From the beginning of time, innovators who’s products and services solve problems for other people have always risen to the top. From the invention of the wheel back in 3,500 B.C. (thank you Google) which revolutionized travel to the modern cell phone which transformed human communication, innovation drives markets. One such transformational innovation is quietly percolating through the media business as we speak: Samba TV!

Never heard of it? Don’t feel bad, I never did either until just recently. Actually, Samba TV has been around for approximately 10 years now, and It’s chip technology has been bantered about amongst the digital media scholars as a potential game-changer. But breaking through the morass of confusing emergent digital technology has proven to be difficult for this small upstart company — and then Covid -19 hit!

Since the onset of this Pandemic, viewers are spending much more time at home consuming online content, and Connected TV viewership is one of the clear winners as Smart TV penetration into American homes accelerates. In 2020, Smart TV’s are projected to be in over 80% of US households.  Here is where Samba TV comes in. Their chip allows them to track real-time viewership data across an omni-channel media landscape, including cable and broadcast networks, OTT channels such as Connected TV, and  digital media.

Samba TV solves a problem for three main groups: consumers, media firms and advertisers. For the consumer, Samba TV’s Interactive TV service acts as an intuitive program guide, recommending programs for users based on their past viewership patterns across all channels and devices. No small feat in this world of proliferating media platforms and choices.

For media firms, Samba TV allows media buyers to access and purchase predictable, known audience interest and behavioral data dynamically in an effort to deliver the most relevant ad content to viewers.  As someone who has been involved with online TV media buying from the beginning, this is truly revolutionary.  No more “Educated Guessing”.

For the advertiser, it’s a much needed way to measure how marketing dollars are being spent across various TV platforms and devices. (See Disney and Samba TV). With the proper tagging architecture deployed, conversion attribution – the holy grail of our industry – comes into “partial” view as video consumption continues to splitter off into a more fragmented distribution ecosystem.

So you missed out on the Wheel IPO opportunity in 3,499 B.C. Ok, I get it. Not everyone can be Warren Buffett? But today,  if you have anything to do with buying media – as a vendor or a marketer — pay attention to Samba TV and their little chip. I’m telling ya, the ‘Wheels of Change’ are rolling again.