A CONSORTIUM DEDICATED TO ESTABLISHING
AN ADDRESSABLE ADVERTISING STANDARD
“Comcast NBCUniversal is committed to an openstandard for addressable advertising. We look forward to continuing ourinvestment in furthering the industry’s capabilities by joining Project OAR toestablish a streamlined, consistent ad buying experience for advertisers whileensuring a relevant and engaging ad experience for consumers.” -- DeniseColella, Senior Vice President, Advanced Advertising Products & Strategy, NBCUniversal.
“We all recognize the most important goal of this initiative is to drastically enhance the TV experience for people at home."
-- VIZIO Founder and Chief Executive Officer William Wang.
“Project OAR complements our strategy around new data set development supportive of our own company insights. It’s important for us to come together as an industry and create connective experiences that matter to fans, and that includes how we use data to inform and broaden spaces like addressable TV.” -- Jesse Redniss, EVP of Data Strategy, WarnerMedia and GM of the WarnerMedia Innovation Lab.
Project OAR aligns well with FreeWheel’s objective of supporting the industry to deliver scalable, addressable advertising solutions that will help make television an even more valuable platform for brand marketers. Bringing an addressability standard to Smart TVs nicely complements solutions already available from MVPDs." -- Dave Clark, General Manager of FreeWheel, a Comcast owned company.
“TV programmers reach a massive and passionate audience, but have lacked the precision targeting of digital. Through OAR, CBS will combine relevance with our reach to deliver a better experience to our viewers and better ROI for our advertisers.” -- Mike Dean, Senior Vice President, Advanced Advertising and Automation at CBS
“Combining the power of television with truly addressable advertising is something the industry has been focused on for many years, for good reason. We are pleased to be participating in this consortium to develop and put into practice an open standard that will drive this capability forward, giving advertisers a greater opportunity to deliver the right message to the right audience than has ever been possible before.” -- Adam Gaynor, Vice President of AMCN Agility
“The television advertising industry has long needed a solution that will enhance the customer viewing experience by providing ads that are both dynamic and relevant. Discovery is proud to be leading the charge in offering dynamically inserted targeted ads across our premium national inventory."
-- Keith Kazerman, SVP, Research, Data and Engage, Discovery, Inc.
“Television’s inherent advantage of unduplicated reach for advertisers will become even greater with the added benefit of enhanced targeting and performance attribution. We’re happy to join with our fellow consortium partners to bring this open-standards approach to the local broadcast market.” -- Eric Meyrowitz, SVP, Sales, for Hearst Television
“The standard will define the baseline for ad delivery, impression verification and privacy compliance, but networks will have plenty of room to create unique and enriched advertising experiences. We are making this flexible enough to enable interactivity and other bells and whistles that have yet to be imagined.” -- Jodie McAfee, SVP at Inscape
New York City, March 12, 2019 — America’s top media and technology companies, in collaboration with U.S.-based smart TV company VIZIO, today announced the formation of a consortium dedicated to the development and deployment of a new, open standard for addressable advertising on connected TVs. The effort will open up a direct dynamic ad- management pathway between content owners and TV devices.
Dubbed “Project OAR” for Open Addressable Ready, the consortium is working to define technical standards for TV programmers and platforms to deliver more relevant advertising experiences within linear and on-demand formats on smart TVs.
Project OAR allows ad-inventory owners, whether programmers or distributors, the technical means to better monetize every TV impression through segment-based audience targets and addressable insertion.
“TV programmers reach a massive and passionate audience, but have lacked the precision targeting of digital,” said Mike Dean, Senior Vice President, Advanced Advertising and Automation at CBS. “Through OAR, CBS will combine relevance with our reach to deliver a better experience to our viewers and better ROI for our advertisers.”
With OAR, media companies can deliver ads that are relevant to the household and, more importantly, improve the linear viewing experience for consumers. “We all recognize the most important goal of this initiative is to drastically enhance the TV experience for people at home,” said VIZIO Founder and Chief Executive Officer, William Wang.
