What are the issues driving the business of digital media forward? The recent DCN Next: Summit covered many areas of this constantly evolving environment, from emerging platforms to data collection, privacy, and revenue. We attended this event alongside senior-level digital executives from DCN’s 60-plus member companies, and identified three hold-out themes to share:
- The continued evolution of the Connected TV (CTV) landscape for publishers
- The evolution of ad tech with the loss of access to third-party cookies
- The importance of building a stronger digital media marketplace
Connected TV
During this virtual event, CNN Chief Media Correspondent Brian Stelter sat with CBS News President Susan Zirinsky for a discussion on how the pandemic has accelerated shifts in the TV news business. Zrinsky reiterated that users aren’t prioritizing tuning into primetime TV as their main news source anymore. With streaming, VOD, and CTV moving to the forefront in the last year or so, broadcast news must adapt to a 24/7 cross-platform model, focusing on meeting audiences where and when they want to consume content.
Loss of Third-Party Cookies
Publishers of all kinds are investing more in digital subscriptions. Even institutions like the New York Times have 2.3 million digital subscriptions for the past year, a stat shared by the paper’s CEO Meredith Kopit Levien as part of a discussion on their investment in covering live, breaking news. But she also suggests publishers reduce their dependence on third-party data to help create better digital experiences for subscribers.
And for good reason. This year, everyone is anticipating the impact of losing third-party cookies on revenue. This means exploring alternatives that still allow publishers to continue targeting visitors with contextual content.
The Importance of a Stronger Digital Media Marketplace
“Publishers have been covering three of the biggest stories of our generation, all intersecting at the same time,” said Jason Kint, CEO of DCN when he opened the DCN Next: Summit. “Your ability to stay true to your brands and to the public trust, despite personal and professional obstacles, has been remarkable.”
He went on to share how the industry will need to keep its priorities straight to create a stronger digital media marketplace and shed light on the many ways publishers are adapting to shifts accelerated by the pandemic by deepening their direct relationships with audiences.
This was a topic threaded through most of the event: Big tech players have increased competition, digital journalism is still in its infancy, data collection is under a microscope, and subscription services are on the rise, stressing the importance of publishers owning their content.
And at the end of the event, Jason suggested we all focus on three key ideas. Strengthen bonds with audiences and partners, understand the core needs of both, and emphasize agility in response to change.
We couldn’t agree more, and that’s where FUEL comes in.
For example, beyond simple subscription services, publishers using FUEL will be better poised for the transition away from third-party cookies. The FUEL solution develops a speech-to-text file for all content on our system, allowing publishers to then use this information to develop enhanced content ad targeting capabilities.
FUEL also helps publishers navigate more CTV offerings by creating live and on-demand channels audiences can watch anywhere, any time. Plus, with FUEL, publishers can have more control over their content and deliver a better viewing experience – a winning outcome for everyone.
Make FUEL part of your digital media plans. Find out more about this industry-changing solution and schedule a demo here.
About Bitcentral, Inc.
We are Bitcentral—one of the video industry’s most trusted and innovative software providers. For more than 20 years, we have helped the biggest names in broadcasting create workflows that maximize the value of media. With our industry-changing solution FUEL™, we’re bringing our innovative approach to video to the digital world to create an innovative curation process—and an extraordinary viewing experience. In addition to FUEL, we are part of everyday news operations with our Core News™ solution, the No. 1 news production platform in the U.S. reaching millions every day, and Central Control™, which provides a flexible toolset for master control operation with modules to execute all the processes that converge into playout. Bitcentral is based in Newport Beach, California, and its Latin America headquarters is in Mexico City. Schedule a demo today with a Bitcentral expert to see how FUEL is revolutionizing digital streaming for the present and the future. Learn more at https://bitcentral.com/.