How Full Episode Player Streaming is Changing Advertising

Streaming video is changing the game for advertisers. Here’s how to leverage full-episode player streaming to cut through the clutter.

Streaming online video content is not only changing consumer viewing habits—including how (and if) they watch advertising—it’s also changing the rules of the game for advertisers.

The good news is that advances—such as connected televisions (CTVs)—full episode player (FEP) streaming in particular—are giving advertisers powerful new weapons in reaching specific demographics with content that commands attention and delivers measurable results.

Advertisers, their agencies, and content providers find CTV and FEP advertising to be more transparent than other types of digital video, as far as knowing where ads run. It also enables them to take advantage of first-party brand data, location data, and shopping data in ways that simply aren’t possible with traditional “linear TV.” 

“Digital video is a driving force for buyers and will continue to be in 2022,” said Eric John, VP of the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) Media Center, in an interview with Broadcasting+Cable.

What is full episode player content?

“Full episode player” refers to professionally produced streaming video content, comparable to the quality of broadcast television. This long-form content typically runs at 30- or 60-minute lengths with slots for ad breaks that can’t be skipped. The range of this premium content is endless—dramas, stand-up comedy, news broadcasts…and the list goes on.

FEP is a type of Connected TV—when digital content is streamed through apps on TVs and other connected streaming devices. While some businesses cannot afford the costs of creating and running commercials on regular broadcast TV, FEPs and other streaming advertising opportunities are opening the gates for advertisers of different sizes, whether they are seeking to cast a wide net and get a huge general audience, or they are looking for a very specific demographic. 

In 2022, CTV advertising is expected to grow 39% to $21.2 billion, and stats show that ​​76% of video buyers have designated this kind of advertising a “must buy” as they put together their media planning budgets. This advertising trend has been buoyed by consumer uptake of technology, with almost 87% of households in America owning at least one connected TV device.

Unlike ads you can skip after a few seconds of watching on platforms such as YouTube, a commercial running on an FEP broadcast can’t be skipped, so consumers must watch full ads if they want to see the related programming.

You can access FEP and other types of streaming content with TVs connected online through means such as Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick, Apple TV, and the major gaming consoles, such as Xbox and PlayStation. Smart TVs have built-in internet connections, so no special sticks or dongles are required.

Streaming apps such as Hulu, Twitch, Disney+, Netflix, and more can also be enjoyed through other connected devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers.

Useful terminology

Connected TV and FEP are fast-growing advertising streams, delivering broadcast-quality ad experiences to highly targeted audiences via online video (OLV). To understand the growing field, review some useful terminology.

• Over the top (OTT). OTT involves content that is delivered to viewers directly through OTT streaming platforms such as Hulu, Discovery+, and Paramount+. Content is transmitted through the internet (over the top of your traditional cable content).
• Live streaming. Content that is streamed in real time over the internet, often by a paid streaming service.
• Video on demand (VOD). Downloaded or streamed video content that viewers can watch whenever or wherever they wish.
• Server-side ad insertion (SSAI). With SSAI, the provider decides where and when ads are embedded into streaming video. SSAI ads are more directly spliced into the content, which means they have a faster load time, but the advertiser has less control over their placement. 
• Dynamic ad insertion (DAI). DAI is when ads are dynamically placed (and removed and swapped) in streamed content. Even if a viewer is watching a TV show from two years ago, the ads can be brand new and relevant to their preferences.
• Programmatic advertising. You have programmatic advertising when you use automated technology for media buying, as opposed to traditional (often manual) methods of digital advertising. Media buying in programmatic advertising uses data insights and algorithms to automatically serve ads to targeted users at the right time and at the right price.
• Addressable TV. This is digitally buying ad space targeted to specific cable set-top boxes. It’s a good idea, for example, if you want to reach households in a certain zip code or show your ad to households with, say, more than three or four people in the home. 
• Free ad-supported streaming services (FASTS). These are streaming services that let you watch ads rather than requiring a subscription. Some examples of services that support streaming TV advertising include Xumo, Tubi, Hulu, and Pluto TV.
• Free TV apps. Free network apps let you watch free streaming TV content from cable and broadcast networks, usually supported by ads.
• Linear TV. This is traditional television broadcasting, in which a viewer watches a scheduled TV program at a specific time and on a specific channel. 
• Internet protocol television. Here content is delivered through IP packets (this is why it is called  “IPTV”). While this is also a type of video on-demand content delivered through the internet, it's done in a more controlled manner through a closed proprietary network.

How is full episode player content changing advertising?

FEP is helping to drive a fundamental change in how users interact with advertisements and how advertisers seek to reach them. More and more households are getting their video content from streaming video services or are using them in combination with traditional services. This means that advertisers who want to reach audiences, especially young audiences, must invest more time in learning how to leverage this technology.

According to the IAB, 60% of digital video buyers planned to fund their CTV/OTT ad budgets using linear TV dollars. At the same time, 81% of buyers cited targeting and efficiency as a reason for the shift, while 55% said it was due to incremental reach.

“CTV device penetration is 80%, while only 66% of households have paid TV,” says Terence Scroope, vice president of Insights & Solutions at Tremor Video, in a branded content interview with the Boston Globe. “CTV is really usurping traditional broadcast markets and will continue to steal more and more attention and consumer focus in the future. All the numbers really point to a great future for CTV.”

