24
NEWSCASTSTUDIO.COM
As the broadcast industry converges on
Las Vegas for the 2025 NAB Show, moneti-
zation is set to be prominent in discussions
with advertising technology shaping the fu-
ture outlook.
The annual event showcases how tradi-
tional broadcasting and digital streaming
continue to merge, creating new opportu-
nities and challenges for content delivery
and advertising strategies.
The migration of premier live events from
traditional linear broadcasting to streaming
platforms is key in driving content distribu-
tion and monetization conversation.
“Once the crown jewel of linear broad-
cast networks, sports and other big events
are quickly moving into the streaming
realm,” said Dave Dembowski, senior vice
president of global sales at Operative.
This transition creates a hybrid environ-
ment where traditional linear sales strate-
gies meet digital delivery systems. Media
companies now face the challenge of unify-
ing their product offerings, sales approach-
es and operations to accommodate this
convergence.
“Just because streaming is digital doesn’t
mean media companies are going to auto-
mate ad sales on their top content – they’re
adopting tried and true up-front fixed ad
sales models, but they still want the bene-
fits of dynamic ad delivery and reporting,”
Dembowski said.
Dynamic ad insertion
takes priority
Dynamic ad insertion (DAI) is critical in
enabling personalized advertising across
platforms, as broadcasters and streaming
services deliver targeted ads to specific au-
diences in real time.
“Dynamic ad insertion is a hot topic this
year. According to Bitmovin’s latest Video
Developer Report, ad insertion is the num-
ber one biggest challenge faced by video
developers today,” said Paul Davies, head of
marketing at Yospace.
The widespread adoption of advertis-
ing-supported models has intensified the
focus on DAI tech and implementation.
“Most streaming platforms have now em-
braced advertising in some form. With an
increase in streaming viewership alongside
this increase in advertising deployments,
the need to maximize revenues using DAI
has never been greater,” Davies said.
Jacques Le Mancq, CEO of Broadpeak,
emphasized the financial implications of
this shift: “The ongoing move to ad-sup-
ported/hybrid streaming models is a seis-
mic shift with monetization via advertising
front-of-mind for customers. Viewers in-
creasingly accept ads as a fair trade-off for
free or lower-cost content.”
Beyond basic insertion:
Challenges and solutions
Industry experts note that successful ad-
vertising strategies require more than ad
insertion capabilities. Technical challenges
range from content preparation to seam-
less delivery.
“It’s one thing to apply dynamic ad inser-
tion, it’s another altogether to harness the
tech’s potential to drive maximum fill-rates
at mass scale and deliver the highest possi-
ble ad revenues,” Davies said.
Anupama Anantharaman, vice president
of product management at Interra Systems,
pointed to a more nuanced approach.
“Broadcasters are prioritizing solutions
that balance ad relevance with seamless
viewer retention, moving beyond basic in-
sertion tactics to contextual alignment,”
said Anantharaman.
“To achieve maximum fill rates and drive
monetization, DAI tech has to reach far be-
yond simple insertion: there’s meticulous
content preparation required; truly dynam-
ic adaptation to each viewer or device; tight
integration across adtech workflows; and
ensuring ad breaks are delivered fluidly via
perfect stream stitching,” said Le Mancq on
the technical complexities involved.
Measurement and performance
As ad insertion technologies advance,
accurate measurement becomes increas-
ingly important for demonstrating value to
advertisers.
“The importance of accurate, trusted,
real-time measurement of ad views cannot
be overstated: this is a metric that matters
greatly to advertisers and, therefore, by
Dynamic ad insertion driving
interest but brings challenges
Please see ADTECH Page 27
ADTECH
NAB PREVIEW