Using Blockchain to Disrupt Media

Just when you thought the media landscape was quieting down, a new non-profit research and development foundation called the AdLedger Consortium has been created to further disrupt the buy/sell model, this time by using blockchain. This consortium is charged with implementing global technical standards, protocols and solutions for digital media and blockchain. 

The group’s founding members consist of a range of companies from technology, advertising agencies, media sellers and data vendors who are pooling their expertise and efforts to, according to the press release, “bring transparency and data security to the ad tech supply chain through blockchain technology.” According to their press release, founding member companies include, Canoe, GroupM, Cadent, Meredith, IPG Mediabrands and Neustar, among others.

Why Apply Blockchain to Digital Media

At a recent Frankfurt Kurnit event, Gordon Platt, President, Gotham Media, explained that when it comes to media and advertising, "Blockchain technology will bring media licensing and distribution into the 21st Century, enabling creators to control access to their work and ensuring that they get paid for its use."

Eric John, Deputy Director, Video Center of Excellence at the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) noted that in the areas of fraud and safety, “It takes automation to and entirely new level.” On the plus side, blockchain offers a failsafe, verifiable, immutable protocol to permanently link data for use in transactions and data tracking. Privacy compliance is part of this focus.

But caution is advised. “Putting a social network on the blockchain is harder than you think,” warned Benji Rogers, CEO and Co-Founder, Dot Blockchain Media. “If it links to extremist content, you can never take it down,” he explained. “You might siphon millions of dollars to the wrong person and can’t turn it off.”

Privacy Compliance Legislation

The concern about data privacy is being addressed through legislation by the EU called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) scheduled to go into effect in May 2018. Its implementation is a call to action for companies interested in creating and supporting a privacy compliant peer-to-peer decentralized network for media. Through the use of blockchain, companies can address a range of data issues from transparency to supply chain inefficiency to data security and portability to reconciliation and payments that comply with the new EU regulation.

According to Gabe Greenberg, CEO and Co-Founder of GABBCON, Global Audience Based Buying Conference and Consultancy, “Blockchain has the ability to help media by illuminating the current opacity in the supply chain and, by extension, eliminating fraud and moving economic value back to publishers and advertisers.” And, importantly, it offers a secure, privacy-compliant ability to transact that protects the user's private data. 

AdLedger Proof of Concepts

AdLedger is working on two different proofs of concept right now. The first is OpenGPDR, which will cryptographically store data on a data controller’s private blockchain, creating an audit trail. This will help companies manage the new privacy rights under the GDPR regulations of the Right to Access and the Right to be Forgotten.

The second proof of concept is Campaign Reconciliation which focuses on streamlining the campaign reconciliation process showing “what a campaign transacted from cradle to grave would look like on a blockchain,” stated Greenberg. Led by Amichai Lichtenstein, Director of Product Management at AppNexus, the project includes the creation of a contained blockchain network with a set number of players that combines disparate sources of immediate metrics based on measurement KPI’s tied to campaign delivery. Touted as a single source of truth, the ledger will ideally showcase blockchain’s ability to reduce the amount of campaign discrepancies and offer more transparency for buyers and sellers.

Challenges to Implementation

But there are still some challenges to overcome. The most frequently cited challenge, Greenberg noted, is speed. “The traditional ad tech landscape has high QPS (queries per second) demands that blockchain today would struggle to support, but we are confident that the technology will continue to evolve,” he stated, and added, “Saying that this will remain a challenge forever is assuming no innovation or iteration -- it's like saying a 5-year-old will never be tall enough to ride a roller coaster.” Even with this challenge, the expectation is that there will be increasing traction to embed blockchain in digital media throughout 2018.

This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com

The Future of Television May Only Be One Screen

You know that the definition of television is changing when a Future of Television conference is hosted by a company called Digital Media Wire. This event was part of the NY Games conference indicating to me that all content, no matter how it is delivered and used by the consumer, is part of the new and complex television ecosystem.

What is television today? I have explored this question in previous articles. But the Future of Television conference further expanded the definition in terms of content, distribution, monetization and venue viewing opportunities. The big takeaway for me was that television seems to have finally crossed the digital Rubicon, transitioning from the “delivery box” to a veritable state of mind, a programming option where no screen is primary. What is television today and what are the challenges to the current business model? Here are my ten top takeaways, not in any particular order:

1.   Marked Generational Differences in Television Usage

For Time Warner’s Joan Gilman, the definition of television has two answers - a professional and a personal one. At work it is program content – the creative. At home with her kids it is hardware based where they spend less time on the primary household screen but consume large amounts of content on second screens.

2.  Don’t Talk About the “Second Screen”. There is only One Screen

Among Millennials, the first screen of choice may not be the television set. It might be the tablet or mobile. Is there really a “second screen” anymore? Isn’t just “The Screen”? For Meredith’s Laura Rowley, her kids say that all you need for television is wifi. And according to Craig Palmer of Wikia, “If you use the second screen it is the first screen for you.”

