The drums of the $20 billion-plus video upfront marketplace are starting to beat quietly, but their sounds will soon get much louder. One of the first video sellers to pick up sticks and test out its kit is National CineMedia, which is planning to bring new offerings to market in hopes of securing a bigger share of ad dollars.
Digiday has learned that NCM will for the first time offer guarantees on business outcomes for advertisers who commit dollars in the upfront. Sales goals will be agreed to between NCM’s sellers and the client, and “makegoods” or extra ad inventory, will be offered in case those goals are not met.
NCM executives also explained that the largest cinema ad operation — which emerged from bankruptcy last year — will offer its ad inventory across programmatic SSPs, starting with Exchange Place but eventually expanding to other platforms. Mike Rosen, NCM’s chief revenue officer, said advertisers can now target specific demographics, DMAs, zip codes, dayparts and times of day through private marketplaces.
