\n\tThe media company behind such iconic TV characters as Don Draper, Rick Grimes and Walter White wants advertisers to give a stronger gaze at first looks.<\/p>\n
\n\tRecognizing that many fans don\u2019t watch TV series when they are first made available via linear TV or streaming video, AMC Global Networks has suggested to advertisers that the first dip into a series is worth more to them, and should be seen as a premium piece of inventory \u2014 even if the program being watched has been available for several seasons or years.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cOne thing that we\u2019re bringing to the market this year, from the digital side, is the ability for an advertiser to buy what we\u2019re calling a \u2018first streamer,’\u201d says Evan Adlman<\/a>, executive vice president of commercial sales and revenue operations for AMC Networks,\u00a0during a recent interview. \u201cSo we have packages now where somebody could actually buy the first slot in the first pod of a first stream.\u201d AMC would define a first view as the moment when a particular device first registers as watching one of its programs, which might span from the current series \u201cDark Winds\u201d to past offerings like \u201cHalt and Catch Fire.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn a different era, NBC ran promos telling viewers that \u201cIf you haven\u2019t seen it, it\u2019s new to you,\u201d part of a bid to get people engaged in summer reruns. The effort prompted light scoffing, but perhaps the people who ran the network in 1997 were ahead of their time. The fact is that recent or older series can gain new footholds with modern viewers who haven\u2019t seen them. HBO\u2019s \u201cThe Sopranos\u201d gained new life during the coronavirus pandemic. \u201cFriends\u201d became popular with a new generation once the series was made available for streaming.<\/p>\n \n\tAMC\u2019s offer puts a spotlight on the efforts many traditional media outlets are putting on monetizing digital inventory which is quickly being commoditized by new technology.<\/p>\n \n\t More marketers and agencies are relying on so-called \u201cprogrammatic\u201d advertising that relies on algorithms to identify ad time that is watched by very specific kinds of viewers, such as consumers who might be in the market for a new car, who speak Spanish, or live in a particular geographic region. Such a transaction takes some of the leverage out of the seller\u2019s grasp on the transaction. By identifying moments when viewers are likely to be more engaged, however, TV companies hope to gain some of their pricing power.<\/p>\n \n\tParamount Skydance last year unveiled a new ad format for its Paramount+ streamer that aims to create new value for streaming inventory. New \u201cstreaming fixed units<\/a>\u201d give advertisers who buy them the same ad placement in the premieres of new episodes of top shows including \u201cTulsa King,\u201d \u201cLandman\u201d and \u201cMayor of Kingstown.\u201d When an advertiser buys the unit, it it is also buying a guarantee that Paramount will run the ad in a fixed place, such as the first spot in a commercial break, for the first seven days after the episode debuts.<\/p>\n \n\tParamount said at the time the new units have been purchased by financial-services companies, marketers of alcoholic beverages, consumer product giants, backers of A.I., app publishers, automobile marketers, casual-dining chains and even Western lifestyle brands such as Boot Barn that want to reach viewers of series under the supervision of producer Taylor Sheridan.<\/p>\n