3. More Programming Sources Expand Consumption - Time is Flexible and Expandable

Will there be more competition for viewers’ time as all of this new content – from Netflix, Yahoo, AOL, YouTube and other sources – needs to fit within the time that the average viewer allots for television entertainment? Not necessarily. “Video is invading other spheres of life.” Says Rowley. “Our site All Recipes .. can be downloaded via mobile in the grocery store. So we are expanding the hours used for entertainment. We offer a solution for consumers and insert a video in their day that didn't have a video before. In this way we are redefining TV with consumers consuming video in new places and in new ways.” 

4. Measurement is (Still) the Big Challenge

No matter how you define television, new sources of content make no impact unless you can measure it all properly and completely. Measurement has not kept up with the way content is being delivered and the concept of rating may not be as relevant today as it was in previous years. CPM may be less of an issue if they measure actual behavior in terms of reach and frequency. Anthony Wood of Roku explained that there are many sources of viewership that is not currently measured by Nielsen including Hulu Plus. How can you monetize it if you can’t measure it? A big step forward is asset identification coding that facilitates automatic content recognition across all screens. But it is still in process with no industry standard as of yet.

Joan Gillman of TWC talks about measurement:
 

5. The Borders May Soon Be Shifting

While the virtual MSO may still be in development, it does have the potential to upend the business model and change the viewing landscape. Think of TV without Borders.

6. Storytelling Trumps Technology But Give Technology It’s Due

Even with all the new and ever expanding range of viewing platforms, nothing is as important as being able to offer great and compelling content, as long as it is in context. Shane Rahmani of Electus says that the core of success is great storytelling but “what works on linear might not work on YouTube and it should be form factor appropriate.”

7. New Programming (and Advertising) Experimentations

Nick Demartino of Theatrics summed it up. “We are at the beginning of an unprecedented time of programming experimentation. We are evolving from the tyranny of the 22 minute sitcom.” But predicting the end of the 22 minute sitcom and 30 a second spot may be premature. Much of it is predicated on specific content. Some formats are better for digital and can be adapted from linear. Rich Cusick of Yahoo offered this insight: “Buzzy moments have resonance and can be inexpensive to produce. We took a (longer) program segment and found users only wanted to viewed the buzzy moments that they cared about. We edited it down to 3 minutes and increased viewing.”

8. But Old Programming Has a Great Value Too

Magisto’s Reid Genauer spoke of “decades worth of content with no place to live today.” In his company, they are experimenting to bring that content back into the social dialogue. He says, “Our videos get the same number of views per month as an episode of Breaking Bad.”

Shane Rahmani (Electus) and Rich Cusick (Yahoo) talk about the Impact of Data on Content

9. TV Everywhere is A Temporary Advantage for MSOs, At Best

When asked if TVE is working for MSOs, Steve Ronson of A+E equivocated. I would answer that question as, “it depends, not so much and maybe. It may help MVPDs to some extent but the problem is in its execution.” Karen Cahn of AOL called TVE “A band aid solution” since consumers want content and don’t really care about the delivery provider. But Craig Palmer of Wikia feels that the “traditional model will go away since kids don’t feel the need to be subscribers.” And what about delivery via IPTV?

10. Celebrity Participation Helps Drive Appeal

It was agreed that celebrity involvement helps in attracting audience and attention. But while celebrity participation helps drive content, the definition of celebrity is fungible. AOL’s Cahn said, “Influencers don't have to be a household name but they can influence popularity.”  Will everyone be able to get their 15 minutes of fame more easily?

Q&A Interview with Britta Ware - Meredith

Britta Ware, Vice President, Research Solutions for Meredith Corporation offers a fresh perspective on the magazine marketplace and how psychographic research can be used to effectively target female readers and web visitors. Her interview with Charlene Weisler spans a range of topics including the role of research, how print and research are evolving, media mix modeling, data matching, trends and predictions, audience targeting for print. Ware discusses Meredith’s custom readership community and their Gamma women segmentation.


The six videos are as follows:

Subject Length (in minutes)
Background & Print Evolution (6:28)
Research trends, Communispace (3:43)
Current Projects, Media Mix Modeling (8:02)
Innovations, Psychography (2:49)
Research Leader and Data Matching (3:35)
Print targeting and Conclusion (3:39)



Charlene Weisler interviews Britta Ware on a range of subjects. In this video Britta talks about her background - how she got to where she is today - and the evolution of Print:




Charlene Weisler interviews Britta Ware about her views on research trends and Meredith's investment in the online community company, Communispace:




Charlene Weisler interviews Britta Ware about the importance of accountability in research, the paper she completed about media mix modeling and an overview of some of her other current projects:

(Her paper, written with David Shiffman of MediaVest is available for view upon request)




Charlene Weisler talks to Britta Ware about current Research leadership and how she uses data - through fusion or data matching in this interesting video:




In this next video, Britta Ware talks about innovations in media, the evolving role of research, her work with the ARF and the use of psychographic research in her sales research arsenal:




In this concluding video, Britta Ware discusses how Print eanbles advertisers to test the targetability of their ads in the print environment. Britta talks specifically about Meredith's target reader - "The Gamma Women":