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Sky, Channel 4 and ITV have joined forces with Thinkbox to launch CFlight, a new campaign measurement tool that will enable advertisers to chart the impact of their linear TV and BVOD activity under one unified advertising metric.
Here’s what we know after the big unveil this past week…
CFlight represents the UK TV advertising industry’s first large-scale collaboration on a measurement model that unifies linear TV and VOD reporting. The tool will cover content from a range of broadcasters, including Sky, Channel 4, ITV, Viacom, Discovery and most of the affiliate channels sold by Sky.
With TV content accounting for 91% of all video advertising exposure in the UK – and 27% of that time attributable to VOD viewing – the launch of a combined measurement tool is long overdue. Previously, agencies have had to gather results from separate sales houses, which is a clunky, notoriously inaccurate way of doing things – especially when trying to formulate an overall picture of campaign coverage from different metrics. While BARB has enabled advertisers to predict total coverage across different platforms, CFlight marks a new era in post-campaign reporting. Hurrah!
CFlight will be launched as a dedicated website managed by TechEdge, with no extra cost for agencies and advertisers that run BVOD campaigns with one of the three main broadcasters.
This really is a game-changer for TV advertisers. For the first time, agencies will be able to accurately combine impacts and impressions across linear and BVOD to develop a full, multidimensional picture of overall performance. What’s more, planning teams will have the ability to develop strategies based on reach and frequency figures spanning the two, with apps, devices and platforms all covered to offer a comprehensive overview of coverage. Reports will be back dated to January 21st, 2021.
As with all new products, there are bound to be a few teething problems when CFlight is launched in Autumn 2021. However, with a concerted period of testing behind it, and auditing to be overseen independently by the ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulations), we’re very confident that advertisers and agencies will be able to trust in the tool as an accurate measurement of overall campaign exposure.
CFlight answers the needs of TV planners operating in a world of constant access to content via a multitude of devices and platforms. Harnessing the ability to measure coverage across live, on-demand and time-shifted content will bring far greater clarity and cohesion to post-campaign reporting, allowing advertisers to develop a clearer picture of what their investment is delivering while helping agencies optimise activity more effectively to ensure budgets go further.
To find out more about the possibilities CFlight offers your business, get in touch with our team of TV experts today.