It's time to find your strange bedfellow

Sound the alarm! Call the meeting!

If you’re in legacy premium video advertising, now is not the time for guarded silence or prideful inaction. The market is moving faster than ever, and the winners will be those who move faster still – especially those who choose to collaborate with former competitors rather than cling to old silos.

I lived this model through the formation of interconnects that combined the linear TV inventory of disparate MSOs into a singular, understandable DMA-wide advertising buy.  It seemed radical at the time.  This model was further enhanced through the inclusion of satellite inventory from DISH and DTV as well as the assimilation of surging MVPDs and overbuilders such as Verizon.  

There is still a way to run this playbook with a whole new slate of players.   A recent example includes the Hearst infrastructure teaming with Viamedia’s Parrot Ad Decisioning System.   Using MediaKind’s last-mile delivery, targeted, household-level ads ran inside real broadcast streams from WLWT Cincinnati. That’s not incremental tinkering; it’s a tectonic shift in what local broadcasters can offer advertisers: precision, accountability, and measurable outcomes that rival digital channels.  Equally instructive: Spectrum Reach’s deal to unlock Prime Video, Freevee and Fire TV for local advertisers. By adding roughly 20% unique reach to local campaigns and providing deduplicated attribution across streaming and traditional TV, Spectrum created a template for scale plus measurement, exactly what local advertisers have been demanding.

These are practical, repeatable success stories. They don’t require dismantling linear TV; they require rethinking workflows, updating tech stacks, and, above all, choosing to act.  The impetus for hesitation is real: legacy contracts, fear of cannibalizing premium inventory, internal politics and loss of control. But the cost of standing still is higher. Advertisers want performance. Agencies want unified metrics. Broadcasters need new revenue streams and demonstrable ROI. The companies that recognized this and moved quickly are already seeing the benefits: diversified revenue, clearer attribution, and deeper value for advertisers.  At cautionary note is that you cannot do this without a serious dedicated effort in order to lead to a seamless buyer experience.  Trying to MacGyver a makeshift solution off the side of your desk will only lead to disappointed clients who will hurl you onto “do not buy” pile.   Advertisers expect and deserve thoughtful, dependable, market-ready solutions. It needs to be as easy to buy as any other digital media.  

Reconsider your sales strategy. 

Collaboration with legacy competitors isn’t weakness; it’s strategic courage. When two former rivals pool strengths, inventory, local reach, data, tech, operations, the aggregate offering becomes far more compelling than any single party could deliver. That’s why the market is rewarding those who pick up the phone, sit across from a former archrival, and sketch out a shared future. It’s not about surrendering control; it’s about co-creating value that sustains everyone involved.  The quicker you establish the unified product offerings and representation model, the quicker you can begin collecting your annuity.    

So, what should you do today? Call that meeting. Map possible partnerships. Pilot a test that proves measurable value. Move faster than your internal fears would advise. The future of TV advertising will not wait for permission; it will reward those who act. For those ready to collaborate and innovate, the horizon is still full of opportunity. For those who delay, relevance and ad dollars will continue to slip away. Choose to be among the proactive few. Extend the life and performance of local TV.