Iris.TV said it made a deal to work with media buyer GroupM, which will use the Iris_ID as the primary method for accessing video-level data enriched by input from contextual and brand suitability partners.

The GroupM Premium Marketplace (GPM) will use the Iris_ID to improve video advertising performance and deliver better outcomes for advertisers and publishers, the companies said.

GPM will leverage various video-level contextual and brand-suitability data partners for programmatic deal targeting via the Magnite Streaming and DV Plus  platforms. 

"Streaming is a digital medium with personalized content and ads for every device as opposed to linear, where audiences see the same programming all at once. Without the right technology, publishers cannot help advertisers know if they are reaching relevant audiences,” said Field Garthwaite, CEO and co-founder of Iris.TV. “GroupM is leading the industry on breakthroughs in utilizing data to drive value for advertisers, which will deliver better consumer experiences and help brands achieve better ROI."

The Iris_ID is a universal content identifier that allows Iris-enabled publishers to securely share video-level data within advertising applications in streaming media.

It allows publishers to securely make video-level data available, actionable, and useful for the entire advertising ecosystem. Partners whose data will be made available to GPM via the Iris_ID will include Kerv, Oracle Advertising, Pixability, Precise TV, Silverbullet’s 4D, Silverpush and Reticle. 

“We are pleased to partner with Iris.TV and leverage their video-level targeting across the GroupM Premium Marketplace,” said Kevin Sheehan, director, programmatic investment at GroupM. “We have an ironclad commitment to brand suitable advertising on every medium, and the Iris_ID provides a level of transparency that enhances the way we invest in CTV environments.”

Integral Ad Science launched a new product, Total Media Quality for Connected TV Brand Safety and Suitability, working with Iris.TV.

The product provides measurement of brand suitability at the video level, enabling marketers to understand the appropriateness of CTV programming.

Total Media Quality incorporates IAS’s multimedia classification technology, which classifies video on a frame-by-frame basis, creating results that are three times more accurate than relying on metadata, the companies. Said.

Combining IAS’s classification technology with Iris.TV’s Iris_ID, marketers can quickly and accurately act on their CTV investments. Through its integration with hundreds of publishers' content management systems (CMS) and the IRIS_ID, Iris.TV enables publishers to securely provide IAS with access to normalized data for contextual CTV segmentation in real-time.

IAS client Horizon Media agrees that this technology may be the answer to maximizing the value of marketers’ ad spend on CTV. Jason Lee, executive VP of brand safety and consumer advocacy at Horizon Media, said

“Given the growth of CTV, it is important that the marketplace evolve to offer solutions that provide consistent and granular measurement within these environments,” said Jason Lee, executive VP of brand safety and consumer advocacy at Horizon Media, an IAS client. “The reporting solution by IAS, in partnership with Iris.TV aims to do just that, as frame-by-frame content identification and reporting allows advertisers to be more confident of the exact video content within which their ads are delivered.”

Future Today  made a deal with Iris.TV that will enable advertisers to contextually target viewers of Future Today networks.

Being Iris-enabled allows advertisers to use brand suitability and contextual data partners to target viewers across Future Today’s portfolio of ad-supported channels at the video level. 

Other programmers that are Iris-enabled include AMC Networks, Warner Bros. Discovery, TelevisaUnivision, Hearst Television, Cox Media Group, Nexstar Media Group, Vevo and Vizio Ads.

The Future Today portfolio of channels includes  Fawesome, The LEGO Channel, FilmRise, iFood, WatchFreeFlix, EncourageTV, BratTV and HappyKids. 

The Future Today portfolio of channels are available on major OTT platforms including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Comcast Xfinity, Samsung and Vizio, reaching more than 50 million households. 

Ad serving platform SpringServe said it has expanded its relationship with video data platform Iris.TV, enabling publishers to use Iris.TV enabled segments for forecasting and reaching audiences on SpringServe.

“We are making it easier and easier for publishers and advertisers to transact at the video level,” said Joe Hirsch, general manager of SpringServe, acquired by Magnite last year. “This not only enables publishers to deliver more precision for advertisers, it makes their inventory more valuable and increases transparency.” 

