Google’s McDonald Goes Long & Short On CTV Ad Future

SAN JUAN, PR — The time when YouTube was best known for skateboarding dogs now feels like eons ago.

Two decades on, the video platform is now host to major broadcasters, as well as short-form content.

In this video interview with Beet.TV, Matt McDonald, Global Head of Connected TV & Streaming, Google, explains how the company is striking the balance.

A Shift to the Big Screen

“The diversity of content that we offer across YouTube on TV screens, YouTube TV, and Google TV,” McDonald explains, “stretches from the creator experience YouTube is most known for, to long-form shows and movies, live sports like NFL Sunday Ticket, and our fast network on Google TV as well.”

Consumers are now seeking a ‘lean back’ experience on their TV screens, opting for a mix of long-form content and bite-sized entertainment. “We’re seeing this really amazing twin engine of connected TV and shorts,” McDonald reveals.

YouTube Shorts alone has surpassed 70 billion views, while the platform boasts over 150 billion users a month engaging with YouTube on their TV screens.

Finding the Right Viewer

Google’s strategy extends beyond content delivery to optimizing advertising reach. “We’ve really invested a lot in AI-powered solutions that are really focused on the end outcome that you’re trying to drive,” he says, emphasizing the importance of making it easy for brands to reach users, regardless of the screen they’re using. With solutions like Video Reach campaigns, McDonald assures, “We will find the right user across the different surfaces.”

As for sports content, the recent addition of NFL Sunday Ticket to YouTube Select offers brands a unique opportunity to tap into dedicated sports viewership. “It really boils down to how do you help advertisers connect with the user no matter where they are, and then not just connect with the user, but manage frequency across all these different experiences,” he states.

To address this, Google has introduced Target Frequency allowing advertisers to set optimal campaign frequency across various platforms.

McDonald points out that Google TV has over 800 FAST channels and is rapidly growing. “That allows more diversification and more choice for users for different types of content that they might want to watch,” he asserts.

Investment Across the Marketing Funnel

Looking forward, McDonald expresses excitement about broadening Google’s investments across the marketing funnel.

“We’ve been investing more in mid and lower funnel,” he says, citing the introduction of Video Action Campaigns on TV screens and innovations like brand extensions, pause ads, and QR codes.

“These are all new mechanisms to drive mid and lower funnel outcomes on the big screen,” he elaborates, highlighting the potential to leverage these tools across Google’s connected TV properties.

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