A+E Networks Says Digital Ad Buys Are Essential for ‘the Total Picture’

After emphasizing the power of linear TV at its upfront presentation in March, A+E Networks focused on the other side of the spectrum in its NewFronts debut on Tuesday: The company emphasized the importance of marketers investing in its digital platforms as well. A+E Networks held its inaugural NewFronts presentation on Tuesday, after the Interactive Advertising Bureau extended an invitation to linear TV companies to participate in this year’s event. (NBCUniversal, the other first-time TV presenter, will hold its event on Thursday.) That also means that A+E Networks—whose portfolio includes A&E, History and Lifetime—is the only NewFronts presenter that already held an upfront event for marketers. During that presentation, which took place in March (and included several of the sizzle reels that were also part of A+E's NewFronts event), the company emphasized that, unlike several of its cable rivals that have created their own streaming services, “we are a company that still wholeheartedly believes in linear TV,” Peter Olsen, evp of ad sales at A+E Networks, told Adweek at the time. But in its NewFronts pitch, the company made clear to marketers that its digital offering should also be part of any upfront buy. A+E Networks content has 9 billion video views annually across digital and social platforms, or what the company calls TV Everywhere. “A+E Networks is a TV platform, and it’s certainly still a critical platform to delivering our messages,” Stacie Danzis, vp of digital media sales, A+E Networks, told Adweek. “We’re doubling down on TVE. It's that same premium, high-star powered, award-winning content—it's going to go across all platforms— that really engages the digital viewers and visitors, just like it does on the TV.” Completing 'the total picture' The company plans to make its digital offerings a bigger part of this year’s upfront conversations, urging marketers that digital buys are needed to complete “the total picture,” said Danzis. After all, 20% of its overall audience is watching on nonlinear platforms, a number that jumps to 31% for its 18-49 audience and even higher for younger demos. “As they try to reach their target audience, they would be missing a significant portion of the audience, if they didn’t really follow where viewers were,” Danzis said. The total audience push dovetails with the company’s central upfront messaging: It wants to transact upfront business on a total audience currency—one that accounts for all adults 18 and up—instead of traditional demographics like adults 18-49 and 25-54. Olsen told Adweek that he wants to account for all audiences on all platforms (i.e. TV Everywhere), which enables marketers to be wherever viewers are consuming that media. Unlike some other digital companies with user-generated, shortform video, A+E offers “premium, safe and transparent longform video,” said Danzis—and 85% of it is being watched on the TV screen: 60% of A+E's video viewing occurs via Connected TV, and 26% using VOD. “We are premium, we are safe, we are transparent,” said Danzis. The Trade Desk, Magnite and Innovid Form CTV Pact