Summary: In this article, we will discuss OTT platforms and OTT advertising in length. Also, through this discussion, we will answer frequently asked questions like: What is OTT content? What is OTT marketing? What is OTT advertising definition? What are the advantages of OTT platforms? What is the significance of advertising on OTT platforms in India?
Scam 1992, Paatal Lok, Bandish Bandits, Special Ops, Mirzapur, Made in Heaven, Ludo, AK vs AK- a list of great original Indian content shows & movies streamed on OTT
Platforms that people have enjoyed watching.
India is the world’s fastest-growing OTT market. It is expected that by 2024, revenue generated from online video
Subscriptions are going to cross 74 billion rupees.
With changing consumer behavior, going to cinema halls and traditional cable has become less popular. And that’s why OTT platforms are thriving.
What is an OTT Advertising platform?
OTT Advertising stands for over-the-top advertising. OTT refers to film and television content provided via a high-speed internet connection rather than a cable or satellite provider.
Thus the name, is over the top as it goes over the existing media services.
Some OTT platform examples are:
– Amazon’s Prime Video
– Netflix
– SonyLIV
– Voot
– Zee5
– ALTBalaji
– Disney+ Hotstar
– ErosNow
With enhanced networks, better internet connectivity, and better smartphones that enables multimedia streaming seamlessly, the presence of Indian subscribers on OTT platforms is increasing by the day, hence the importance of advertising on OTT platforms in India. And not just here, but there’s a significant rise in OTT viewers all around the globe.
OTT technology has certainly played a great part in the way people used to watch movies and TV shows at home.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and changing consumer behavior have fuelled the rise of OTT ads and OTT marketing.
With an increasing number of OTT users and declining cable preference, meant that advertisers had to turn their heads towards the OTT platforms to reach their target audience, achieve their marketing goals and tap into the advantages of OTT platforms.
And adhering to the call of the hour, OTT advertising came to light.
What is OTT Content?
OTT advertising content is not much different from running advertisements on TV. The only difference is that, OTT ads are delivered over the internet through streaming video services or devices such as smart or connected TVs (CTV).
This way OTT ads can bypass traditional TV providers that control & regulate media distribution can effectively reach their target audience better.
With continuous improvement in OTT technology that is gradually going to come in some years, marketers are going to be able to reap the heavy benefits of OTT platforms in the coming years.
Why is OTT Popular Now and How Does it Impact OTT Ads?
One main reason why OTT is on the rise is due to the increasing amount of dissatisfied paid TV customers.
With the reasons why people are not enjoying cable or dish network providers any more, viewers want to free themselves of long-term costly contracts with their cable providers.
Viewer demands are evolving and OTT has the ability to provide them with what they desire. Not only OTT platforms
and apps provide feasible payment options but also has many different viewing options:
– Streaming boxes (Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Allshare Cast)
– Game consoles (Playstation & Xbox)
– HDMI sticks (Chromecast, Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick)
– Internet-enabled smart Blu-ray/DVD players
– Smart TV (through in-TV apps like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, or SonyLiv)
– DVR set-top boxes
And this ability to stream OTT content on many devices is one of the biggest advantages of OTT platforms.
For an OTT advertising agency , the main benefit is that viewers cannot skip video ads, close a window or add some ad blocker to avoid video ads like they can on YouTube.
So how Are OTT Ads Delivered?
The delivery of OTT ads is determined by how the streaming platform communicates with OTT devices.
The standard delivery process of OTT ads is as follows:
- An audience is created:
First, an OTT audience is created based on the platform’s subscription data. But sometimes, first and third-party data can also be used to target ads based on locations that help advertisers to reach their target audience better.
- The campaign is pushed:
Next up, The OTT platform will match the audience to the specific TV subscriber lists on various OTT platforms. The video OTT ads are then sent & downloaded on the OTT platforms after which they are buffered on the OTT device the viewer is using.
- Display video ads via OTT platforms:
Now depending on which platform it is, OTT devices are communicated with using VAST tags or VPAID tags.
The VAST tags determine how the ad should be displayed on the screen. They instruct the streaming services on where to insert the ad, where it should show, how long it should be, and everything else regarding its visuals.
Video Player-Ad Interface Definition (VPAID) tags are built on the functional capabilities of VAST tags. Their purpose is to make the ad interactive and add other key metrics.
- Reporting:
At last, after the ads are run, the OTT operator sends back the ad-exposure results after the completion of the OTT campaign and the platform generates the reports for the advertiser.
Advantages of OTT Platforms
OTT marketing is a win-win for both sides.
People love it since they no longer have to pay for cable TV which isn’t a convenient viewing option and frankly doesn’t have great new content to offer always.
OTT Advertising companies love it because it has an immense ability to generate business sales through ads.
In addition to this, here are the other benefits OTT advertising companies can use:
- Precise Targeting:
With inbuilt analytics, OTT platforms enable digital marketers to run engaging OTT ads of shorter duration to the relevant crowd as they know the location of the audience.
– Targeting can be based on the device in use, region, type of content, ad preferences, gender, age, browsing patterns, and much more.
- Dynamic ad insertion:
Over the top allows you to swap ad creatives in living, or video-on-demand content.
- Advanced analytics:
With precise useful data collected on your audience, an OTT advertising agency can strategically use the intelligence to figure out which ads are working best and which are not. And this can help them optimize future ads accordingly.
- Better ROI
In traditional TV advertising, ad relevance for the large crowd was an issue. In an OTT platform, you can set your target audience and create ads that are highly engaging and effective in getting conversions. And that’s why over-the-top platforms can deliver better ROIs.
What does the future hold for OTT advertising
As people continue to shift towards online streaming, OTT marketing and media continues to disrupt the industry for good. OTT advertising has a bright future in India and around the world. With the great original content OTT channels have to offer, combined with the easy viewing options and cost-effective subscription mode compared to cable; people have got their streaming media experiences to get much better.
And this growing trend is why TV advertisers are shifting more towards OTT marketing to run their advertisements and reap maximum benefits.
As we pave the way towards a better future, OTT marketing is going to occupy a much larger market share than it already does as of now.
So if you’re looking to run OTT marketing campaigns, now seems like the best time to start.
Communication Crafts is an experience-led OTT advertising agency, delivers cost-effective OTT marketing strategies with a team of expert marketers.
Feel free to contact us for further queries.
