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NEWSCASTSTUDIO.COM
By DAK DILLON
Managing Editor, NewscastStudio
From sophisticated targeting in con-
nected TV to AI-driven predictive mod-
els that anticipate audience behavior, the
broadcast adtech landscape is undergoing
a reinvention driven by emerging technol-
ogy like artificial intelligence.
New research confirms advertisers’
growing commitment to programmatic
strategies, while industry executives pre-
dict that AI will continue to unlock un-
tapped revenue potential. Here’s how it’s
playing out in practice.
Programmatic, CTV surge ahead
A recent “2025 State of Programmatic
Report” by Proximic, a division of Com-
score, found that 72% of advertisers plan to
increase programmatic spending in 2025,
strongly emphasizing privacy-compliant
approaches. Connected TV is at the center
of this spending surge, now commanding
28% of ad budgets — double what it was in
2023. According to the report, nearly half
of marketers reallocating their program-
matic CTV budgets by shifting funds away
from linear TV.
“Connected TV emerged as a clear win-
ner, and privacy-focused strategies like
contextual targeting are becoming essen-
tial for marketers aiming to deliver highly
effective, privacy-centric campaigns,” said
Rachel Gantz, managing director at Proxi-
mic by Comscore.
This shift isn’t surprising given that
consumer viewing habits favor stream-
ing over traditional cable bundles. At the
same time, the appetite for more automat-
ed buying practices has grown, with data
from Advertiser Perceptions showing an
uptick in programmatic guaranteed deals
on subscription video-on-demand (SVOD)
platforms.
What does all this mean
for broadcasters?
It suggests that ad budgets — historical-
ly the lifeblood of linear television — are
increasingly in play. Linear TV isn’t disap-
pearing overnight, but it’s facing renewed
competition from CTV and digital services
that can better target and measure audi-
ences. That shift, executives note, is where
AI can make a substantial difference.
“By analyzing viewer data, AI is able to
pinpoint content that resonates with au-
diences the most,” said Siddarth Gupta,
principal engineer at Interra Systems.
“Personalized ad insertion further max-
imizes revenue by matching ads to indi-
vidual preferences or the type of content
being viewed at the time.”
In other words, AI-driven personaliza-
tion is no longer a novelty; it’s a business
imperative, helping broadcasters capture
attention in a hyper-competitive ad mar-
ket.
Personalization and contextual
advertising in broadcast
Amid privacy crackdowns and the slow
demise of third-party cookies, advertisers
are turning to new, “ID-free” solutions that
rely on contextual and first-party data.
Proximic’s programmatic report noted
that 48% of marketers expect to rely pri-
marily on ID-free strategies by the end of
2025, and 52% plan to increase their use
of contextual data for targeting. These fig-
ures underscore the importance of align-
ing ads with relevant content or themes
rather than just behavioral profiles.
“AI can enhance content monetization
… enabling dynamic ad insertion, ensur-
ing more relevant ads and driving higher
engagement and revenue,” said Yang Cai,
CEO and president of VisualOn. This per-
sonalized approach is central to strategies
like contextual targeting, where AI scans
video or webpage content to place ads that
mesh seamlessly with the viewer’s experi-
ence.
Beyond simple text analysis, AI models
can detect visual cues, sentiment and even
brand safety issues within video content.
That granular understanding helps adver-
tisers avoid mismatches — like a children’s
toy ad running against adult-themed pro-
gramming — and allows them to place ads
when a viewer is most receptive.
Stefan Lederer, CEO and co-founder of
Bitmovin, said one of AI’s greatest strengths
is “to efficiently and accurately search, tag
and categorize content … unlocking new
advertising revenue potential through
AI-powered contextual advertising.”
This means that archival footage or
niche programming can suddenly become
revenue-generating assets, provided the
right sponsors are matched to the right
content.
Monetizing content with AI: Going beyond
traditional advertising to unlock new value
ADVERTISING
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