SpringServe and Iris.TV got together last year, with Iris.TV providing video-level contextual identity solutions across the SpringServe platform. Under the new deal, publishers can access contextual data from all of Iris.TV’s data partners inside SpringServe’s platform for direct sales, forecasting, identity solutions and activation.

“Video-level data is essential for advertisers buying media in Connected TV environments to ensure that their messages are placed alongside relevant and brand safe content. Expanding our relationship with SpringServe makes this easier for publishers to enhance their direct sales offerings, delivering both brand safety and incremental inventory value,” said Field Garthwaite, CEO and co-founder of Iris.TV. ■

Pixability said it made a deal enabling it to use data from Iris.TV on its platform to provide advertisers with video-liven insights about targeting and brand suitability across leading connected TV platforms.

Pixability previously had focus on YouTube and YouTube CTV.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Pixability as they are the only YouTube brand suitability and contextual targeting platform that is also certified by Google for deep YouTube insights,” said Field Garthwaite, CEO of Iris.TV.

“Adding Pixability’s video-level contextual intelligence is a big step forward for the industry and means that marketers can activate their campaigns using the same precise targeting they have become accustomed to on YouTube now across top CTV providers as well,” he said. “Combining Pixability’s insights with our video-level data is a big step forward for the industry and means that marketers can achieve the same kind of precise targeting and security that they have become accustomed to on YouTube across the top CTV platforms as well.”

Pixability offers advertisers access to 99% of ad-supported viewing hours on CTV including YouTube on TV as well as Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Hulu inventory.

“There are two big challenges for advertisers right now when it comes to running CTV campaigns - fragmentation and precision,” said David George, CEO of Pixability. “Our partnership with Iris.TV gives us the ability to create a one-stop shop for CTV inventory while also delivering CTV programming at the video-level that is brand safe, brand suitable, and higher performing.”

The new agreement gives Pixability the ability to enrich its Connected TV offering for advertisers, letting them target audiences based on GARM suitability risk profiles and contextual categories across all forms of CTV.

“I was pleased to see Pixability and IRIS.TV joining forces through this partnership, as they are both companies looking to move the CTV industry forward through data” said Mike Baker, board member of both Pixability and Iris.TV and former co-founder and CEO of DataXu. “I’m hopeful this partnership will continue to make it easier for advertisers to target the relevant brand suitable content they’re looking for on CTV, whether it be on YouTube or any other CTV platform.” ■

LiveRamp said it is working with Iris.TV and SpringServe to provide buyers with contextual data that enables them to use more of their cross-screen inventory in targeted and addressable campaigns.

Univision and Plex are among the publishers using the new capabilities.

“Partnering with LiveRamp has enabled Univision to accelerate our transformation of its adtech capabilities and deliver sophisticated targeted solutions for marketers to reach the diverse Hispanic audience,” said Univision's Brian Lin, senior VP, product management & advanced advertising solutions.

“We welcome the additional partnerships of Iris.TV and SpringServe working alongside LiveRamp to bring to market a first-of-its-kind ability to overlay rich contextual data on top of our audiences to unlock even more addressability for Univision. This will enhance our advertisers' ability to connect with our audiences with the right message across our content footprint, while ensuring brand suitability,” Lin said.

Plex's Harold Morgenstern (CRO) added, "LiveRamp, SpringServe and Iris.TV have been instrumental partners in bolstering Plex's addressable targeting, data and planning solutions. With these new capabilities, we are able to leverage audience and contextual data with ad-break level insights in our planning, enabling us to deliver better addressability and brand suitability across our diverse viewership footprint for our advertiser partners,” added Plex CRO Harold Margenstern.

LiveRamp said that going into the upfront, buyers and seller will be looking for ways to deliver audiences across screens, and that it’s collaboration with Iris.TV and SpringServe was a big step in that direction.

“We’re excited to be partnering with LiveRamp to unlock video-level contextual data to create the industry's first holistic planning tool that incorporates both audience and contextual video data across CTV and online video formats,” said Richie Hyden, COO & co-founder of Iris.TV. “More signal means more value. With greater video data connectivity, we’re making video-level data accessible, actionable, and useful for the entire advertising ecosystem. Couldn’t be more excited to be collaborating with SpringServe, Univision, and Plex to bring these capabilities to life.”

