Mapping a New Way to Buy National TV

Cross MediaWorks’ Chief Technology Officer Stephanie Mitchko-Beale and Senior Vice President of Sales Rick Beispel are two industry veterans who know the intricacies of television buying platforms. Their new venture, a revamp and rebrand of ad platform company TelAmerica, is poised to shake up what we may now think of as unwired networks and addressable advertising.

The television marketplace continues to undergo dramatic change and the advancement of technology has facilitated the ability to niche target advertiser audiences. From what both Mitchko-Beale and Beispel tell me, TelAmerica will have the ability to target audiences in all 210 DMAs (Dominant Market Areas), from all types of MVPDs (MultiChannel Video Program Distributors) that reach 95 million households, and across 80 networks rated by Nielsen and posted via MSA (Management Sciences Associates). It is a bold promise but with the backing of a corporate board that includes Barry Barker and Bob Wright, it has the potential of changing the marketplace.

I sat down with Mitchko-Beale and Beispel to learn more.

Charlene Weisler: What is the short description of your service and capabilities?

Rick Beispel: We are the only national MVPD network with a full national footprint and strategic relationships with over 200 MVPDs. As a representative sample this includes all the major MVPDs such as Comcast, Time Warner, Cablevision, DISH, AT&T, etc., as well as the smaller operators across the country. We aggregate the commercial inventory from these MVPDs to deliver on national basis for our advertising partners, reaching 210 DMAs, 3600 cable zones and over 100 million homes. We provide access to 80 cable networks across a variety of demographics and programming genres. Finally, we are Nielsen rated and MSA posted and extend to broadcast and Hispanic media.

CW: Overall, what data do you have at your disposal?

Stephanie Mitchko-Beale: Our proprietary data includes historical clearance patterns and predictive algorithms. Our data/analytics dashboard offers advertisers the following -- Delivery by Daypart, Network, DMA, Program Specific and State. Our third party data includes such companies as MRI, Nielsen, Rentrak, Epsilon and Prism.

CW: This is a local time buy. What Nielsen data are you using to post?

RB: Generally C3 National ratings/Impression Delivery.

CW: Who are your competitors and what sets you apart from them?

RB: In general our differentiation is driven by our 21 year history in the business, strategic relationships with the MVPDs, a national footprint led by Comcast, emphasis on verification and visibility as evidenced by Nielsen ratings, MSA postings and back end analytics.

CW: Are you preparing for cross platform? If so, how?

SM-B: We feel our model will transition to a video agnostic approach. We are working to extend our offering to all video platforms to help our customers reach their goals and are in discussion with partners presently to access and secure digital inventory including online video, digital display, VOD and mobile.

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