Imagine Streamlines TV Trading Workflow For U.S. Broadcasters With TIP Advances

With a longstanding commitment to industry standards and easy integrations across its technology portfolio, Imagine Communications continues to streamline automated advertising transactions for local TV broadcasters via flexible, open ad tech architectures through its latest advances in support of the TVB TIP (TV Interface Practices) Initiative.

Imagine has been an active vendor partner with TIP, the media industry group promoting open interfaces to streamline local broadcast TV ad transactions, since 2018. The company was an early adopter of TIP interfaces in its widely deployed OSI Traffic and Billing system and has continued to implement TIP API support in line with market readiness and paced by the availability of compatible third-party systems.

Rob Malcolm, Imagine Communications general manager of ad tech, says: “Imagine is proactively aligned with the TIP mission, because we listen to our customers who tell us that the only way to rapidly move toward the audience-based, cross-platform future of TV is through open standards and easy-to-use models for integration. We take a modular approach to traffic systems and have made a significant investment in developing all the open APIs that customers and partners will need to integrate systems and modernize the ad tech stack.”

Imagine’s continuing enhancements to the OSI system will enable broadcasters to use TIP APIs to achieve the following benefits:

• Automated log times: The addition of automated log times via TIP API increases operational efficiency, accelerates tracking of advertising campaigns and drives monetization.
• Real-time inventory avails: Enhanced inventory avails, including real-time updates via TIP API, speed transactions and sales system visibility, accelerating time to market.
• Streamlined integration:Enhanced TIP API support makes it easy to access and integrate with third-party Order Management Systems (OMS).

Malcolm adds: “Our ongoing TIP implementations will enable customers to speed transactions, reduce admin tasks and errors, and maximize interoperability — easing the migration to new transaction models such as audience-based and cross-platform sales.”

OSI Traffic & Billing enables North American television, cable and radio channels, networks and groups to manage mission-critical operations efficiently, profitably and with unparalleled control. The modular solution provides easy-to-use, powerful tools for traffic, accounting and yield management — and closes the loop with simple, powerful integrations with playout automation, dynamic ad insertion and other operational systems.

“The ecosystem of broadcasters, cable operators, agencies and our technology providers continue to synchronize increased automation of the local media ecosystem across television and video,” says James Southern, president of Frontrow Advisory and program leader of the TIP Initiative. “Imagine Communications’ accelerated adoption of TIP interfaces demonstrates their commitment to an open, standards-based approach for the efficient transaction of broadcast TV spot inventory.”