Spearad expands advisory board with industry veteran Jacob
November 25, 2020
Spearad, a technology leader for addressable TV, is expanding its Advisory Board with industry veteran Ralf Jacob.
Jacob combines unparalleled experience from both TV and the digital world.
“Spearad is uniquely positioned with offering a Full Stack Monetization Technology for Addressable TV,” says Jacob. “The challenge today is to bring the same experience viewers are used to from traditional TV to all digital platforms. Spearad does just that,” he adds.
“TV advertising will shift towards targeted and data driven models,” says Spearad CEO Erhard Neumann. “Ralf Jacob is in the middle of this dynamic development and I am extremely grateful being able to welcome him to Spearad. There are few people like Jacob, who stand for a digital TV like experience across all channels and platforms – who also brings the technology background to the table, as he does,” adds Neumann.
“Having integrated Internet juggernauts AOL & Yahoo into Verizon’s Media Platform, a subsidiary of Verizon Media Group, we’ve been exposed to what works and what doesn’t. There is so much room for improvement with regards to DSP/SSP/SSAI, ad serving and playout, I look forward to sharing what we’ve learned with the stellar tech team at Spearad,” Jacob concluded.
Ralf Jacob came to Verizon’s Media Group through Verizon’s acquisition of UpLynk, an online video platform specializing in the simplification of a broadcaster’s workflow, where he was CEO and co-founder catering to Disney, ESPN, ABC, FOX, Viacom and others. Prior to his tenure with UpLynk he served as VP of Deluxe Digital Studios where he led the development of new product ideas for Over-The-Top streaming initiatives, building and conceptualizing Second Screen apps for major Hollywood Studios and rolling out token based digital/e-Copy online portals for HBO, Universal Studios and others. Ralf has an extensive technical background; beginning his career as a software engineer.
TV advertising will shift towards targeted and data driven models, which is already the case on Pay TV and OTT and now traditional broadcasters are looking to add contextual & addressable to their product offering. In addition to this, more and more advertisers are moving away from purely reach driven TV advertising to addressable, which enables advertisers to target their ideal audience one to one.
Despite the shift to streaming and on demand, viewers prefer to watch on their TVs at home, mimicking the traditional TV experience but with the added benefits streaming provides. While streaming and on demand has the added bonus of allowing viewers to watch on mobile, tablets, and a wide range of connected devices, millions of viewers prefer to watch this content through their smart TVs at home.