Recently, Channel 4 Sales partnered with Innovid to launch a selection of interactive video ads (or iVODs) for its 4oD (4 On Demand) apps on iOS mobiles and tablets, becoming the first broadcaster to do so. This means that from this point onwards, agencies using Ad Link, Ad Bloom, Ad Extend and Ad Shop, from Channel 4's iVOD suite will start to see their digital TV campaigns supported on mobile devices for no extra cost. Other interactive ad formats in the suite (including Adapt, Ad Weather, Ad Elect and Ad Pause) will be adopted at a later date.
Channel 4 Sales has partnered with Innovid to launch a selection of interactive video ads (or iVODs) for its 4oD (4 On Demand) apps on iOS mobiles and tablets
Through Ad Link, the ads work by placing a range of clickable links (including social media links) directly onto the pre-roll ad. Ad Extend, meanwhile will give viewers the opportunity to select a longer version of the ad and Ad Bloom will provide microsite functionality, including data capture. Perhaps the most in-depth features are supplied by agencies using Ad Shop, which will feature a toolbar containing the products marketed in the ad, with users able to quickly and easily buy them or find out more information about them.
David Amodio on Channel 4 and the Future of TV
David Amodio, digital leader at Channel 4, said they are exciting to be launching mobile support interactive ads on 4oD at a time when mobile and tablets accounts for almost half of all Channel 4's on-demand viewing. He says that “As VOD consumption has risen on mobile platforms,” they have adapted their strategy accordingly, and adds that this new strategy was also a key reason behind the launch of the “Shorts,” bite-sized shows on the platform earlier this Summer. He feels that with this “Mobile ad innovation,” they're “delivering out advertising partners maximum engagement with valuable viewers wherever they're watching.”
“With this mobile ad innovation, we're delivering out advertising partners maximum engagement with valuable viewers wherever they're watching.” David Amodio
This news arrives just a couple of months after Channel 4 announced they are planning to eventually replace 4oD with a new online hub called “All 4,” which is part of Channel 4 CEO David Abraham's plan to further connect with the channel's youth audience, who are steadily drifting away from traditional TV towards digital. All 4 will consist of three sections; a live streaming section, an on-demand section that will replace 4oD and an “On Soon,” section, which will feature clips and promos for upcoming shows. Abraham believes that “All 4 will deliver the most advanced broadcaster response to changing viewer behaviour in the digital age,” and will help ensure that their portfolio of content “Remains an important, valued part of viewers’ TV consumption for decades to come.”
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK who himself watches a solid 80% (give or take) of his television on-demand.
