Rockbot, a music and video provider to businesses, and Clear Channel Airports, part of outdoor advertising company Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, have launched an airport-terminal "TV experience" aimed at air travelers. The Rockbot Airport TV Network has launched initially in airports in Cleveland, Oakland and New Orleans with a mix of content including business, sports and entertainment news, travel segments and, of course, ads, the companies said last week. 

The service looks to fill in a gap created when the CNN Airport Network shut down this past March after operating in more than 50 airports across the country for 30 years. Rockbot actually replaced the CNN service on the existing infrastructure being used by CNN in markets where Clear Channel Airports had ongoing contractual obligations, a spokesperson said. Rockbot brought its own players to replace the CNN units and is looking to expand into other markets beyond the initial ones. 

There are others operating in the airport space, including ReachTV, but it delivers short-form video programming to airport locations outside of the gate areas that CNN commanded. ReachTV also targets hotels.

Garrett Dodge, the Rockbot CEO, said in a release: "Rockbot’s Airport Media Network reimagines the traveler experience by bringing them high-quality entertainment and news from the leading content brands. For example, the network features live stock market and business coverage from Bloomberg, which is the leader in business news and a perfect fit for the airport audience. In addition, the network delivers real-time cloud-based digital signage to give airports a streamlined ability to message their travelers and prompt their concession partners. Just as air travel is picking up again, we have created a modernized TV environment for airports, advertisers and travelers that will forever elevate the industry standard.”

In an example of content coming on board tailored to specific airports, Rockbot has signed with Nine PBS in St. Louis to feature Living St. Louis on the Rockbot Airport Network in St. Louis Lambert International Airport, a spokesperson said.

Clear Channel Airports SVP of development John Moyer said in the release: “After vetting a number of content providers for gate hold news and entertainment, we selected Rockbot as our partner. They’ve transitioned in quickly, seamlessly and in a user-friendly way delivering custom local and national content, as well as vital airport partner messaging to these networks. We look forward to working with them across these in-airport TV networks.”

Clear Channel Airports said it operates more than 260 airport media programs globally and is in 28 of the top 50 U.S. markets with major airports.

If you’re a content or channel provider, it’s easy to get caught up in the dizzying array of options you have for getting your content to your audience. What’s the best strategy?

Whether you are a well-established content provider or new streaming brand, the pursuit of new viewers has become more costly and complex in our multiplatform world. As the competition has grown, content brands have been seeing the wisdom in additional distribution strategies, including ad-supported video-on-demand channels on platforms like Pluto, Xumo, tubi, fuboTV and more.

And why not? Isn’t a good financial adviser’s advice always to diversify your portfolio in order to take advantage of emerging trends and protect yourself in a constantly changing business environment?

That seems to be the siren call of channel and content providers — be everywhere viewers are! Well, while channels vie for launches on consumer-focused apps, OTT platforms, cable platforms and other digital channel aggregators, there is another distribution opportunity that has left a massive audience largely untapped for both traditional cable channels and streaming-first brands.

The out-of-home (OOH) video market includes video watched in every space outside of one’s own home or personal devices. And I’m sure you’re thinking about those TVs in your local bar or gym, and you’d be right, but add to that restaurants, hotels, casinos, live event venues, spas, salons, airports, medical offices, department or any retail store chain … the list goes on.

It’s a large enough audience that Nielsen announced it would incorporate out-of-home viewing in its national ratings. Sports networks, for example, can see an average lift of 11% in total audience when OOH viewership is integrated, according to Nielsen.

Historically out-of-home video/TV fell into two buckets: (1) residential cable or satellite that reached the audience but was lacking in a fundamental understanding of the out-ofhome market and how to measure it; and (2) place based out-of-home video networks like Captivate and CNN Airport that provided targeted audiences but with a limited footprint of locations. But OTT has, well, kicked both buckets!

With the consumer market well into year five of massive cord-cutting and streaming now no longer novel, the out-of-home market is starting to follow suit. Like consumers, businesses are looking to find ways to save on their bloated bundles, but they also want to have access to content that is unavailable through their cable or satellite subscriptions. Even beyond that, businesses want better alignment between the content they feature and the physical spaces in which it is featured. This introduces vast new opportunities for specialized content providers — Fashion TV, for example — as well as new content packages from large content brands, such as news packages for Gen Zers in college. OTT-delivered channels and content provide the kind of flexibility for businesses and variety for out-of-home viewers at a more affordable cost.

OTT-based platforms allow content providers to extend their reach and get more value out of their investments in packaging and distributing their content on other streaming platforms simply by easily ingesting feeds from partners like Wurl, Amagi, Zixi and Disney Streaming Services.

But it’s not just a matter of getting another platform launch. Being available on a platform that can put you in front of hundreds of millions of viewers in gyms across the country, or people waiting for their flight in the airport, or groups of friends watching together in bars and restaurants … it adds up.

To discount the out-of-home market’s importance is to miss the opportunity to reach coveted audiences. Nielsen found that 39% of all out-of-home viewing came from Gen Zs and millennials, of 14% more than their national in-home viewing.

Like any solid financial strategy, if you want to hedge your bets and future-proof your investment, then look to build a balanced portfolio. In the content business, there’s just too much money on the table not to include out-of-home in your overall distribution strategy.

Garrett Dodge is CEO of Rockbot, a streaming TV and music platform for businesses.