Key points
- Household-level targeting brings television within reach of regional budgets.
- Completion rates are high because most inventory is unskippable.
- The measurement looks digital and should be read with television's caveats.
Addressable and streaming television advertising combines a large screen, an attentive viewer and audience-level targeting. That is a genuinely new combination and it has changed which advertisers can use the medium.
What each term means
Addressable television replaces the advertisement in a live broadcast stream for selected households, based on data held by the platform or provider. The neighbours see a different advertisement.
Streaming or connected television advertising is served inside on-demand content on a television set. It is bought like digital inventory and delivered like television.
Both are usually unskippable, both are viewed on a large screen, and both report digital-style metrics.
Why the completion rates look extraordinary
Reported completion rates of 90 per cent and above are normal. That is not evidence of exceptional creative; it is because the viewer cannot skip and is waiting for the programme to resume.
Read those numbers as a property of the format, not a measure of performance.
A 96 per cent completion rate means the advertisement played. It does not mean anybody watched, and the person may have left the room.
What the targeting can do
| Targeting | Availability |
|---|---|
| Geographic, to postcode level | widely |
| Household demographic | widely |
| Interest and behaviour segments | platform dependent |
| Existing customer exclusion | often, with data matching |
| Frequency capping across the campaign | yes, and important |
Frequency capping is the most valuable and least used control. Without it, a small audience sees the same spot twenty times in a week, which produces measurable irritation.
The production question
The creative requirement is the same as television. A spot that works on a phone frequently does not work on a large screen in a living room.
That said, the entry cost is far lower than broadcast, and a well-made single-location film costing a few thousand is entirely acceptable in this environment.
Measurement caveats
The platforms report impressions, completions and sometimes conversions via device matching. Those figures are more precise than television's panel-based estimates and less complete than they look.
Household-level attribution assumes the person who saw the advertisement is the person who later visited the website. Frequently they are not.
Treat it as television with better delivery data, not as digital with better screens.
Where it fits
For a regional advertiser this is the most accessible route to video on a large screen. It suits brand building, launches into a defined area, and recruitment.
It does not suit direct response with a short window, because the viewer is not holding a device and is not going to act during the programme.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between addressable TV and streaming ads?
Addressable TV replaces a spot in a broadcast stream for selected households. Streaming advertising is served inside on-demand content. Both are bought by audience.
What does it cost?
Cost per thousand typically £15 to £45, considerably above digital display and below traditional television production-adjusted costs.
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