FreeWheel, Comcast’s TV ad-tech company, said it is launching The Viewer Experience Lab, an initiative aimed at improving the viewer experience and advertising environment on traditional and emerging channels that carry premium video content.
Programmers supporting the new initiative through their work with the FreeWheel Council for Video Excellence include A+E Networks, AMC, Fox, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount.
“Over the past few years, the ability for media companies to provide a uniform, quality experience across all of the diverse platforms into which they now serve advertising has grown exponentially harder,” FreeWheel general manager Mark McKee said. “Couple this with the reality that protecting their relationship with viewers has become paramount in an increasingly competitive ad marketplace, and you can see why we’re committed to helping our clients solve this complex challenge.”
The Viewer Experience Lab will be conducting research to help ad buyers and sellers understand the impact of different ad experiences on viewer experience and performance, including viewer response to new ad formats.
The lab will also develop solutions and technologies that allow content providers to implement best practices and provide better viewing experiences in a multiplatform premium video ecosystem.
“Our viewer relationships are at the center of everything we do as a media company and the unique value we are able to deliver to our advertising clients,” Evan Adlman, executive VP of commercial sales and revenue operations for AMC Networks, said. “These relationships are rooted in a viewer-first strategy across a broad, ad-supported distribution ecosystem that spans linear networks, streaming services and emerging connected TV/FAST platforms. We are focused on offering the best data targeting capabilities across all of our inventories, so having insights into the consumer experience that allow us to deliver the best products is invaluable in this dynamic and changing environment. We are thrilled to partner with FreeWheel in this new and novel effort.”
FreeWheel is using MediaScience as an inaugural research partner,
“We have completed extensive research into the viewing experience, especially as it relates to the impact on advertising performance, but as the media world changes our research needs to keep on evolving,” MediaScience CEO Dr. Duane Varan said. “We are thrilled that FreeWheel, with the support of its council of leading media companies, has chosen us to spearhead this important initiative.”
The Viewer Experience Lab released its State of TV Advertising Viewers Experience Report, which looked at how the industry should define and approach the viewer experience.
