US ONLINE VIDEO ADVERTISING REVENUESS TO REACH $27BN

Advertising video on-demand (AVOD) service providers in the US are bracing themselves as media giants. Armed with a massive fan base and exclusive in-house content, huge media firms like Disney+ and Apple TV+ are upping the ante, drawn by an increasingly lucrative market, according to a new study from IHS Markit, published on Advanced Television.

New AVOD roll-outs and improved ad-tech are expected to drive US online video advertising revenue to $27 billion (€24.3bn) in 2023, growing at a CAGR of 11% during the period of 2018-2023, as noted by the “AVOD Market Report – US – 2019”.

“The AVOD goldrush is here, and it represents a prime opportunity for service providers, new AVOD entrants and content companies,”  said Sarah Henschel, Senior Research Analyst, Media, for IHS Markit. “Ultimately, the winners and losers in the AVOD industry will be determined not only by content, but also by data strategies and user acquisition,”  she added.

The US online video market is seeing a renewed interest in ad-supported services this year due to the maturing of the subscription video market, fears of overcrowding across OTT services and limits to total consumer spending across online video platforms. This has spurred a surge in the uptake of AVOD by content owners that are increasingly opting to go directly to consumers.

As a result, companies aiming to monetise online video content through advertising now face an extra layer of complexity due to the requirements for solid ad-tech sales and data strategies, along with content and user acquisition.

Facebook and YouTube are expected to continue leading the market through 2023, trailed by Hulu, Roku, and Tubi, which are set to increase their market share.

Despite the increasing number of competitors, there remains copious opportunity for new entrants to claim a slice of the growing AVOD revenue pie. As the competition intensifies, it is important for AVOD companies to sustain strong licensing partnerships with content owners and hone their data utilisation skills for ad monetisation.

“With the launch of premium services like Disney+, HBO Max and Apple TV+, AVOD services can continue to benefit from cord cutting and act as a complement to paid services,”  said Kia Ling Teoh, Senior Research Analyst, Advertising and Television Media at IHS Markit. “Pure-play AVoD platforms also can expand customer penetration through B2B partnerships with device makers and online linear channels,” she added.

For studios, now is the time to test certain titles on AVOD platforms to gauge the monetisation potential of their catalogues across the AVOD space. For smaller content creators and brands, the rebirth of AVOD provides an opportunity to build niche linear channels, which give them more control over how their content is programmed and viewed by consumers compared to licensing deals with streaming giants.

In terms of international expansion, Europe and Australia are popular destinations for US AVOD companies. This is due to the maturity of the online video market and related infrastructure, the high cost per thousand impressions (CPM) these markets offer and the large audience for English-language or US-originated content.