Broadcasters unite for development of media briefing portal
Commercial broadcasters Foxtel/MCN, Network Ten, Nine and Seven West Media have united to develop a media briefing portal, which will allow agencies and advertisers to easily buy television inventory.
The four broadcasters are working with Accenture’s IBB Consulting, to offer streamlined fixed placement and automated TV spot trading that allows buyers to log in and brief broadcasters on campaigns.
ThinkTV and the major broadcasters are hoping to making buying television easier
ThinkTV’s shareholders have previously made their own investments in automating trading platforms, namely Nine’s 9Galaxy, Seven’s Code7 and Landmark. The proposed portal will be connected to these systems, allowing buyers to avoid repetition through standardisation of the process.
Kim Portrate, Think TV’s Chief Executive, said the solution would provide scale and workflow efficiencies through a single online destination.
“ThinkTV’s mission is to help advertisers and their agencies get the best out of today’s multi-platform TV – and a core part of that is by making TV easier to trade,” said Portrate.
“It is a complex project and we are consulting media agencies and advertisers to ensure it meets their needs.”
IBB has taken the proposal to a number of vendors, who are expected to respond by the third quarter to ThinkTV’s board of directors. The technology is expected to expand and broaden once launched in market. The ThinkTV Board said the development showed commercial broadcasters were united in driving the industry forward.
Kurt Burnette, Seven West Media’s chief revenue officer said the briefing portal highlights “real” and “meaningful” collaboration.
“Around the world collaboration in business sectors is becoming a key factor for success, proving that whatever organisation that can help make the complex simple for customers has the highest chance of succeeding into the future,” Burnette said.
Michael Stephenson, chief sales officer at Nine, said ThinkTV and the industry was focused on making television easier to buy.
“The briefing portal will make the process of briefing and buying TV simpler as it integrates into our systems driving greater efficiency for our clients. This is a great first step with more to come,” Stephenson said.
Network Ten’s Rod Prosser, executive general manager for revenue and client partnerships, described the portal as “world leading” and “one of many” collaborations to come.
“The ThinkTV briefing portal is a great example of what can be achieved when an industry comes together to develop a product that makes it easier for its customers,” Prosser said.
Mark Frain, Chief Executive of MCN, said the briefing portal was the first step on the journey to making TV buys earier.
“It will provide agencies and clients a single location for all TV briefs which will increase efficiency, save time and ease the transactional barriers for the whole TV buying marketplace,” Frain said.
