Some of the most anticipated new shows and movies are hitting screens in the coming months, posing a myriad of opportunities for advertisers. With more than 8 in 10 Gen Zers and millennials streaming TV and approximately 50% of U.S. households still having a traditional cable or satellite subscription, the use of comprehensive TV viewership data across screens to accurately target and measure audiences is table stakes for advertisers and publishers. 

The most common technology sources of TV data are automatic content recognition (ACR) and set-top box (STB), both of which have unique ways to understand viewership behaviors and exposure to specific content. Let’s take a look at these two sources, including how advertisers can leverage both to get the most accurate data and cost-effective results.

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ACR Data

Samba TV invented automatic content recognition technology to accurately measure viewership behaviors across a range of different platforms such as traditional linear TV as well as digital platforms like streaming services and VOD. ACR analyzes household viewership across all platforms and services and provides more comprehensive and representative data for advertisers looking to accurately target modern audiences.

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Set-top Box Data

Set-top box providers collect data from a variety of cable and satellite services boxes based on analysis of viewership behavior like channel selection, ad exposure, and viewing duration across multiple TVs in the household. While STB-based audience segments can provide insights to deliver more relevant and personalized ad targeting, this approach is limited to cable and satellite subscribers and can only identify content that is delivered through the box itself. 

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Samba TV’s Hybrid Approach

Samba TV’s hybrid method to achieve a more holistic picture of household viewership and ad exposure combines both ACR and STB data to create more accurate measurement solutions based on a dataset that covers a larger percentage of the U.S. population deterministically. Our ACR data leverages video fingerprinting technology that identifies all content that touches the TV screen and is complemented by third-party STB data. Now, with Comscore as a STB partner, Samba TV’s U.S. deterministic data footprint has increased to 38M TV devices. This gives Samba TV the ability to build de-duplicated audience targeting segments that are more accurate and representative of viewership behaviors and demographics with scalability. 

Don’t let incomplete or non-representative data be the reason you lose out on landing your ideal audience or spend more than you need to. When it comes to finding a data-driven targeting solution that can help you navigate an increasingly fragmented environment, a hybrid approach gives advertisers the accuracy and scale to get the most return on your budget.

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