"Our collaboration with LiveRamp and Iris.TV enhances and maximizes addressability for streaming publishers and distributors,” added SpringServe CEO Joe Hirsch. “As they head into upfronts, they can now leverage the full value of their audiences alongside contextual data, such as rating and genre, alongside adbreak-level insights to inform predictability in their planning process all while doing so with 100% control over their data and which advertisers they want to work with.” ■

Iris.TV, a video data platform, said it will be working with The Entertainment Identifier Register Association to better identify content and monetize content by bringing Iris.TV video level data with EIDR’s metadata.

By working with EIDR, Iris.TV will be able to provide media buyers with better data for contextual targeting and enable advertisers to know what content their ads ran in.

Also: GroupM’s Finecast To Use Iris.TV’s Contextual Targeting

“Our goal is to deliver better business outcomes and consumer experiences using video-level data across all channels and devices, and this new partnership with EIDR allows us to extend our solutions to a new audience of premium content providers,” said Field Garthwaite, CEO of Iris.TV “Through this agreement, we are helping content providers manage and monetize their content more efficiently while providing them with the tools and a simplified workflow to execute that more effectively, safely and responsibly.”

EIDR is a not-for-profit industry association that provides universal identifies for TV and film assets.

Also: Iris.TV Enables Contextual CTV Ad Targeting Via PubMatic

“The goal of EIDR is to enable sharing of asset identification and essential metadata to content providers, as they seek to increase returns across a more complex distribution landscape,” said Hollie Choi at EIDR. “We are excited to welcome Iris.TV into the EIDR community and look forward to their contributions to the industry at large.” ■

Finecast, GroupM’s addressable TV company, is making Iris.TVs’ contextual targeting and brand safety tools directly available to Finecast’s local market clients.

At a time when more advertisers are jumping into connected TV and streaming video, the integration with Iris.TV will enable them to taking advantage advanced TV’s targeting capabilities while protecting them against fraud and having ads run in inappropriate content.

“Guaranteeing brand safety is one of Finecast’s central offerings to brands looking to activate in the Advanced TV space,” said Marissa Jimenez, president of Finecast US.

Also: Advanced Advertising: Catching Up on Addressable TV

“We are thrilled to be launching this new partnership with Iris.TV, a dynamic company that matches our commitment to brand safety and security. As Finecast grows our presence in the US and enters into this new era of targeting and compliance, the addition of IRIS-enabled video-level contextual targeting and brand safety solutions will ensure we continue to provide our clients with the most innovative and highest performing solutions that we have in other markets,” Jimenez said.

All GroupM video buys for Finecast U.S. clients will be Iris-enabled. Those clients’ ads will run in contextually aligned video programming verified by Iris.TV data partners including Oracle Advertising, GumGum, Comscore, Reticle, Kerv Interactive, and Zefr.

“We are excited to announce our new strategic partnership with GroupM to enable their brand clients to access video-level data across both CTV and online video formats to inform contextual and brand-safety targeting,” said Field Garthwaite, co-founder and CEO of Iris.TV. “This new partnership will allow all GroupM clients to access privacy-compliant video-level data across any screen — an absolute necessity as we enter the post-cookie era and marketers seek more compliant targeting options.”■ 

Video data platform Iris.TV said it is working with SpringServe, now part of Magnite, to help advertisers use contextual targeting for campaigns using connected TV.

Advertisers are shifting more of their ad spending to CTV as consumers cut the cord with traditional TV. Iris.TV and SpringServe said their combination will increase the return on those ad dollars, while bringing more revenue to streaming media companies.

Also Read: Iris.TV Enables Contextual CTV Ad Targeting Via PubMatic

“While marketers are increasing their spending on CTV, they haven’t had access to the tools to maximize performance and ROI,” said Field Garthwaite, co-founder and CEO of Iris.TV. “Working with SpringServe will enable us to provide targeting capabilities across free ad-supported TV and CTV inventory at scale across all screens and devices. Together with SpringServe, we look forward to setting the standard for high-performance, brand-safe CTV advertising.”

Also Read: SpringServe to Offer Data From Tru Optik Marketplace

As the first independent ad server to directly integrate with Iris.TV, SpringServe said it can provide clients with third-party verified brand safety and contextual data, plus optimization and automation tools for CTV advertising.

