Paramount Aims to Keep Some Top Streaming Ads Out of Programmatic Fray

Every individual who enjoys streaming their favorite videos does so on their own terms, yet Paramount aims to create a slightly more collective experience.

The media giant, now operating under Skydance Media, is introducing a novel advertising format on Paramount+ that guarantees visibility for sponsors who opt for it, even as every streaming subscriber enjoys their chosen content on their own schedules.

The “streaming fixed units” provide advertisers with guaranteed ad placement during the launches of popular shows like “Tulsa King,” “Landman,” and “Mayor of Kingstown.” When an advertiser secures these units, they also gain assurance that their ad will appear in a predetermined slot—such as the first ad in a commercial break—for the initial week after the episode’s premiere.

This initiative may allow Paramount greater mastery over certain types of streaming inventory, enabling it to pursue higher premiums, rather than relying solely on programmatic sales. Programmatic advertising has increasingly become a significant avenue for media firms, allowing advertisers to acquire ad space using algorithms tailored to specific audience and consumer characteristics.

In a landscape where streaming subscribers set their own viewing times, each program is consumed by different viewers at various times, locations, and with distinct preferences. Programmatic purchasing empowers advertisers to acquire advertising space that can effectively target a particular audience under much more precise circumstances than traditional linear TV.

Paramount’s new advertising units have attracted interest from financial services, alcohol marketers, consumer product behemoths, A.I. investors, app publishers, automotive advertisers, casual dining establishments, and even lifestyle brands such as Boot Barn, looking to engage viewers of series curated by producer Taylor Sheridan.

Paramount believes that these new units offer advertisers the opportunity to enhance their programmatic inventory by ensuring a strong presence when larger audiences are likely to engage with popular content.