Strata

Comcast’s FreeWheel Advertisers has launched enhancements to its Strata platform that it says will bring additional automation to the local TV advertising process. These enhancements will bring greater efficiencies to many of the tasks associated with buying local TV advertising for both agencies and local broadcasters. The new automated capabilities will be made available to […]

Videa, a “supply-side” programmatic marketplace for local TV advertising owned by Cox Media Group, this morning announced an important “demand-side” integration, plugging into Strata, a software and systems provider enabling ad agencies to plan and buy a variety of media. As part of the integration, the companies said media buyers will be able to to purchase VIdea’s inventory of “full-schedule, local TV advertising” directly via Strata’s agency media-buying workflow software.

In a deal with media software company Strata, National CineMedia will allow agencies and marketers to buy cinema advertising in the TV spot marketplace for the first time. NCM, a national network of 20,050 movie screens in 1,600 theaters in 187 DMAs, says its in-theater media inventory is expected to be available in the Strata system by mid-year. The deal will allow marketers to plan, purchase and bill NCM media through Strata in the top 25 DMAs.

The programmatic ad platform, a cooperative effort between Strata, Katz Media and Cox Reps, setsan all-time record for orders.

Strata asked 81 agencies whether they trust programmatic buying to properly execute ad orders and found 20% of them said they trust programmatic to properly execute ad orders, while 12% said they do not trust programmatic. Another 34% remain undecided and the other 34% of respondents don’t use programmatic. The number of agencies that trust programmatic techn more than doubled (up 153%) quarter-over-quarter, while the number of those that distrust it decreased 16% quarter-over-quarter.

A new survey of media buying agencies, conducted by Strata, found that 45% of those polled are more interested in digital/online video than they were a year ago, while streaming/online radio saw a 53% increase. Overall, 67% of agencies said that their clients’ primary focus for campaigns is video advertising (including traditional TV, cable, and network, as well as digital video).

Finding the right mix of traditiional and digital advertising can be frustrating. John Shelton, CEO of Strata, talks about optimal media mixes, why this isn’t a new issue and what media buyers and planners foresee for 2013 ad spending.

STRATA, which produces media buying and selling software and monitors the deals that are made through it, says that the new year has started out stronger than many are forecasting. “We are already 3% to 5% ahead of 2012, which is interesting because there is no political advertising to support the ad economy this year,” says John R. Shelton, STRATA president-CEO.

STRATA’s electronic ad buying and selling platform sets a record with $600 million in new business so far this year.

The two leading rep firms along with the broadcast software developer will provide the financial support to maintain and further develop the system for buying and selling spot TV.

Rentrak, the first aggregator of digital set-top TV audience data to integrate with Madison Avenue media processing giant Donovan Data Systems, this morning announced a similar deal with another major “back-office” agency systems provider, Comcast-owned Strata.