Amazon.com Inc.'s Prime Video, which has more than 80 million streaming households in the U.S., is making it easier for brands to change their campaigns on the fly and add virtual product placements post-production.
During the company's May 2 NewFronts presentation, Amazon talked about the benefits of Omnichannel Metrics, which delivers real-time measurements to help buyers optimize their campaigns while those campaigns are ongoing.
"You can make changes mid-flight. You no longer have to wait until the end of your campaign to optimize your investment," said Alan Moss, vice president of global ad sales at Amazon. Moss said marketers may want to revise their creative or media choices.
Omnichannel Metrics are currently available to consumer product goods and grocery advertisers, but Moss said Amazon Ads is looking to expand the solution to other categories before year-end.
Amazon also touted its Streaming TV Media Planner product, which allows marketers to gauge the incremental reach of their proposed streaming plans, compared to forecasts for linear initiatives.
The planner offers an assist relative to campaign planning, media selection and audience activations to "maximize return on assets," Moss said.
At the NewFronts, digital platforms put their technological and measurement capabilities and content offerings on display as executives hope to win ad buys from marketing agencies and their clients. The events run through May 5 this year.
Beyond measurement and planning tools, Amazon is testing virtual product and signage placement. Akin to what Peacock unveiled at its NewFronts presentation earlier on May 2, brands can be inserted post-production within original content on Prime Video and free ad-supported video-on-demand service, Amazon Freevee.
"Making the Cut," "Leverage: Redemption," "Reacher," "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" and the "Bosch" franchise are among the titles currently participating with virtual placement. Insertion of a consumer product group product benefited from a 6.9% lift in brand favorability and a 14.7% rise in purchase intent with its campaign, according to Amazon.
Rebranded from IMDb TV on April 27, Amazon Freevee now counts more than 75 channels, including the original "The Kids in the Hall" comedy series and Canadian sitcom "Kim's Convenience." A short-term film licensing agreement with Walt Disney Co. will place a limited number of movies on the service, highlighted by "Deadpool," "Deadpool 2," "Logan," "Hidden Figures," and "Murder on the Orient Express" and "The Post."
It also plans a 70% year-over-year increase to its original slate.
Amazon dedicated part of its presentation to its exclusive "Thursday Night Football" package that will stream exclusively on Prime Video and Twitch.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who appeared on stage during the presentation, said the "TNF" package, which opens with Los Angeles Chargers visiting Kansas City on Sept. 15, will feature appearances by all 14 playoff teams from last season. The full NFL schedule is scheduled to be released May 12.
Jay Marine, Amazon's global head of sports, said Prime Video's more than 80 million streaming households in the U.S. means that it is larger than the "leading sports cable network." Kagan, a media research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence, estimates that ESPN (US), which holds the rights to the NFL's "Monday Night Football" package, will have an average subscriber base of 73.2 million in 2022.
The audience for Amazon Prime's "TNF" coverage last year skewed young, with 63% of the streamers either millennials or Gen Zers, Marine said.
"TNF" streaming will be underpinned by industry-leading ultra-low latency technology. Marine said it was tested last season and exceeded traditional broadcasters in terms of providing significantly faster delivery of the action viewers see on screen, compared to when it actually takes place on the field.
Sports media community observers are wondering if Prime Video will run into latency issues as the number of concurrent streamers increases in the absence of the audience that tuned in to FOX (US)'s "TNF" broadcasts in recent seasons.