With audiences moving away from traditional linear TV, the transition to CTV and FEP has to be factored into advertising budgets, so companies don’t miss the boat. While at one time an advertising agency might have split their buys between traditional advertising and digital advertising, now they more and more consider both at the same time. So, CTV and FEP programming is quickly moving from a novelty buy to an essential one.

Benefits of FEP advertising programming

The advantages of using CTV and FEP content for advertising include:

• Highly targeted. Advertisers have far greater power in targeting their ads, including retargeting, first- and third-person targeting, and cross-device targeting. While you usually have to focus on broad audiences in traditional advertising, FEP allows you to target very narrow audience segments.
• Easily tracked. As with other digital advertising, CTV and FEP technology allows for easy, real-time tracking of views and clicks. 
• Greater flexibility. With digital overlays or branded frames put around a commercial, it can be targeted at many different audiences.
• Younger audiences. Since more younger people are cutting the cord to traditional media, they can only be reached through FEP and other digital means.
• Dynamic ads. More advanced CTV ads can be changed in real time, based on who’s watching them, the time of day, the weather, or many other factors that can trigger different content.
• Greater reach. Since the pandemic, more people have added streaming TV services to their entertainment mix, so FEP streaming has become an increasingly important means to reach them.
• More user-friendly. Viewers tend to find advertisements served through FEP and CTV less invasive than traditional advertising, so they may be more open to receiving commercial messages this way.
• Less crowding. Since fewer commercial messages are played at a time through FEP than in traditional TV advertising, it presents a greater opportunity for advertisers to stand out.

​​How to measure success

Judging the success of FEP and CTV ads requires a mixture of old and new metrics. Let’s review what those metrics may include.

• Reach. This is the number of unique people that are exposed to an ad. This is often shown as the percentage of a certain demographic—for example, 83% of 18 to 24-year-olds.
• Frequency. This is the number of times you have delivered an ad to a single person. For example, if you deliver 40,000 ads to 10,000 people, you have a frequency of four. Lower frequency rates mean that you’re reaching more unique TV viewers.
• Cross-screen measurement. These metrics involve tracking and measuring how video content fares played across different devices, such as mobile devices, televisions, connected TVs, and desktops.
• Post-view website visit attribution. This shows if viewers visit an advertiser’s website after being exposed to an ad.
• Online purchase attribution. This shows if the viewer makes a purchase after watching an ad.
• Offline conversion tracking. This looks at how many times a viewer has been exposed to your video ads before they finally open their wallet and buy.
• GRP (gross rating point). This is a long-serving traditional metric that looks at how many people within an advertiser's demographic have viewed a particular ad. So, for example, let’s say you’re seeking a certain demographic, and 30% of this group watches a particular show. If you bought three commercials on the show, you would have a GRP of 90 (3 x 30%).
• Cost per point (CPP). It shows how well you’ve reached your desired audience for the money you’ve spent. CPP is your total media cost divided by your GRP. So, if you took your media cost of $30,000 and divided it by 90, you would have a CPP of  $333. 
• Target rating point. This refers to the percentage of the advertiser’s target audience (the customers most likely to buy its products or services) that actually views its advertisements.

FEP best practices

When it comes to commercials designed for full-episode player streaming, while quality is important, longer isn’t necessarily better. Since people can’t skip over the ads, it’s best to keep advertisements between 15 and 30 seconds to give viewers something valuable that they will want to watch.

Since viewers can’t skip ads, it’s a good practice to make them as compelling as possible with strong storytelling. With a compelling story, an ad placed in an FEP video will engage the interest of the viewers, so they will have a positive engagement with the advertising message and be more likely to be led further down the sales funnel. In this regard, connected TV ads are much like the ads that now play in movie theaters, which often feature superior creativity to match the expectations of audiences looking for a full cinema experience.

Your commercial will appear on different screen sizes, ranging from big-screen TVs to iPhone mini screens. You should learn best sizing practices, so the video is effective on all screen types and sizes.

Since viewers can’t click an ad to go to an advertiser’s site—as they could with, say, a YouTube ad— it’s a good practice to include a clear call to action (CTA) in the commercial to create a sense of urgency and get the desired viewer action.

Consistency is also important when it comes to best practices for FEP and OTT marketing. While you might offer advertising on different platforms (both digital marketing and traditional), they should all be governed by the same marketing strategy with a consistent message and look. Your messages should also be tailored to your targeted audience, so they engage attention and ultimately lead to conversions.

Find the best talent to make effective FEP content

In the fast-changing advertising industry, you need to keep up with the best practices and evolving technology for creating effective CTV and FEP advertising. You’ll also have an edge if you can hire the best freelance talent for all the needed roles in producing these commercials. The talent available through Upwork comes with high star ratings, top-notch skills, and clearly listed fees to help you make the right choices for your project’s needs.

As with linear advertising, streaming advertising needs a wide range of professional services, including copywriters, videographers, video editors, and others. Turn to the human resources of Upwork to build a commercial production team that can make the difference between getting lost amid the competitive noise and cutting through the clutter to create digital ads that work.

If you’re a creative freelancer specializing in commercial and TV production, Upwork makes it easy to get your project examples out in front of people who want to hire your services. It’s simple. Just create a free profile to see what kind of interest is out there. By fine-tuning your profile and portfolio, you can soon build an active freelance business.