IBC 2025 Preview: Adtech scales up while privacy rules reshape targeting
As the broadcast industry gathers in Amsterdam for IBC 2025, advertising technology and monetization strategies will take center stage amid evolving viewer habits and regulatory changes.
With streaming audiences growing and traditional linear viewership patterns shifting, broadcasters face pressure to maximize revenue across fragmented platforms while navigating new privacy requirements.
The challenges are complex: maintaining ad quality during live events, adapting to privacy regulations that limit traditional targeting methods, and bridging the gap between programmatic advertising systems and broadcast-ready infrastructure. Industry leaders attending IBC will likely focus on solutions that address these interconnected issues.
Programmatic and broadcast convergence
The advertising industry has operated with separate systems for traditional broadcast and digital programmatic advertising, but these approaches are beginning to merge as viewing habits change.
“As viewing habits evolve and technology advances, the divide between programmatic and broadcast is quickly disappearing,” said Avi Yampolsky, vice president of international accounts at Operative.
Traditional linear television channels are adopting capabilities typically associated with digital platforms, while streaming services increasingly carry live content that follows established broadcast advertising practices. This convergence requires media companies to restructure their operations.
“Advertisers want to reach audiences seamlessly across all screens, and that requires media companies to unify their operations – breaking down silos to package inventory flexibly, sell across channels, and deliver campaigns dynamically,” Yampolsky said.
The integration involves combining separate sales teams, inventory management systems, and campaign delivery platforms that previously operated independently. Success requires moving beyond parallel workflows toward unified systems that handle both traditional and programmatic advertising through single interfaces.