Rewriting the rules of advertising technology

Television used to be composed of a simple but effective recipe: airtime, ad breaks and ratings. But in today’s hybrid media world, simplicity has been replaced by algorithms, automation and a flood of viewer data. The same technologies that lead to social media are now rewriting the rules of broadcast and streaming advertising technology.

From linear schedules to dynamic targeting, ad tech is redefining what it means to reach an audience. Broadcasters are racing to bridge legacy systems with digital-first platforms, while streamers are finding new value in ad-supported models. As automation and AI take centre stage, the focus shifts from where an ad plays to who sees it, and what happens next.

From linear to total

Few understand this transition better than Dan Walsh, senior vice president of product management for ad technology at Imagine Communications. Imagine’s systems process over $25 billion in advertising globally each year, and Walsh’s remit is expansive.

He says the challenge today is both technical and economic. “Most broadcasters are dealing with fragmented inventory,” he introduces. “You’ve got your traditional broadcast-based linear ad inventory, and then the continually growing digital space. Traditionally, the return in the digital advertising space has been relatively low, while most of the broadcaster revenue continues to come from linear.”

Linear still commands a premium CPM (cost per thousand), but those revenues are falling steadily. The hope that digital growth would offset linear decline hasn’t yet materialised.

“The linear ad inventory still garners a premium value,” Walsh says. “While the digital side is struggling to understand that value, the actual CPMs between linear and digital are not that close.”

This mismatch has led to duplication and inefficiency. In many organisations, separate teams and platforms handle linear and digital ad sales, creating silos that hinder holistic monetisation. Imagine Communications’ answer to that is what it calls in a recent report, ‘Total TV’ – a unified approach that blends the best of both worlds.

“The Total TV vision,” Walsh says, “is a world where you can combine both linear and digital ad inventory into one offering. You’re not selling a ‘spot’ anymore, you’re selling an audience across every platform.”

This is representative of an overarching industry shift, where the inventory is no longer just airtime but viewership. Instead of buying a 30-second slot during a primetime break, advertisers are buying guaranteed impressions against a target audience – wherever those viewers happen to be.

To make that work, Walsh explains, broadcasters need automation and optimisation engines capable of crunching vast amounts of audience data and ad rules in real time.

“It’s about running numerous scenarios based on data to give options that maximise reach and return. You’re not just buying ad space – you’re buying outcomes.”

Imagine’s systems use AI to automate scheduling and ensure that campaign rules are respected. For example, it can make sure that competing brands don’t appear in the same ad break, whether on linear or digital. “The automation engine gives broadcasters options to schedule dynamically and efficiently, that not only optimises revenue but also reduces manual work and cost.”

Not a flip of the switch

Despite the promise, Walsh is realistic about the pace of change. “Total TV doesn’t happen overnight,” he cautions. “It’s an evolution, a series of incremental steps.”

The first of these steps is foundational: adopting tools that allow convergence between linear and digital inventory. But technology alone isn’t enough. “It could start with something simple, like providing advertisers with a combined invoice showing their linear and digital spend in one place,” he says. “They might not be buying Total TV yet, but they start to see the value.”

As trust builds, broadcasters and advertisers can move toward audience-based campaigns that span both platforms. Premium tentpole events like the Super Bowl or the Olympics will likely remain traditional spot buys, but everything could shift towards a hybrid model where data-driven targeting maximises reach and efficiency.

The path also varies by geography. Walsh points to markets such as the UK, Australia and the Nordics, where broadcasters have been quicker to align. “In the UK, you’ve got a few major broadcasters like ITV or Channel 4,” he explains. “If one takes a Total TV approach, the rest follow. In the US, it’s far more fragmented – hundreds of broadcasters and advertisers are entrenched in traditional models.”

Still, Walsh believes change is coming, supported by what Imagine calls the ‘single currency challenge’; which is the need for industry-wide agreement on how cross-platform audiences are measured and valued.

“Single currency means alignment between how the broadcaster values inventory and how the buyer values it,” he expands. “Reaching that agreement is what really enables audience-based trading.”

Imagine’s role, Walsh adds, is to be the enabler. “We provide the tools and platforms for broadcasters to maximise value, create efficiency and adapt as markets evolve. It’s not about forcing one path, but giving flexibility to find what works, whether that’s full Total TV or a hybrid model.”

