Anyone running ads on social media or through Google is used to working with data: defining audiences, retargeting website visitors, finding similar users. With television, people long assumed this wasn't possible, that TV was a spray-and-pray medium. With streaming, that's no longer true. Streaming advertising can now be targeted with data as precisely as social or paid search advertising, just on the big screen.
This article explains why that is, what data is used, and how the most important data-driven use cases work, from targeting by region, interests, and sociodemographic attributes to retargeting, look-alike, and audience extension.
Why streaming works with data
The reason is simple: streaming runs over the internet. Unlike classic, linear television, which broadcasts the same thing to everyone at fixed times, a streaming spot is delivered individually, to a specific household, at a specific moment. That makes it possible to define in advance who should see the ad, much like you know from a campaign on Google or Meta.
This turns the mass medium of television into an addressable channel. Instead of buying an airtime slot and hoping the right people are watching, you define an audience and reach exactly them.
What data comes into play
Data-driven advertising is only as good as the data behind it. In practice, several types come together: basic attributes like region, age, and gender, plus interests and behavioral traits, job title in the professional space, and finally the advertiser's own data, so-called first-party data such as customer lists, website visitors, or newsletter subscribers. These data points give rise to the concrete use cases. The following are the most important.
Use case 1: regional targeting
The simplest and at the same time most effective use: you deliver your advertising only where you actually have customers, down to the postal code. For a business with a clear catchment area, this is the biggest difference from classic television, which always broadcasts to the entire country. No budget goes to viewers who will never be a fit for you. How this works in detail is shown in the article on regional targeting in streaming TV.
Use case 2: interests and behavior
Instead of a spray-and-pray approach, you reach people based on what interests them. Anyone enthusiastic about fitness, cars, or travel, for example, can be addressed specifically if your offering fits. That way your advertising lands with people it's relevant to, instead of everyone.
Use case 3: sociodemographic attributes
The classic of audience targeting: delivery by attributes like age and gender. If you want to reach mainly adults over 30 in a specific region, for example, you narrow your audience down to exactly that. These attributes can be combined with region and interests, so your campaign hits exactly the group you have in mind.
Use case 4: retargeting
You know retargeting from the web: someone visits your website, looks at a product, but doesn't buy, and shortly after, your ad appears to them again. The same principle can be applied to streaming.
The idea: people who already know your company, for example because they've visited your website, are addressed again, this time with a spot on the big screen. The appeal lies in the contrast to otherwise fleeting web retargeting. Instead of a small banner you click away, the prospect sees your brand full screen, with sound, in a high-quality environment. Anyone who has already shown interest and then sees the brand again on television takes it noticeably more seriously.
Use case 5: look-alike
Retargeting reaches people who already know you. Look-alike goes a step further and finds new people who resemble your best customers.
Here's how it works: you provide an existing audience, for example your existing customers or your website visitors. A profile is modeled from their attributes, and based on that, people are found who resemble this profile but don't know you yet. That way you open up new audiences that are highly likely to be a fit for you, instead of casting a blind net. Look-alike is thus the way to turn a small, valuable group into a larger, similarly valuable one.
Use case 6: audience extension
The last use case is about extending an existing audience beyond its original channel. Audience extension means reaching the same defined audience you address on other channels on television too.
An example: you have a customer list or a segment you already reach via social media or email. With audience extension, you deliver the same group additionally through streaming. That way your customers encounter the same message across multiple channels, which reinforces the impact and anchors the brand more firmly. Streaming thus doesn't become an isolated channel, but an extension of your existing data-driven campaigns onto the big screen.
The same logic as social and search, plus the big screen
The common thread behind all these use cases: it's the same data-driven logic you know from social and search, except the advertising lands on the television, full screen, with sound, non-skippable. So you combine the precision of digital channels with the impact of the big screen. Why this contact is so much more valuable than a quick impression in the feed is shown in the overview of the premium quality of streaming advertising.
Data-driven instead of spray-and-pray
The point is: streaming now plays in the same league as your digital channels. You target precisely by region down to the postal code, by age, interests, and even job title, instead of broadcasting spray-and-pray. And the entry point is low: via onescreen, campaigns start from EUR 1,000, booked yourself through the Ad Manager, much like you're used to from your other data-driven campaigns.
The best way to see how precisely your audience can be reached through streaming with data is to look at your own case. Book a demo, and we'll go through the possibilities in 30 minutes. Or get started directly in the Ad Manager.
Conclusion
Streaming advertising is no longer a spray-and-pray medium. It can be targeted with data as precisely as social or paid search advertising, from targeted delivery by region and interests to data-driven use cases like retargeting, look-alike, and audience extension. The difference from the digital channels you know ultimately comes down to just the screen: big, with sound, right in the living room.
FAQ
Can streaming advertising be targeted as precisely as social or Google Ads? Yes. Because streaming runs over the internet, every spot is delivered individually and can be aimed at a defined audience in advance, similar to social or paid search advertising. The difference is the big screen with sound.
What data can be used for streaming advertising? Basic attributes like region, age, and gender, plus interests and behavioral traits, and in the professional space, job title. On top of that, your own data such as customer lists or website visitors can be used, forming the basis for use cases like retargeting and look-alike.
What is retargeting in streaming advertising? People who already know your company, for example through a website visit, are addressed again, this time with a spot on the television. Instead of a small banner, the prospect sees your brand full screen and with sound, which increases the impact.
What is the difference between look-alike and audience extension? Look-alike finds new people who resemble your existing customers, opening up new audiences. Audience extension extends an existing audience to another channel, meaning it delivers the same defined group additionally through streaming.
How precisely can I target my streaming advertising with data? Very precisely. Through the onescreen Ad Manager, you target your campaign by region down to the postal code, age, interests, and job title, instead of a spray-and-pray approach. Entry is possible from EUR 1,000, and you book it yourself. What makes sense for your specific case is best worked out in a demo.