tv advertising measurement and buying tools

Learn how Tatari clients stayed ahead of the Coronavirus (and how you can, too).

Coronavirus continues to cause most people and industries to adapt everyday, and the same goes for all involved with TV advertising. Tatari has published daily (and intra-day) updates with our clients, and we summarized some from this past week below. Not everything is actionable anymore (but let us know if you want to stay in the loop and get real-time pricing); it is merely intended to help you understand how Tatari clients have stayed ahead in these difficult times.  

TV Viewership

TV viewership is up. You know this already. News is leading the pack (see table below) but even kids networks continued to see increased viewership. For example, Boomerang is up 2x! Expect further increases this week with more school closing.

We peeled the onion a little further by examining dayparts. Daytime viewership is up 8% - 20% (and can make for smart buys). For example, Tuesday’s prime time viewership was down nearly 15% compared to Jan and Feb levels. This is due to less original first run programming and sports cancellations.

Speaking of sports, the histogram below shows how a cohort of ESPN viewers (in the 2 weeks prior to league cancellations) diverted their attention to movies, cooking and home improvement. The unsurprising exception is NFL Network, which has drawn most of its attention due the start of free agency and coverage of players signing with new teams.

Last but not least, streaming is also on the rise. For example, CBS is telling us that they’ve seen their highest number of streams ever in the past few days across major markets like NY, LA, Boston, SF Bay Area, Minnesota, Philly, Denver and Pittsburgh.

Inventory Availability and Programming

Networks continue to adjust programming in response to cancelled sports and no longer allow live studio audiences.

If you’re looking to reach sports audiences, some relevant programming to be aware of:

  • NFL teams are signing new players so there is a lot of news that is likely being covered on sports-specific networks

  • ESPN announced the return of the Ocho.

  • CBS is airing previous march madness games

Streaming publishers are starting to offer free access to in order to win some goodwill and potentially attract subscribers in the long-run. 

  • Fox announced it will provide everyone in the U.S., regardless of paid packages, access to the Fox News and Fox Now apps.

  • Sling announced the free offer which includes access to ABC News Live, a 24/7 streaming video news channel, as well as access to “thousands of movies and shows suitable for kids and families. 

Speaking of streaming, Tatari quickly signed a PMP (private marketplace) deal for custom (streaming) News.  This means that Tatari buys audiences programmatically across live news publishers like Newsy, Cheddar, ABC, local news stations across the U.S. and networks like CNN, MSNBC, and CNBC. 

Pricing and Buying Opportunities 

Because of programming adjustments and pullback by advertisers in affected industries (e.g. travel), firesales are abundant.  Proactive Tatari clients are gaining exposure to new audiences at a fraction of the cost, often achieving DR-like results on (high-reach) brand buys.  

Below is an example for American Idol and Shark Tank.  Tatari clients appeared next to big brands like Discover, Kellogg’s, Subway, Ziplock, and Facebook. With discounts of upwards of 70% in some cases, they were able to put their ads in front of over 200% more viewers than they normally would have per dollar spent-- creating a tripling of performance.

Other notable opportunities our clients are taking advantage of this week were on popular news shows.  They are also finding sports audiences on the aforementioned reruns of classic march madness games and sport-specific networks covering NFL free agency. 

Stay healthy & safe.

Last but not least: if you can, stay at home (and keep it healthy).  We have a special call-out for two of our clients, Roman (offering telehealth assessment) and EverlyWell (providing COVID-19 test kits at costs).  

Your working from home Tatari team (screenshot taken during our Monday team huddle)


    philip-inghelbrecht-headshot

    Philip Inghelbrecht

    I'm CEO at Tatari. I love getting things done.

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