The consortium has the initial guarantee from VIZIO that once the standard is developed it can be deployed on its opt-in footprint of connected TVs, though the protocol will be open and designed to enable any internet-connected TV maker and connected-device company to leverage it.
“Project OAR complements our strategy around new data-set development supportive of our own company insights,” said Jesse Redniss, EVP of Data Strategy/Product Innovation, Turner and GM of the Warner Media Innovation Lab. “It’s important for us to come together as an industry and create connective experiences that matter to fans, and that includes how we use data to inform and broaden spaces like addressable TV.”
With oversight from a committee comprised of representatives from Disney’s Media Networks (ABC, ESPN and Freeform), Comcast’s FreeWheel and NBCUniversal, Discovery, CBS, Xandr, Turner, Hearst Television and AMC, the technology will be developed by Inscape, the TV ACR data company owned by VIZIO.
“Project OAR aligns well with FreeWheel’s objective of supporting the industry to deliver scalable, addressable advertising solutions that will help make television an even more valuable platform for brand marketers. Bringing an addressability standard to Smart TVs nicely complements solutions already available from MVPDs,” said Dave Clark, General Manager of FreeWheel, a Comcast company.
The standard promises to solve a lot of problems at once by delivering enhanced advertising products to brands, making the ad-supply chain more efficient, and giving audiences advertising content they are more likely to watch and enjoy.
The OAR standard will be designed to ensure a privacy-safe, technologically sound, dynamic ad-delivery system. “The standard will define the baseline for ad delivery, impression verification and privacy compliance, but networks will have plenty of room to create unique and enriched advertising experiences,” said Jodie McAfee, SVP at Inscape. “We are making this flexible enough to enable interactivity and other bells and whistles that have yet to be imagined.”
With development now underway, the consortium aims to have a working product to showcase in Spring 2019 with full deployment targeted for early 2020.
NEW YORK - June 13, 2019 - Project OAR announced that Fox Corporation has joined the ranks of America's top media companies as a member of the addressable TV advertising consortium. In addition, Project OAR and its members have announced the formation of an Agency Advisory Committee with participation pledges from Publicis Media, Omnicom Media Group, GroupM, IPG/Magna, Dentsu Aegis Network, Havas and Horizon Media.
Fox Corporation will serve as a member of the primary Steering Committee dedicated to creating a standard by which all parties in the TV ecosystem can collaborate and unite on addressable advertising; other Steering Committee members include: Disney Media Networks, Warner Media, Xandr, Comcast's FreeWheel and NBCUniversal, CBS, Discovery, Hearst Television, AMC Networks, as well as U.S. smart TV company VIZIO and TV data company, Inscape.
Dan Callahan, Vice President, Audience and Automated Sales, Fox Corporation said, “FOX has long been a proponent of industry-wide collaboration, and we are pleased to join other leading media companies and our agency partners to innovate strategically around standards for addressable advertising. We believe that this consortium, which benefits from both sell-side and buy-side support, will help drive adoption across the industry and enable us to execute at scale.”
The newly formed Agency Advisory Committee will provide invaluable guidance and buy-side insight into the issues critical to a thriving addressable marketplace. The Committee conducted its first full meeting in May, and began discussions on issues ranging from measurement to inventory management, privacy policies and cross-network targeting. The effort will open up a direct dynamic ad-management pathway between content owners and TV devices.
“Data show that addressable advertising provides a better experience for content owners, viewers and brands,” said Jonathan Steuer, Chief Research Officer, Omnicom Media Group. “The challenges now are addressing measurement issues, getting inventory to scale and making sure that advertisers’ needs are considered in the creation of the standard.”
“We’ve been dedicated to advancing the addressable TV advertising space for more than a decade and we’re excited to see it continue to evolve and expand – particularly in ways that will allow our clients to tell better stories through dynamic creative in emerging formats,” said Helen Katz, SVP, Global Data Partnerships at Publicis Spine.
The consortium is currently focused on the development of a new, open standard for addressable advertising on Smart TVs and connected devices. The offering is slated to come to market in the first half of 2020.