Also Read: Comscore, Iris.TV Enable CTV Contextual Targeting

SpringServe was acquired by Magnite in July for $31 million.

“At SpringServe, we are always looking for new ways to better the ad experience for streamers and increase yield for partners,” said Joe Hirsch, general manager, SpringServe. “Our tools give ad operators greater transparency, more control, and enhanced optimization capabilities to balance revenue and user retention. Through this integration with IRIS.TV, we are able to leverage powerful contextual data to help buyers and sellers deliver more relevant ads. Additionally, buyers will have increased insight to where their ads are running and performing most effectively.”

Sell-side platform PubMatic made a deal with Iris.TV, which will give media buyers on Pubmatic’s platform to access contextual targeting data when bidding on cross-screen programmatic inventory.

In addition to using contextual data to increase the effectiveness of CTV and digital video campaigns, the media company data onboarded via Iris.TV reduces brand-safety rises and enables post-campaign verification.

Also Read: Comscore, Iris.TV Enable CTV Contextual Targeting

“Marketers, content creators and advertising platforms are increasing their investments in CTV and digital entertainment. Being able to effectively target granular audiences and present advertising next to brand-safe content is essential to the long-term success of these investments,” said Sean Holzman, head of platform strategy at Iris.TV. 

“As a pioneer in programmatic CTV and one of the industry’s leading omnichannel sell-side platforms, PubMatic shares our vision of expanding data-driven buying of premium video and CTV inventory. We look forward to serving PubMatic’s brand and agency clients with access to privacy-compliant video-level data across any platform and any screen,” Holzman said.

Iris.TV raised $18 million in April to grow its video platform and self-serve tools. Earlier this month, Iris.TV got together with Magnite’s SpotX unit to enable contextual targeting of CTV inventory. 

“There is a shift toward automated, biddable trading of high-value CTV and video inventory, and we are helping advertisers access the inventory they want while also helping them achieve a more transparent supply chain,” said Jonas Olsen, global VP of video at PubMatic. “Partnering with Iris.TV gives our media buyers confidence to explore the opportunity presented by programmatic CTV at scale. Along with providing video-level targeting and data-driven insights, the partnership enables brands to maximize their return on investment in premium online video and CTV environments.” 

There is a tremendous amount of excitement in our industry surrounding the explosive growth we’re seeing in connected TV. Often the enthusiasm boils down to this notion:  Finally - TV advertising is going to be just like digital, only better. We may very well get there - but in a different way than you might have expected.

To date, the industry’s been focused on trying to make TV advertising more data-driven - specifically consumer data-driven. The dream is that we’ll flip on the TV and each get a perfectly targeted, individualized ad every time based on what brands and media companies know about us. Easier said than done.

In fact, there is an opportunity in front of us right now that puts us well on this path. And that, quite simply is unlocking the power of contextual data in video. We have been quickly advancing to the point where we can now gather video-level-data on what each and every CTV video of any length - from clip, to show, to feature film - is about. We can compile what products are featured, what issues and topics are discussed, what music is featured and brands can use this information to deliver relevant ads. We can do this at scale - today - providing an excellent signal of both identity and intent of the viewer. This is particularly important when viewing is occurring on shared devices and content is the only signal of identity and intent.

As we are well aware, just how brands collectively plan to identify consumers on the web as cookies and various device IDs diminish in efficacy has been something of a debate of late. The good news is that the industry is making excellent progress through various initiatives aimed at coming up with a widely accepted cookie alternative, including UID 2.0.

There are indications that if widely-adopted, UID 2.0 could be utilized in some CTV environments to complement linear campaigns or to execute specific targeting initiatives.

However, it’s worth noting that connected TV consumption happens on paid services like Hulu, giant free platforms like YouTube, individual network TV apps, and a wide array of free TV aggregators like Vudu and Pluto TV which don’t require any log-in. Plus, sometimes people stream these apps on devices like Rokus or Amazon Fire TV, while in other cases they use gaming devices, and increasingly they do so via user interfaces built into their smart TVs. Plus, some TV manufactures are even building out their own on-demand libraries.

