How Disney, Netflix and NBCU are ramping up CTV measurement

SAN FRANCISCO — Measurement took center stage at LiveRamp’s RampUp conference. The takeaway: It’s getting faster, more comprehensive and easier for advertisers to understand.

Major TV players like Disney, NBCUniversal and Netflix highlighted the value of revitalized tech stacks. Further, agentic AI was a frequent topic of conversation as marketers explored its potential to accelerate outcomes.

Still, marketers stressed that trust in results ultimately depends on transparency.

“Walled gardens see fragments,” JPMorganChase’s head of Chase Media Solutions, Lauren Griewski, said during a panel. “And then that fragmented data creates fragmented decisions. And fragmented decisions create inefficient spend.”

The answer to streamlining decision-making is not more data; it’s integrating and targeting the right data, Intuit’s head of online acquisition, Mey Wong, said during the same panel.

Media companies get real about measurement

That shift is particularly evident in TV and streaming, where real-time measurement is reshaping how advertisers allocate budget. The biggest brands have built frameworks to show the true cross-channel impact that TV offers, which has historically been a challenge.

For Disney, that transition from post-campaign study to in-flight measurement results represents the biggest disruption in the space, according to Disney Vice President of Data and Measurement Sciences Nick Winfrey. Real-time insights allow marketers to adjust campaigns midstream and optimize results.

At NBCUniversal, the focus has been on automating previously manual processes, such as transferring campaign results between measurement partners. Building that infrastructure has allowed the company “to speed that process up and start the flow of data to happen in more near real time,” according to PJ Gasparini, NBCU’s senior vice president of insights and measurement.

Connected TV (CTV) has opened the door for this kind of evolution. That’s why Netflix Vice President of Advertising Nicolle Pangis said advertisers should resist applying traditional TV measurement models directly to CTV.

“We have a real opportunity in CTV … to not lift and shift linear GRPs (gross rating points) into a digital world,” Pangis said during a panel. “That would be really doing a disservice to all of us in the room and to consumers. From our perspective, flexibility is really key.”

Measurement is powered by data

At the same time, companies are increasingly focused on protecting the data that fuels these measurement systems. Several speakers pointed to data clean rooms as one way to safely collaborate. Those pillars set the distinction between success and stagnation.

“In an AI world, data is power, and those that control the data will win,” LiveRamp CEO Scott Howe said during his keynote. “And those that do not will be captive to the model.”

The push for better measurement also comes as companies face pressure to show their ad dollars are working.

To that end, The Trade Desk unveiled OpenTTD at RampUp. The new product provides a single login for companies like Target that operate multiple lines of business — from buying inventory to offering data segments through their retail media network. This streamlined interface makes it easier to measure that revenue in one place.

“Leveraging monetization opportunities for higher growth and revenue is what all companies across advertising are being held under the fire for,” said Jaime Nash, The Trade Desk’s director of product marketing. “That story needs to be easier to tell a CFO or CMO, so this helps to simplify insights and surface successes to unlock new opportunities."

The Current is owned and operated by The Trade Desk Inc.