MTV sees more ads with social nets, video metrics
MTV Networks will track second-by-second viewing of Web commercials and videos, and link viewer online communities built around its TV programs, the network’s digital chief said in an interview focused on the company’s new advertising strategy.
Viacom Inc’s (VIAb.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) 26-year old cable TV network is striving to remain relevant in a digital age by learning more about fans of some of its top shows like “The Hills” or “Real World” through the shows’ websites, said Mika Salmi, MTV president of global digital media in an interview with Reuters.
MTV will provide advertiser partners second-by-second data on how the videos and ads on its site are watched by users online. On Monday, MTV said it had signed an agreement with Visible Measures, an independent third-party measurement firm to provide the data.
“We want the advertisers to know exactly what’s happening on our websites and how big we really are in online video, said Salmi. “Internally, we want to understand user behavior so we can tweak the videos to give a better experience,” he added.
The move mirrors a similar push for second-by-second data by the TV industry’s audience measurement sector led by Nielsen and TiVo Inc (TIVO.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).
The new service will also be able to measure video usage of MTV-owned videos that have been shared or embedded on other social networks like News Corp’s (NWSa.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) MySpace or blogs.
In the last few years MTV has been working on transforming itself for the 21st Century by building or buying a collection of digital brands across music, programing, virtual worlds and gaming faxless payday loan. Salmi’s company Atom Films, was bought in 2006.
The cable TV network is striving to remain relevant as more of its core audience of 12-to-34-year-olds spend an increasing amount of their time surfing the Web than they do watching TV.