Accelerated by Covid, digital transformation is an economic mega-event that will play out during the 2020s, and that transformation will fuel advertising as digital-first brands make themselves known and established ‘analogue’ businesses pivot. We explore the role of television in the world of digital-first brands and ecommerce, including its value in driving brand and online activation. We want to know where the budget for retail media is coming from, as businesses seek a presence closer to the point of digital purchase. Most of all, The Future of TV Advertising Sydney showcases the digital future of television itself: the strategies to reach consumers on every screen, improve the advertising UX, boost engagement, and double-down on advanced advertising capabilities that fit so seamlessly into the premium streaming environment. You will hear what television can offer start-ups and SMEs, and how marketers can use the medium for lower-funnel objectives.

Marketers want people-based, omnichannel marketing – and they want media owners to deliver them a single audience wherever they watch. We review the progress towards this goal, and find out what happens next as audiences are spread across a growing TV universe that spans linear and set-top box VOD to BVOD and AVOD, with the added nuances of addressable TV and pre-broadcast windows (VOD whole-series boxset drops) as well as broadcast and post-broadcast windows. It is imperative that everyone masters this Total TV world, whether planning, delivering or reporting on audiences. We look at how broadcast+digital reach is maintained, how hybrid campaigns are forecast and then optimized. We also consider how TV can be better integrated with other media (including radio and publishing) to step beyond Total TV and into Total Media.

If TV were invented today, it would be connected TV – assuming there was universally reliable, high-speed broadband. And we all know this is where the growth in streaming is slowly taking us: a land (and world) that is connected TV first, with other streamed-to screens for our portable and mobile convenience. Amidst an explosion in CTV viewing, we take a deep-dive on what connected TV means for the future of viewing and advertising. We consider where Australians are watching their connected TV content, and the future of ad-supported television in this environment (BVOD and AVOD). We explore the many advanced advertising innovations that thrive in connected TV, from pause ads and ad-free hours, to shoppable ads and, of course, advanced targeting (including advertiser-media owner data matches) and attribution. If broadcast signals had to be switched off in 2025, what would the buy-side and sell-side priorities be to ensure all-digital TV worked for everyone?

We explore the future of TV measurement, as media and advertising becomes more digital, data-driven, multichannel, closed-loop, deterministic and outcomes-based. We start with the metrics used to judge the value of media, including the role of attention. We want to know where cross-platform TV measurement goes next, and how much of the digital video ecosystem, including social video, can align around shared reporting standards, and what they might be – and whether Australian advertisers want to (or could) demand more ‘TV-and-beyond’ AV measurement collaboration. Focusing on near-term implementation, we will showcase solutions that further the understanding of where audiences are and what TV and premium digital video exposures achieve for brands.