You see the point - each of these TV streaming scenarios features distinct ad systems and login offerings. So nailing down a perfect ID system akin to what we've enjoyed online for years is going to take some time. That’s where context comes in, since it can unearth targeting data for brands that isn’t reliant on people logging in. And it can do that right now, generating a unique identifier for each video - meaning that ad buyers won’t be limited in their view of a campaign or boxed into one company’s ID graph, and in turn giving brand managers more control over where their ads are running.

This isn’t just scanning keywords on a web page, it’s analyzing each frame of a video. That kind of information has never been available to TV and video advertisers, who were often left with using broad demographics for ad targeting, or blunt classifications when looking to run ads alongside certain kinds of programming - e.g. sports or sitcoms. New video-level technology can help advertisers unearth interesting, perhaps unexpected patterns and potentially powerful brand adjacencies. Moreover, it creates an entirely new asset upon which marketers can safely and confidently transact. And it has been proven to drive success metrics and KPI’s including lift, unaided awareness and resonance. In recent research conducted in partnership with FOX, Bill Harvey found lifts of 35-37% in sales effect, 37% in purchase intent and 62% in unaided awareness when context targeting was deployed. 

Over time, marketers’ video strategies will inevitably become smarter and more strategic. And, as brands tap into this new breed of contextual video data along with classic consumer targeting, CTV might indeed prove to serve as the ultimate marriage of TV and digital.

Iris.TV’s mission is to connect and unify video data to power better consumer experiences and business outcomes in optimized contextual environments.

Iris.TV is enabling third-party brand safety and contextual targeting for advertisers buying connected TV inventory via SpotX, now part of Magnite.

Using contextual data can boost campaigns’ engagement, conversion lift and increase brand attributes such as awareness, ad recall and consideration, Iris.TV said.

Also Read: MediaMath Integrates Iris_ID for Pre-Bid CTV Contextual Targeting

“There has not only been a major shift in video consumption patterns but also in culture,” said Sean Holzman, head of ad platforms at Iris.TV. “Consumers are holding brands more accountable for the content they underwrite and marketers are demanding transparency. At Iris.TV we have worked for nearly a decade helping the leading centers of journalism and entertainment maximize their return on investment in video. SpotX is a leader of innovation, always seeking better ways to help media and marketers reach and delight consumers. We couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with the SpotX team to build a better TV experience and bring the future to the present.

”In April, Iris.TV raised $18 million to grow its video-data platform, which enables video-level contextual and brand-safe ad targeting, third-party verification, personalized video recommendations, and measurement & analytics solutions.

“Our clients have been demanding increased visibility into the content they are advertising in, but access to contextual data is extremely complicated as it comes in a variety of formats as well as being locked behind content management systems and video players,” said Kristen Williams, senior VP of strategic partnerships at SpotX. “Iris.TV has done the hard work of connecting all these systems, onboarding video data so that media owners can unleash the true value of their content and advertisers can smartly invest in CTV.”

One source of contextual data Iris.TV is bringing to CTV is Oracle Data Cloud.

“This partnership enables Oracle to expand our advanced Contextual Intelligence capabilities into the fast-growing video and CTV ecosystem," said Derek Wise, chief product officer at Oracle Data Cloud. “Oracle is committed to helping advertisers and publishers understand billions of web pages and these new capabilities from Ieia.TV and SpotX enables us to extend our offering into the fast-growing CTV market.”

SpotX works with media owners including A+E Networks, Crackle Plus, The CW Network, Dentsu CCI, Discovery, Fox, fuboTV, LG, Microsoft, Newsy, Pluto TV, Roku, Samsung, Sling TV, and Vudu.

Iris.TV, which does contextual targeting for connected TV, said it raised $18 million in a Series B funding round led by Intel Capital.

The proceeds will be used to grow its video data platform and self-serve tools that enable video-level targeting for CTV and online video.

Also Read: MediaMath Integrates Iris_ID for Pre-Bid CTV Contextual Targeting

In addition to Intel Capital, a division of Intel Corp., WISE Ventures, Quest Venture Partners and Marae Asset Venture Investment participated in the financing. 

Also involved were Mike Baker, founder of dataxu; Mike Shehan, founder of SpotX and Ari Paparo, CEO of Beeswax.

Also Read: Comscore, Iris.TV Enable CTV Contextual Targeting

“Iris.TV is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the tremendous growth in online video viewership and the attendant need for brands and publishers to better monetize existing content in a Connected TV world,” said Marcelino Ford-Livene, managing director, Intel Capital. “We are excited to be involved in IRIS.TV’s rapid growth in this emerging sector.”

