Australians consume more than 25 million hours of BVOD content every week, which makes it a genuine opportunity for brands to get their message in front of a large audience they might otherwise miss with traditional TV advertising. So what exactly is BVOD, and what can it actually do for your brand? Here’s everything you need to know.
What does BVOD stand for?
BVOD stands for Broadcast Video on Demand. BVOD channels are an extension of Australia’s traditional broadcasters, Channels 7, 9, and 10, along with the ABC and SBS. Each broadcaster runs its own streaming service (7Plus, 9Now, iView, and 10Play On Demand), where viewers can catch up on their favourite shows for free.
What’s the difference between BVOD, SVOD, and TVOD?
With so many different terms for video-on-demand, it’s easy to get them mixed up. Here’s a closer look at the most common ones.
SVOD
Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) platforms charge users a monthly or annual fee for access to their full library of movies and shows. Netflix, Stan, and Disney Plus are all popular SVOD platforms in Australia.
TVOD
TVOD stands for Transactional Video on Demand. There’s no subscription required here, instead users pay to purchase or rent individual movies and shows. Google Play Movies and TV is a well-known example.
AVOD
Ad-supported Video on Demand (AVOD) is the monetisation model used by platforms like YouTube. Rather than charging viewers directly, these platforms make money through ads placed before or during the video. BVOD falls under this broader AVOD umbrella.
How popular is BVOD?
Traditional TV used to dominate how Australians watched video content, but BVOD has grown rapidly over the last few years. During the pandemic, as more people stayed home looking for entertainment, BVOD usage jumped by an impressive 39.5%. It’s stayed popular ever since, with Australians now watching more than 25 million hours of BVOD content every week.
What are the benefits of BVOD advertising?
Huge reach
BVOD lets you reach a large, diverse audience, building brand awareness and engagement along the way. It also gets your brand in front of people you might not reach through traditional TV, younger generations, and people who don’t watch broadcast TV at all. BVOD also gives viewers more flexibility than traditional TV, letting them access content from anywhere on any device, which means more chances for them to actually see your ads. Research from ThinkTV shows brands that extend their TV reach with BVOD see more than twice the sales impact of brands relying on traditional TV plus social video alone.
Memorable
BVOD is what’s known as “lean-in” media, where viewers are deliberately searching for and engaging with content on their own terms. That’s different from “lean-back” media, where viewers stumble across more passive content like videos on social platforms. Research also shows BVOD ads get better recall than video ads on platforms like YouTube and Facebook. BVOD ads are typically unskippable too, so your full message actually gets through to your audience.
Trackable
One of BVOD’s biggest advantages over traditional TV is that it’s genuinely trackable. That means you can see exactly which campaigns are resonating with your audience and which ones need adjusting.
Precise targeting
BVOD advertising lets you target specific demographics and interests, giving you a clearer picture of your target audience‘s preferences and viewing habits. That insight helps you build a more personalised experience and create ads that actually resonate. BVOD also lets you choose exactly which program your ads run alongside, based on genre, series type, length, and more, since your audience is far more likely to engage with ads that feel relevant to them.
Cost-effective
BVOD tends to be more cost-effective than traditional TV advertising, and its trackable campaigns offer better value for money overall. Measuring the impact of a traditional TV campaign is notoriously tricky, while BVOD gives you a clear read on your advertising impact from the start. It also skips the need for expensive airtime slots, making it an attractive option for brands working with a tighter budget.
Getting started with BVOD with OMDIGI
If you’re ready to experience the benefits of a BVOD campaign that actually gets results, get in touch with us at hello@omdigigroup.com to find out how we can help.
