Premium music video provider Vevo has announced a new distribution partnership with Telstra TV as it continues to move into the Connected TV space.
The deal will see Telstra TV users given access to Vevo’s 450,000 music videos.
Speaking to B&T, Vevo managing director AU/NZ Steve Sos said the partnership would give advertisers the opportunity to meet their audience where they are.
“It’s very much about us meeting consumers at all the endpoints,” he said.
“The partnership is in line with our ubiquitous distribution strategy that is underpinned by a growing focus on CTV.”
The deal also highlights the evolution of how music videos are consumed in recent years.
“In a way, you could say we are opportunistically going back to TV,” Sos said.
“Not strictly as a strategy we defined and developed but more as we follow consumption trends and viewers back into that environment.
“Historically hundreds of millions were spent globally against premium music videos in the halcyon days of linear cable music channels.
“The audience for that same content is now bigger than it ever has been and now back on television.”
Vevo’s CTV viewership is up 14 per cent YoY for 2020 in Australia.
Sos said the shift to CTV will improve its advertising offering.
“The deal allows brands to target those audiences in a TV environment without the ad load issues or high frequency tails that are all too prevalent in current BVOD offerings from the networks,” he said.
focus on partnerships
The Telstra partnership mirrors existing global deals with the likes of Pluto TV, Samsung TV+, Apple TV, Amazon and Roku.
Such deals play an essential role in Vevo’s overarching distribution strategy.
“We’re looking for a fairly ubiquitous distribution strategy,” he said.
“Our distribution is clearly underpinned by YouTube, which is the biggest distribution partner on the planet. Now it’s about how do we complement that.”
Sos confirmed that the Telstra deal “is the first of a number of announcements that can be expected” in regards to distribution deals.
It comes as Vevo, which is owned by music labels including Universal Music Group and Sony Music, looks to continue its expansion in Australia.
Vevo currently attracts around 10 million monthly unique viewers in Australia.