IRIS.TV said it simplifies the complexity and fragmentation of the video and CTV ecosystem by connecting and unifying video data from any source to enable better consumer experiences and drive business outcomes.

"We are thrilled to have Intel Capital as an investor, which will allow us to build the data infrastructure for the future of video and Connected TV," said Field Garthwaite, CEO of Iris.TV.

"This investment will allow IRIS.TV to expand operations with a focus on three key areas of growth," Garthwaite said. "First, we’re looking to continue hiring world class talent and developers. Second, we will be expanding our strategic partnerships across the ecosystem to enable marketers and advertisers to utilize video-level data to achieve their business goals. Lastly, we will be investing in new API’s and features to provide the tools publishers, ad platforms, and marketers need to successfully invest in the fast-growing Connected TV space."

Iris.TV said that MediaMath has become the first demand-side platform to use the Iris-ID for pre-bid video level contextual targeting on connected TV and online video platforms.

Also Read: Comscore, Iris.TV Enable CTV Contextual Targeting

“MediaMath has always been a leader and innovator of advertising technology solutions and we’re thrilled to partner with them to help the industry take this next big step,” said Sean Holzman, head of ad platform strategy at Iris.TV. “By enabling contextual intelligence companies like Comscore to provide video-level analysis, we’re providing media buyers with an unprecedented level of transparency and insight into CTV inventory.”

Also Read: Comscore, MediaMath Team on Contextual CTV Programmatic

The Iris-ID, which identifies individual video, provides programmatic buyers using MediaMath’s Source supply chain with assurances of brand safety.

“With this partnership, we’re excited to provide marketers with the ability to purchase brand-safe video inventory and reach audiences across all buying platforms, including direct, PMP, and now open auction campaigns.” said Anudit Vikram, chief product officer, MediaMath.

Once the IRIS_ID is assigned, it is passed into the bidstream and received by MediaMath who passes it along to its pre-bid contextual and brand-safety partners, such as Comscore. Those partners decipher the videos’ contextual categories and brand-safety scores for segmentation and targeting purposes at a video-level. 

"As advertiser demand for connected TV inventory continues to skyrocket, marketers are seeking privacy-focused, brand-safe data solutions that help ensure programmatic campaign delivery is in line with brand expectations,” said Rachel Gantz, general manager, activation solutions, Comscore. “Comscore is excited to work with Iris.TV and MediaMath to expand the availability of contextual targeting solutions in the pre-bid open exchange programmatic landscape for advertisers."

Jungo TV, co-founded by Dr. Mehmet Oz, has joined the Iris.TV Contextual Video Marketplace.

The marketplace enables advertisers to contextual target Jungo content viewers contextually in a privacy protected and brand-safe manner, Iris.TV said.

“We are thrilled to add Jungo’s vast global inventory of premium video to our rapidly growing contextual targeting marketplace. Their partnership is yet another vote of confidence in the value of contextual targeting for CTV and premium video as the industry changes rapidly and advertisers are left looking for a scalable alternative to audience targeting,” said Field Garthwaite, CEO of Iris.TV. “After growing our available inventory by over 500% in 2Q, we are on pace to maintain that as consumer and advertiser behaviors continue to shift inextricably.”  

Jungo TV’s digital-first TV networks include martial arts sports channel, Combat Go; K-Pop and Asian pop culture channel, Hallypop; and the first international ad-supported LGBTQ streaming channel, HerePlay.

“We’re exhilarated to partner with IRIS.TV and their Contextual Video Marketplace. This is a win-win scenario as Jungo TV’s rapid global growth extends IRIS.TV's reach to a global audience of over 2 billion,” said George Chung, CEO of Jungo TV. “Jungo’s partners benefit by providing scale and a precise alternative to audience targeting, creating higher value to advertisers and our content providers.” 

"I am proud of Jungo TV's ability to bring high-quality, affordable video content to these audiences across the globe," added Dr. Oz.

