Despite connected TV companies being in the NewFronts for only a few years, brands like Vizio have become a dominant part of the annual conversations.
The company made an impression with advertisers last year, with Vizio closing its 2023 upfront negotiations in October and securing more than $200 million in commitments, a 100% increase.
So this year, ahead of Monday afternoon’s IAB NewFronts event at New York’s Penn 1, Adam Bergman, Vizio’s group vp of advertising and data sales, told Adweek that the company is set to make a splash.
“In the three years we’ve been surrounded in the NewFronts cycle, our ads business has grown in exponential rates,” Bergman said. “And we’ve earned a seat at the table.”
This year’s show will feature presentations from multiple executives from Vizio, including a chat with founder and CEO William Wang. In addition, the company’s leader will give a sneak peek of future enhancements on the way.
“We’ll talk about the history of Vizio, how [Wang] started this business as a minority-owned media company. It’s a huge moment for us to talk about how we’ve changed the landscape and how advertisers think about devices,” Bergman said.
Hello, branded content
Though Vizio has had sponsorship and integrations for years on its platform, such as a TurboTax integration with the Big Game/Super Bowl hub or a Progressive sponsorship of DIY channel Vizio House, the company is getting in on the branded content wave.
The company is now gearing up to launch the Vizio Branded Content Studio (VBCS). This new business unit will bring new content offerings to viewers and new avenues for brands to invest their dollars.
“The entire ad business was built around product placement, but we have a few key aspects of our approach that we think are distinct,” Bergman said.
Vizio Ads can also bring this brand-integrated content to its home screen, which means premium branded content can have prominent placement on its platform.
The company first tested the new model with the four-episode mid-form series 3 Pointers, featuring Food Network’s Casey Webb and presented by BetMGM. Building off internal data that showed 42% of Vizio’s audience are “foodies” and 75% love sports, the company launched the show in time for March Madness and NBA playoffs.