Here's the real news, CTV is largely fraud. And no, I'm not talking about Pluto.
Streaming video is finite. People only have so much time to sit down and watch "shows." There are only so many ads you can insert in a pod and so many pods you can insert in a stream. These aren't new concepts. They are as old as linear TV; hence the exclusivity and value differential compared to display's seemingly unending supply.
There are only so many legitimate channels to watch and so many content producers with quality content worth watching. If you aren't buying Pluto, what are you buying? The answer should be one of the handful of other major networks.
This article reads like buyers remorse for rushing in and paying $2000 for a brand new Playstation from a marketplace seller on the week of a launch. If you want it that bad and are willing to pay $2000 to have it, it's worth $2000. Can't blame the seller for impulse buying the new hotness.
Pluto isn't the "shady" aftermarket seller in this situation. They are Playstation. They have the brand power, the product and the consumer loyalty. They can control how they price their offering, how they create market scarcity or how they distribute at high volumes. These are basic business economics that transcend ad tech - except we get called "shady" while the brands seeking the inventory we supply are championed for brilliant corporate strategy for literally the same practices.
Pluto probably stands out for making smart and contractually valid yield decisions in an under optimized sector of our industry. Every other legitimate CTV publisher should go out and hire similarly smart yield folks because clearly the revenue opportunity is on the table. They have demonstrated the programmatic CTV market can bear higher prices 👏.
It is so standard at this point in programmatic to safe guard campaigns from overspending. These controls are foundational to the original DSP functionality. Max bid, min bid, eCPM goal. Call the buff and cap the bid strategy. If you don't like it, don't buy it. Or, go buy cheap knock offs. There are so many well established options for spending a media plan.
Don't expect capitalism to hold you in a warm blanket so you can buy blind.
CEO @ Emerald National Title | Title Insurance Agency
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