The Iris.TV Contextual Video Marketplace unites thousands of integration points into a single ecosystem bringing together publishers, contextual data partners, ad servers, and SSPs into a marketplace that enables publishers’ video content to be analyzed and categorized into industry-accepted brand-safe and brand-suitable segments that can be purchased by marketers through any DSP for direct, private marketplace, and open auction buying, the company said.

With this integration, Jungo TV’s online video platform of premium content will be contextually segmented by a growing list of leading data providers including Oracle Data Cloud, Comscore, GumGum, and Spectrum Media Services. 

In Hollywood, superheroes are everywhere, in films, TV shows, books, graphic novels and much else. They're justly celebrated by media companies, because they're powerful enough to carry big profits to studios and networks.

Online there are superheroes, too: They're the loyal audiences who visit their favorite sites multiple times per week or binge on a news topic, sport, team, celebrity, breaking news or show. These are the fans who consume a wildly outsized portion of a site's content, keep returning for more and promote the site to friends, family and social media. In the rush to build a huge online audience, though, too many publishers forget to build through their superusers, their core of loyal, engaged and enthusiastic visitors.

Those superusers should be the focus of your business. They're the rock on which a large audience is built, but more importantly, they're the audience your advertisers want most. They're your most valuable asset, your defining demographic, your most persuasive ambassadors and your biggest consumers. Never forget the 80-20 rule: 20 percent of your audience will consume 80 percent of your content.

ALSO: 'Discoverability,' Social Media at Heart of TV Evolution

So how will you engage those 20 percent? This core tenet of customer-relationship management – one that has long undergirded retail and e-commerce and was really advanced by Amazon - holds that it is cheaper and more efficient to sell more things to fewer customers than to acquire new ones. By understanding your core audience, and tailoring and presenting product and service offerings to their particular needs, you can get the most return on your content.

By personalizing the content experience, publishers are finding that viewers will stay longer and watch more, clicking along through the initial video, a first recommendation and then at least one more. In most cases, these users comprise 5 to 10 percent of the audience but can provide as much as 40 percent of total views. Publishers can monetize these videos with pre-roll that these loyal superusers actually will watch to completion, significantly increasing revenue from existing users.

You can build programming around their interests. You may have, for example, 10 videos of Adele or Beyoncé from Grammy night. Maybe your sports or news site has 10 videos of March Madness upsets. But of those 10 videos, one will outperform the rest. And getting that video to more of your core fans will drive them to watch additional content, and bring them closer to the rest of your brand and products.

This is a very different approach from trying to carve a place for your content on social-media platforms. Publishers are understandably tempted by the giant audiences there but truth is, you can't just "go where the audience is" without a strategy to make money from it.

Instead of focusing so heavily on social media, I'd suggest publishers keep focused on optimizing the experience on their own sites. Leverage personalization across your owned-and-operated sites to engage and retain audiences. Then use social platforms to entice and draw new audiences back to your sites. This isn't a zero-sum game. To go back to the retail analogy, use social to market, advertise and acquire and your O&O to sell.

Some publishers clearly get it. Buzzfeed, long a king of data-driven content, even built a data-management platform called Lookr so its entire staff could easily access and analyze information it collects on its content, so they can make more content fans will like.

Any publisher can take the same approach, leveraging data to build your audience with more appetizing content. But it's not the only way to superserve your superusers, even if you don't have the resources to build your own Lookr.

What do the superusers want more than anything? More of your content. How do you give it to them? Using tools that identify those superusers, understand their specific preferences, and steer more content to them that they’re likely to want to watch or read.

This highly targeted, highly personalized approach to serving your superusers can yield significant improvements in engagement and lift. This approach also can create additional superusers, because now they're also seeing more content that appeals to them.

The result: visitors stay longer. They see more of your content. They're happier, because they've seen more content that they enjoy. They also end up seeing more advertising, but because it’s targeted and focused, they're more likely to be happier about the ads, too.

Your superusers want more than just your stories, videos and photos, of course. The next step, having provided them with more of that great content, is to move beyond your site to create live events, merchandise, podcasts and other experiences that also can be targeted to your superusers. The result: wins for everyone.

Remember, give your superusers what they want, as much and as fast as they want, and watch them supercharge your site. Let them be the superheroes they are, and you’ll fly high, too.

About the Author
Field Garthwaite is CEO and co-founder of IRIS.TV, which provides video personalization and targeting tools for digital media sites.