Rebalancing the stream

While broadcasters wrestle with convergence, the streaming industry faces it own reckoning. After years of subscription-fuelled growth, streamers from Netflix to Disney+ are pivoting to ad-supported models. The global FAST market is projected to surpass $12 billion by 2027 according to Omdia, as viewers flock to free alternatives amid subscription fatigue.

This shift is a boon for ad tech platforms like Magnite, the world’s largest independent sell-side advertising platform. Magnite connects publishers (including broadcasters, streamers and app developers) with advertisers, through programmatic, data-driven marketplaces.

Sam Wilson, Magnite’s VP for SpringServe, EMEA, says the momentum behind ad-supported streaming is unmistakable. “The growth of FAST channels and AVOD has been phenomenal,” he says. “Consumers are showing that, if the experience is high-quality and the ad load is sensible, they’re very happy to watch for free.”

Wilson believes this marks a ‘rebalancing’ of the streaming ecosystem. “Subscription-based models will always have their place, but as households reach saturation, ad-funded streaming becomes a critical growth engine,” he says. “For broadcasters and publishers, it’s about reclaiming value from audiences they already own.”

Programmatic advertising (automated buying and selling powered by data), lies at the centre of this growth. It allows advertisers to target demographics and behaviours more precisely, while giving publishers control over pricing and yield.

“The beauty of programmatic is its ability to unify the buying experience. Whether it’s linear, on-demand or FAST, advertisers can transact with flexibility and transparency.”

AI meets ad trust

As ad tech matures, personalisation has become a key differentiator. “The days of one-size-fits-all advertising are over,” continues Wilson. “Viewers expect relevance, and advertisers demand accountability.”

However, with personalisation comes complexity. The fragmentation of devices, platforms and measurement systems make it difficult to form a unified view of the audience.

Wilson highlights that the success of programmatic in streaming depends heavily on trust and transparency. “Advertisers want to know that their ads are appearing in brand-safe environments and being seen by real people,” he says. “Technology must bridge those gaps, ensuring that measurement is consistent, that frequency is managed and that campaigns are optimised holistically.”

Both Walsh and Wilson agree that the next wave of innovation will be powered by AI and automation. Walsh points out that Imagine is already applying AI to streamline ad-scheduling and reduce manual processes. “Scheduling is an area that really benefits from AI,” he says. “It can test thousands of combinations in seconds, identify the optimal mix and allow for compliance with advertiser rules.”

On a similar vein, Wilson notes that AI also plays a growing role in content optimisation. “We’re starting to see adaptive content that changes based on context; the time of day, the device, even the weather. “The future of advertising isn’t just about who sees your ad, but how the ad responds to who’s watching.”

For both, the destination is clear: audience-first monetisation. The route, however, varies. “Some markets will leapfrog straight to audience-based trading,” Walsh predicts. “Others will evolve gradually through hybrid models.” Wilson echoes this. “We’re not moving toward one universal model,” he describes. “We’re moving toward a common goal: relevance, efficiency and effectiveness.”

Monetising the modern viewer

The competition for attention has never been fiercer. Audiences hop between live TV, YouTube, TikTok and Netflix within minutes. To monetise effectively, broadcasters and streamers must offer advertisers what digital giants like Meta and Google are already doing.

This requires collaboration across the industry: shared measurement standards, interoperable platforms and open ecosystems that allow data to flow securely between partners. Both Imagine and Magnite are investing heavily in these foundations.

“We don’t believe one company can do it all,” Walsh admits. “We work closely with partners across ad tech to create end-to-end solutions.”

The convergence of broadcast and digital advertising is no longer theoretical and it’s happening now. FAST channels are redefining ‘television’, AI is remapping ad scheduling and data is reshaping how value is assigned.

As Walsh puts it: “It starts with combining inventory. It ends with selling audiences. That’s where the industry is heading.”

Wilson agrees: “At the end of the day, advertisers want simplicity and results. If you can reach the right person, at the right moment and in a brand-safe way, that’s the win.”

The ad tech arms race between broadcast and streaming isn’t about replacing one model with another. It’s about weaving them together.

Check out the rest of the November Signal here.