Local TV Stations Day in the OTT Sun: $40B Market is Theirs to Take, if They Can Reach It
Fierce Online Video – With one of the largest station groups in the U.S. consolidating its advertising efforts among affiliates and a consortium of broadcasters looking to start a streaming app service for their regional-local affiliates, the market for local TV stations appears to be ready to bust wide open.
What is the market potential for local TV stations — what size audience can they reach, and what opportunities to monetize do they have?
Current online streaming efforts are widespread but not necessarily organized. For example, a local station may stream its newscasts via its website and may have a branded app that viewers can use on their smartphones or tablets, but it may not be reaching its online potential in terms of audience and ad revenues. Local stations may also stream via a third-party provider, and while that outlet may help the affiliate reach more viewers, there’s no way for it to track the size of that audience, what they’re watching and what ads they’re seeing.
