Tegna Launches OTT Advertising Business

Tegna Inc. today rolled out Premion, what it calls a “first-in-market advertising services platform that offers local and regional advertisers access to premium long-form episodic content through one streamlined solution.” Premion is a new division of Tegna Media.

Premion aggregates advertising inventory from more than 80 OTT inventory sources including leading video content platforms and networks that will be announced soon.

“Tegna continues to bring innovative products that expand opportunities for advertisers to reach their target audiences,” said Jim Wilson, president of Premion. “With Premion, we are focused on leading the local and regional OTT advertising market with premium, long-form and brand-safe content delivered anytime, anywhere and on any device.”

Tegna says advertisers will benefit from Premion’s one-stop-shop transaction that reaches multiple OTT platforms and networks. “Beyond its simplicity, the advertiser will reach audiences that no longer subscribe to traditional cable providers or who are increasingly spending more time watching over-the-top content. With most OTT providers, the ads will run either 15 or 30 seconds in length and are in fast-forward disabled, pre-roll & mid-roll pods,” the company said.

Since piloting the business in Dallas and Houston in July, Premion is rolling out nationwide with the ability to deliver campaigns in single and multiple DMAs, leveraging Tegna’s sales force of more than 700 across the country, connecting its more than 14,000 local and regional advertising clients to premium long-form episodic content from leading branded providers.

The company said initial results “have yielded consistent and reliable impression delivery and strong engagement with advertising completion rates exceeding 96%.”

The McCarthy Companies, a full-service advertising agency, has been working with Premion on multiple campaigns since the pilot program launched. According to Michelle Levins, McCarthy’s director of media strategy, “The McCarthy Companies is committed to being at the forefront of how to connect with consumers and their evolving media habits. We partnered with Premion to be the first to market because we see the clear benefit of their approach to reaching the OTT consumer. The scale and premium content they provide allows us to raise the bar and stay on the leading edge for our clients.”