FAST and Fantastic

As the market around free ad-supported streaming channels continues to heat up, Vevo offers what it’s touting as the single largest FAST Network in the world, comprising 70 FAST channels in 55 markets with partners such as The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus and Pluto TV. Given that the average music video is three to six minutes long, the network offers 10 to 20 unique pieces of exclusive video content per hour around which brands can message.

“Vevo has embraced a TV everywhere strategy with a mix of linear channels and a new and improved Vevo on-demand app,” says Jesse Judelman, SVP of Sales, Americas, at Vevo. “While you can find our popular on-demand app across all major platforms, Vevo is a keystone for linear streaming services. For example, after years of the Vevo app thriving on the Roku platform, we now also program multiple Vevo channels as a part of their FAST lineup on The Roku Channel.” For advertisers, this means a one-stop shop to the fragmented FAST audience, ensuring ad dollars are not oversaturated on one platform nor with one audience—helping mitigate ad waste, maximize unique reach and achieve true national coverage.

Multicultural Magnetism

Vevo has one of the largest multicultural audiences in the world, including its CTV audience, which includes 13 million Hispanic Americans. During the past year, the company partnered with an increased number of brands looking to expand their reach into multicultural audiences. In fact, multicultural now represents 20 percent of its ad sales business and growing.

“New and returning brands are committing more dollars to the ever-important multicultural audience, and Vevo provides ample ways for them to do so via tentpole programming, contextual targeting and genre-based reach,” says Rob Velez, VP, Multicultural Sales, who cites Vevo’s Media Tracker research that shows 79 percent of people agree that music videos play an important role in culture.

“This sentiment is even higher among diverse demographics because these viewers specifically seek content that represents their culture and identity, and our powerful visuals featuring over 35,000 artists hail from different cultures, weaving stories that speak profoundly to viewers,” Velez adds.

Vevo’s Somos Vevo network is an ad solution that exists for all brands looking for ways to execute marketing on connected TVs, with audience reach extension opportunities across all of Vevo’s digital media properties.

Last year, the company launched Afro Pulse, a premium advertising opportunity of curated music videos by Black artists from all genres and career stages. Recently, it expanded the suite with API Amplified, a premium product allowing clients to align with authentic Asian & Pacific Islander voices shaping the future of American music.

By 2026 Gen Z, which is the most diverse generation to date, will also be the largest generation in the US, according to a new research study Vevo conducted with Publicis Media. What’s more, the study found content is pervasive with Gen Z. They spend nearly half their waking hours per day watching video content, with nearly 40 percent reporting watching music videos every day.

Context is Queen

Advertisers are continuing to flock to Vevo’s contextual ad offerings, including Moods and Rewind.

“Moods was one of our most successful newly launched ad products of last year,” says Aneessa Steilen, VP, Media & Distribution Marketing. “In the first half of 2022, we’ve already seen a 46 percent increase in Moods revenue vs. the first half last year. Our partners are eager for more, and our data science team is working to analyze our growing catalog to identify more moods that align to the campaign needs of our advertisers.”

Additionally, contextual ad targeting tools bring together Vevo’s catalog of more than 700,000 music videos in ways that align specific viewing experiences with advertisers’ campaign goals. For example, Vevo Rewind, which captures the top music videos by decade and genre, allows brands to harness the power of nostalgic content. According to Vevo Insights, 74% of viewers love how music videos help them remember and relive the past.

Original Thinking

Vevo also collaborates with several hundred artists annually to create original content for franchise series including “Vevo Official Live Performances,” “LIFT,” “DSCVR” and “CTRL,” which continue to grow in popularity with fans, brands and partners. With an eye on aligning with pop-culture tastemakers. Meta tapped into the company’s 2022 Artist to Watch program, while other franchises have been leveraged by telecom and insurance brands.

“Official Live Performances,” through which the network partners with the biggest music stars to bring their creative vision to the screen, are also escalating in viewership among highly engaged fans. Ariana Grande’s Vevo Official Live Performance of “pov,” for example, saw nearly 4 million views in just the first 24 hours of its release.

Connecting with Vevo original programming is paying off for brands seeking to connect with audiences who can’t be reached through traditional TV campaigns. Vevo recently partnered with personal finance company Credit Karma, which sponsored Original Live Performances with Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish. According to measurement partner iSpot, 36 percent of the CTV audience on Vevo was unduplicated, meaning they were only exposed to the campaign through Vevo.

Ever-Evolving Solutions

From viewer-centric programming to the most expansive music video catalog, Vevo gives every fan a reason to tune in, while providing advertisers reach to audiences at scale through culturally relevant content. In the coming months, Vevo will launch long-form content, and host channel curations by artists, celebrities and tastemakers, all while expanding its ad opportunities with CTV-first interactive ads and in-program branding.

As technology evolves, Vevo is continuing to mine opportunities within the interactive ad space and is committed to providing more native ad placements as well as robust measurement options.

And as was proclaimed on stage in New York last week by Vevo’s Kevin McGurn, President of Sales & Distribution, “Vevo offers advertisers optionality of measurement, as well as unparalleled flexibility in how you can transact with us” via a robust toolkit that sets Vevo up for the next episode of music television in 2022 and beyond.