At the Foxtel and MCN Upfronts event, Multi Channel Network (MCN) unveiled a series of developments for 2015 to strengthen its position as Australia’s most advanced multi-screen trading and data-led sales network.

The new developments are:

• MCN’s Programmatic Marketplace, a world-first collaboration with AOL Platforms’ Adap.tv to pilot the first private programmatic marketplace for television. The marketplace will fully integrate into MCN’s Landmark trading platform and will advance Australia’s TV industry towards unified ad sales across TV and digital screens.
• MCN’s Landmark trading platform will enter its next phase with the introduction of Dynamic Scheduling, a new dynamic trading model which facilitates the trading of real consumer audiences rather than traditional TV spots.
• Multiview XP – An extension to the existing Multiview television audience offering, allowing the incorporation of multi-screen data and data sets. Multiview XP will enable MCN to analyse real consumer behaviour across multiple platforms, delivering insight driven solutions for clients and agency partners.
• Tech.Ops XP – A new operational team focused on cross platform technology and innovation, to further unify MCN’s multi-screen asset base.

MCN CEO, Anthony Fitzgerald, said the new platforms, combined with the recent Quantium partnership, are part of MCN’s strategy to deliver advertisers optimal campaign results, based upon highly targeted consumer audiences rather than fixed spot placement.

“These developments will continue to evolve the subscription television industry and put MCN at the forefront of the changes within the overall media landscape. Through our new platforms we have the most effective and efficient mass targeting television product ever seen in Australia. Advertisers will be able to purchase actual consumer segments, based upon real purchasing behaviour, instead of focusing purely on traditional age and gender demographics,” said Fitzgerald.

The programmatic TV marketplace

Scheduled to launch in early 2015, the MCN programmatic TV marketplace is a combined interface between AOL Platforms’ Adap.tv and TV trading platform, Landmark.

It will be the world’s first integrated programmatic private exchange for Linear TV, incorporating MCN’s TV inventory across their channel brands with online video from their rich array of digital assets, all traded from a single platform/interface. The tool will also combine MCN’s Multiview data, allowing advertisers to plan, buy and optimize against real consumer segments.

MCN group sales and marketing director, Mark Frain, commented, “MCN’s programmatic TV marketplace is a significant change in the way television can be traded in Australia. It opens up a whole new world of possibility to better align our linear TV and IP Video products.

“MCN is making Australian television inventory available for purchase through programmatic channels, enabling advertising clients to make more data-driven decisions in extending the value of their TV buys through highly targeted audiences.”

Dynamic Scheduling

To further advance MCN’s linear TV trading, MCN has launched the second phase of Landmark, Dynamic Scheduling. Through an algorithm driven,scheduling engine, MCN can more effectively target consumers by optimizing campaign placement as close as possible to the time of broadcast. Landmark’s Dynamic Scheduling allows MCN to quickly respond to changes in daily and weekly viewing habits, ensuring MCN delivers optimal campaign results for advertisers. This new dynamic trading model will enable MCN to fulfil its ambition to start trading real consumer audiences rather than just traditional TV spots.

Multiview XP

MCN’s recent agreement with data powerhouse Quantium, allows Multiview to combine detailed viewing patterns from MCN’s 110,000 home panel with actual consumer and purchase behaviour.

Multiview XP, announced last night, will be an extension to the existing Multiview television audience offering to incorporate multi-screen data and data sets. Multiview XP will enable MCN to analyse real consumer behaviour beyond television audiences to incorporate their multi-screen assets and beyond.

Multiview XP will be utilised throughout the whole advertising process. Providing detailed insights into audiences at the strategy and ideas stages; granular segmentation for increased efficacy during implementation; and thorough measurement during and post the campaign.

Mr Frain said: “Our new data brand, Multiview XP, will provide our partners and clients with unrivalled planning and targeting opportunities across our multi-screen portfolio. MCN, once again, is paving the way for the future.

“Finding a cross platform campaign that fits with a client’s brand and business objectives will be an entirely different proposition with Multiview XP. Whether the content is sport, lifestyle, general entertainment, drama or news, Multiview XP will provide us with detailed programme segmentation so we understand exactly what their typical purchasing and consumer behaviour is.”

MCN Team changes

As part of MCN’s emphasis on bringing TV and online closer together, MCN has announced structural changes to the team. This includes merging the television operations department with its digital ad operations team to create a new cross-platform focused unit called Tech.Ops XP.

The new team of 40 staff will be led by Operations and Systems Development Director, Angela Goodsir, who has been part of the MCN business for 12 years.  Most recently Ms Goodsir led the team which implemented Landmark.

As part of the company changes, MCN’s Insights and Analytics team have merged their TV and digital research, creating unified insights and data products. This team will be led by Murray Love, Insights and Analytics Director, who has been with MCN for 15 years. Gareth Jones will join the Insights and Analytics team as the new National Insights and Strategy Manager. Mr Jones, who has been with MCN for two years, will be focused upon delivering audience insights, which drive multi-screens solutions for advertisers.

• MCN’s finance team will take over TV and digital reporting, becoming a multiscreen reporting unit for all of MCN’s partners. This will be headed by Shaun Rafferty, MCN’s Head of Finance. Mr Rafferty will be tasked with delivering a holistic reporting tool for MCN’s portfolio of 70 television channels, 138 websites, 69 mobile sites, 59 apps, 4 IPTV services and digital out of home partners.