CBS Launches A Super Bowl Ad Revolution

The most interesting thing about this year’s Super Bowl ads will not be how many cute animals there are, the number of bikini-clad blondes or even the number of random celebrity appearances.No, the most interesting thing this year will be the fact that CBS is showing the same ads on its streaming feed as it is on linear.This is notable because it’s the first step in what we see as the eventual unification of streaming and linear ads sales, an artificial divide if there every was one.The viewer at home does not care how the TV shows they are watching get to them. They just want it to show up on their TV (or tablet or laptop) with the least amount of hassle possible.Unfortunately, a series of legacy legal agreements, coupled with a lack of audience, has meant that streaming viewers see different commercials than linear viewers. In theory this may not be a bad thing as it allows networks to serve up addressable (“audience-parting”) ads that are more relevant to users.In practice, however, it’s meant that the same three spots get repeated over and over, often interspersed with a black screen proclaiming “Ad Break In Progress" as there is not enough inventory to fill the time slot.The next year or two should see a massive increase in digitally-delivered viewing as TV Everywhere takes off (finally!) thanks to the the introduction of Nielsen’s TAM (Total Audience Measurement) system. Once all those OTT views are counted, networks will drop their restrictions on TVE and adoption of the systems will skyrocket as consumers take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy anytime/anywhere viewing of the sort they’ve long since grown accustomed to from Netflix.Once that happens, creating artificial divisions between linear and streaming makes even less sense.Throw in the fact that many MVPDs are looking to eliminate the set top box and switch viewers over to a branded Roku or similar device, and you have an even more compelling reason to drop the distinction.For shows watched in real time, anyway.For shows being watched on a time-shifted basis, however, we continue to feel that addressable is the way to go. TV networks finally have the opportunity to put the right ads in front of the right people while factoring in variables such as time of day, location, device and previous behavior.Given that almost everyone, no matter where they are, watches the Super Bowl in real time, CBS’s decision is really a no-brainer. It’s particularly notable because the Super Bowl is possibly the only television broadcast where viewers pay more attention to the commercials than to the show itself. And when everyone, on every device, is watching the same commercial at the same time, that also allows the amount of social TV chatter to swell, providing brands with better data about who is watching their spots, what they thought of them, and why.Sunday will be an advertising revolution of sorts, but it’s one that, in our opinion, is long overdue.