Your TV Could Target You With Ads by 2030
| Reuben Howe
In the age of always-online accounts and interconnected systems we are somewhat accustomed to being targeted.
One way we have remained un-targeted for now is Live TV. As TV is broadcast Live simultaneously over transmitters and relays, with simple and identical decoders at the end, we all see the same content on our TV screens.
But, with the rise of internet-based TV, that could be about to change...
What is "Targeted Ads"?
Most of us accept the nature of targeted adverts in 2024.
We know that if we talk about chocolate, look up the ingredients on Google, and then later on check prices for it on Amazon that sure enough Facebook the next day will advertise us some chocolate (Or maybe a weight loss solution...).
This is possible because our online activity is not only visible (To your browser, to your Internet provider, to the sites you visit etc) but also coherent (I.E there's data of "you" on Facebook and data of "you" on Google, and they can actually be linked and collaborated into a single profile of "you").
The fact that our data and behaviour online transcends each individual app means that we can be targeted on one device for a search or activity we made on an entirely different one.
This is also why people claim that Facebook advertises them products based on things they've said with their real life voice around their phone.
(While we're here, no, that's not a "Conspiracy Theory". Any phone with a voice assistant is constantly "listening" for the phrase to activate it, which means it still "hears" any phrase which isn't that. Now, whether it uses this information or not is less clear, but your phone is listening and that's a fact.)
How Would Targeted Ads Work on TV?
It's all very well that our online accounts and profiles are targeted, but when you are using a TV which just receives broadcasts that go out to everyone with an aerial, how would that work?
The key factor is a new hybrid system of TV delivery. This has already been tested in certain countries, with the principle case study being for a Mercedes-Benz advert.
The Mercedes-Benz Italia campaign to promote their new “smart EQ fortwo” hybrid electric car is a good illustration of these technologies in action. Together we planned an addressable campaign on mobile and connected TVs. The audience targeted in this project was a premium custom target, based on the intersection of some variables identified with Mercedes-Benz on connected TVs. It was enriched by the “driving” interest of users who usually browse the automotive sections of the Mediaset digital property network and other partner sites, including DriveK, a European web platform for configuring new cars. The profile was further enriched with geo-behavioural data relating to users who had visited car dealers and who attended points of interest perfectly aligned with the target indicated by Mercedes-Benz. In particular, the targeted advertising campaign on connected TVs was combined with a mobile rich-media campaign with a “drive to dealer” call-to action to point out the closest Mercedes-Benz dealer.
This description of the case study as shared in DVB Scene explains how, with internet-connected TV's, a viewers watch-history can be used to inform targeted adverts.
"Geo-behavioural data" is also mentioned as a factor, and shows how the region you are watching TV in, as well as your recent check-ins online, can all influence how you are advertised to. For example, if Mercedes-Benz had data that implied Liverpool had more drivers than Cardiff, they could target accordingly.
Maybe you watch Top Gear, and so you get ads for race-days nearby. Maybe you tune in to CBBC a lot, so you start getting ads for toys and trips aimed at 6 - 15 year olds.
It's the same logic as Facebook or Google targeting ads, but on your TV.
But Surely Everyone Would See Them?
The assumption with Live TV is that we all see identical content. And that is a safe assumption for now.
However, with the rise of hybrid systems and internet TV, that assumption can be changed.
A new system in development called "Dynamic Advert Substitution" can take out one ad and replace it with another, Live on-air. This can shift ads from spot-to-spot and allow companies to be pushed when it's best for them, using an AI decider.
If the users from earlier stop watching Top Gear and CBBC, and both start watching ITV, then ITV could show the Top Gear watcher car ads and the CBBC user kids toy ads.
Just like Facebook can advertise based on data from Google, one channel could advertise based on data from another.
In this way, we will be targeted each ad break and not necessarily see the same ads as everyone else.
We Will Wait and See
These developments are still underway at DVB, and are designed to make the next generation of DVB TV fit for a streaming and online future. By providing more value to advertisers, the service hopes to stay relevant against the rise of over 3,000 streaming services.
Is targeted advertising different to "normal" advertising on TV to you?
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