“There are three important factors in making meaningful progress. First, the consensus from TV networks and media companies on the core principles and features an open addressable standard must adhere to. Second, a clear technical roadmap and the actual development it takes to make it work for all systems. And third, meaningful input and involvement from the buy side,” said Zeev Neumeier, founder and SVP of Technology at Inscape, which is leading the technical development of the open standard. “All three are happening and we’re happy with the progress.”
With Consensus on Technical and Measurement Specifications, Software Updates Are Heading for VIZIO’s Smart TV Footprint; Major Ad Engine Integrations Have Started
OAR Members and Technology Providers Collaborate to Showcase Live Linear Dynamic Ad Insertion at CES
New York City, Jan 6, 2020 — Project OAR, the consortium working to recommend standard protocols for TV programmers and platforms to easily manage, sell and deliver more relevant advertising experiences within linear and on-demand formats on smart TVs, today announced a series of updates that put it on track to complete the first critical stages of its mission.
Ad Engine Integration: The consortium, which is comprised of America’s top television networks and operators, working with American smart TV company VIZIO, agreed on much of the technological specifications. The consortium also announced that it has begun implementing the technical integrations with TV’s major ad delivery and enablement engines FreeWheel, Google Ad Manager, Xandr and INVIDI.
Technology Deployments in Hardware: Founding member VIZIO has started pushing software and firmware updates to a footprint of over 13 million smart TVs across the U.S. that enable frame-accurate dynamic ad insertion. “We have effectively rolled out the hardest parts of dynamic advertising into the TV sets, and now members can work on building infrastructure for deploying, managing and selling dynamic ads,” says Zeev Neumeier, SVP of Technology at smart TV data company Inscape, who is leading the building and development of the standard in collaboration with engineers and executives from the consortium members.
Measurement Specifications: Likewise, the Project OAR measurement subgroup, composed of large agencies and TV programmers, has completed the technical specifications for measurement of dynamic inventory. “The trick is not how we measure addressable inventory but how the addition of new measurement specifications can help to unify dynamic inventory with traditional linear ad exposures,” says Helen Katz, SVP, Director of Global Insights and Analytics for Publicis Groupe.
“We are pleased that the progress we’ve made to advance the technical and measurement specifications; it speaks to the commitment everyone has to innovate experiences on behalf of brands and consumers,” says Laura Nelson, SVP, Advertising Solutions & Performance Advertising at Disney Advertising Sales.”
“Transforming an industry requires a collective effort from all stakeholders, and we are excited to share progress on the consortium’s efforts over the past year. Our hope is that this lays the groundwork for a year where addressability across all platforms begins to standardize, unlocking new opportunities for advertisers and better viewing experiences for consumers,” says Dan Aversano, Senior Vice President of Ad Innovation and Programmatic Solutions, WarnerMedia Ad Sales.
Showcasing Technologies at CES: The dynamic ad insertion (DAI) technology will be on display by appointment only for brands, agencies and networks at CES 2020 in the VIZIO showroom at the Vdara Hotel, January 6th-8th. Comcast’s FreeWheel, Google Ad Manager, Innovid and INVIDI will all have different demos alongside participating networks including AMC, CBS, FOX, NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia. Crystal, a division of LTN Global and key technology provider, will also be inside VIZIO’s showroom providing demos for local linear insertion.
“The industry must deliver the scale that advertisers need to use addressable TV effectively. Project OAR is a great example of the industry rising up to meet this challenge and FreeWheel is proud to be a part of the solution,” says Dave Clark, General Manager of FreeWheel. “Whether an MVPD, programmer, smart TV manufacturer or technology provider, we will all benefit from making addressability happen.”
Each of the demos will highlight the ability to deliver targeted ads through addressable-enabled streaming, cable, satellite and telco video content networks to reach audiences regardless of where, when or how they choose to view television.
“This is an important milestone for Project OAR and the future of our business. CBS has been working with VIZIO and Crystal to validate and trial the OAR solution and we are excited to showcase the results of those efforts as a demo of addressable live national TV,” says Mike Dean, Senior Vice President, Advanced Advertising and Automation at CBS.
