Roku Partners with Comscore to Deliver Industry-Leading Video Ad Measurement
Partnership Offers Improved Cross-Media Comparability for TV and Digital Ad Campaigns and Enhanced Monetization Opportunities
LOS GATOS, Calif. – Oct. 26, 2016 – Roku, Inc. and Comscore (NASDAQ: SCOR) today announced that Roku will be the first streaming platform to enable syndicated measurement of video advertising through Comscore validated Campaign Essentials™ (vCE®). Publishers and advertisers that choose to participate can measure dynamically inserted video ads on the Roku platform with vCE metrics. Media buyers and sellers will have access to campaign metrics comparable with those used for desktop, mobile and linear TV advertising, such as reach/frequency, GRPs and demographics.
“As consumers shift their viewing to streaming platforms, advertisers need to follow,” said Scott Rosenberg, vice president of advertising and audience development, Roku. “Third party measurement solutions like Comscore vCE give advertisers the demographic and cross-platform insights they need to confidently invest in over-the-top (OTT) platforms. By building third party measurement, sophisticated targeting and interactivity directly into the Roku OS, we are establishing our commitment to advancing the state of OTT advertising.”
“Although OTT now represents a major slice of media consumption, measurement of content and ads has not been consistent. In partnering with Roku, we’re filling this measurement gap with the visibility that advertisers need,” said Timur Yarnall, senior vice president at Comscore. “This partnership represents another step forward in fulfilling Comscore’s vision of comprehensive cross-platform measurement.”
According to Comscore Total Home Panel data released earlier this year, Roku holds nearly half of the OTT streaming device market share in the U.S. Roku offers publishers and advertisers the most advanced ad capabilities in OTT. The Roku Ad Framework, an ad SDK compatible with major video ad servers and used by most publishers on the Roku platform, is integrated at the OS level, significantly accelerating the state of advertising on its platform and demonstrating the unique ability in OTT to combine digital capabilities with TV advertising.
“Our goal is to reach our customers where they are most engaged,” said Jeff Giacchetti, vice president, digital at Mediavest | Spark. “By broadening campaigns to address OTT audiences, we achieve a more holistic reach and guarantee that the users we want to connect with are actually reachable. Access to the same digital measurement tools on TV that we use on other platforms equals a greater understanding of consumers and the efficiency our clients expect.”
The ad-supported segment is the fastest growing on the Roku platform, making up more than half of the top 250 most-watched channels. Earlier this month, Roku expanded its solutions for ad-supported content creators with Roku Direct Publisher making it easier to launch a streaming channel and encourage the growth of video ad inventory on the platform.
About Roku, Inc.
Roku pioneered streaming for the TV and aspires to power every TV in the world. As of June 2016 the Roku OS powered TV streaming for 10+ million monthly active accounts. Roku is known for streaming innovation and high customer engagement, offering content providers and video advertisers the best way to reach streaming audiences. Roku customers streamed 4 billion hours of video and music in the first six months of 2016 as compared to 5.5 billion hours in all of 2015. Roku streaming players and Roku TV models are available in 10 countries through direct retail sales and licensing arrangements with TV OEMs and service operators. The company was founded by Anthony Wood, inventor of the DVR. Roku is privately held and headquartered in Los Gatos, Calif. U.S.A.
About Comscore
Comscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a leading cross-platform measurement company that precisely measures audiences, brands and consumer behavior everywhere. Comscore completed its merger with Rentrak Corporation in January 2016, to create the new model for a dynamic, cross-platform world. Built on precision and innovation, our unmatched data footprint combines proprietary digital, TV and movie intelligence with vast demographic details to quantify consumers’ multiscreen behavior at massive scale. This approach helps media companies monetize their complete audiences and allows marketers to reach these audiences more effectively. With more than 3,200 clients and global footprint in more than 75 countries, Comscore is delivering the future of measurement. For more information on Comscore, please visit comscore.com.
Media Contacts:
Kristin Williams
Roku, Inc.
kwilliams@roku.com(408) 740-5429
Kate Dreyer
Comscore, Inc.
press@comscore.com(571) 306-6447