The demos will showcase advertising optimization across multiple television networks including WarnerMedia, Disney/ABC, NBCUniversal, CBS, Discovery, AMC Networks, and FOX. Participants will explain how to optimize ad inventory and enable unsold and underperforming inventory to be monetized. The demos will also highlight how the DAI technology can be used to target different demographics with relevant advertising content.
“Project OAR members all worked hard to bring this to fruition. We’re excited to pull back the curtain and show the industry where TV advertising is headed,” says Dan Callahan, Senior Vice President, Audience Strategy and Innovation at Fox Corporation (FOX), which is making nearly all of its inventory optimizable across FS1, FS2, FOX News and FOX Business for the CES showcase.
“At Discovery, we pride ourselves on being an innovation leader across all areas of our business. We are thrilled to be a part of Project OAR, bringing addressable advertising to the marketplace,” says Keith Kazerman, EVP, Digital Sales, Advanced Advertising and Research. “Technology is at the forefront of our changing industry, making CES the ideal venue to showcase the advances being made in TV advertising.”
Through the collective work of the OAR consortium, media companies can increase the relevancy of advertising and improve linear viewing for consumers. “Addressable advertising is finally here. Working with the top networks and platform companies means we can help move the entire industry forward and enhance the TV experience for viewers at home,” says VIZIO Founder and Chief Executive, William Wang.
New York City, May 11, 2020 — The E.W. Scripps Company and an expanded group from ViacomCBS have joined Project OAR, the consortium working to recommend open standard protocols for TV programmers and platforms to easily manage, sell and deliver more relevant advertising experiences within linear and on-demand formats on smart TVs.
The two media network groups join the consortium on the heels of the group reaching consensus for the measurement and technical specifications for the management and delivery of addressable ads across all forms of television. At this year’s CES event, members of Project OAR showcased specs around linear dynamic ad insertion, ad engine integration capabilities with TV’s major ad delivery and enablement engines, and since then they have been pushing software and firmware updates to millions of smart TVs.
Scripps, which operates 60 local TV stations in 42 markets across the U.S., is implementing addressable advertising across a growing footprint of local OTT apps and joins OAR at a time when local broadcast advertising is undergoing a transformation. “Addressable advertising is a natural fit for Scripps because we have been early to understand and monetize digital and other technology platforms,” said Kerry Oslund, Scripps vice president of strategy and business development. “Supporting open standards for dynamic advertising in 1.0 and 3.0 broadcast television is a natural extension of our work as well as our mission to serve our audiences and advertisers on every media platform. We also are pleased to partner with the country’s most watched and respected TV companies and ad agencies on this initiative.”
Additionally, the consortium, which counted CBS Networks as a founding member, now has ViacomCBS’ entire TV footprint represented, including BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, TV Land, VH1 and more. “We know the future of TV requires a smarter, more relevant approach to ad experiences,” said Mike Dean, SVP of advanced advertising at ViacomCBS, and one of the founding executives of OAR. “Giving the entire ViacomCBS portfolio representation inside of OAR underscores the serious investment we are making in the future of better programming and ad experiences.”
OAR network members recently showcased the technology standard working on a frame-perfect basis in live linear TV with a variety of technology and ad engine companies, including FreeWheel, Google Ad Manager, Xandr, Innovid, INVIDI and Crystal, all successfully utilizing the open standard for dynamic ad insertion.
About Project Open Addressable Ready (OAR): Project Open Addressable Ready is a technology consortium created to deliver better advertising experiences to viewers through the use of dynamic advertising on internet-connected TVs and devices. Formed in 2018, OAR founding members include ViacomCBS, Disney’s Media Networks, Comcast’s FreeWheel and NBCUniversal, Xandr, WarnerMedia, Discovery, Hearst Television, AMC Networks, VIZIO and Inscape. The consortium provides technical specifications and best-practice provisions for the selling, targeting and measurement of TV advertising within privacy-compliant, consumer-forward TV environments and is open to content providers and OEMs.
