Warner Bros. Discovery Introduces Features to Make Ads More Responsive to Customers’ Needs

The times, they are a-changin’, and that has never been more true than in the world of streaming. With mergers and acquisitions happening at an alarming rate and an increasing number of services getting into the advertising game, the already competitive landscape is forcing companies to innovate at every turn. The newly united Warner Bros. Discovery is doing just that as they roll out two new advertising options that are designed to make the ad-supported viewing experience more conducive to individual consumers’ needs.

The first new commercial product is called “Click-to-Contact” and will launch on discovery+ in the final quarter of this year. The feature will allow viewers to click on an ad — be it on their phone, tablet, computer, connected TV, etc. — and immediately receive an email with information about the product from the advertiser.

Since an email address is always tied to a streaming subscription, viewers won’t have to go through the tedious process of hunting and pecking out their address via a TV remote.

While Click-to-Contact focuses on how customers interact with ads, the other product is centered on when customers see certain types of ads. Through Viewer’s Choice, consumers will be able to note their feelings for certain products and commercials and then the platform will adjust the future ad load with those preferences in mind.

WBD partnered with ad solutions company Brightline on the products as the recently merged company looks to expand discovery+ and HBO Max’s advertising approach. Even premerger, both services offered ad-free and “ad-lite” options to consumers, so separately — and now collectively — the streamers have been in the ad-supported streaming game longer than many of their competitors. This means that now under the WBD umbrella, CEO David Zaslov and company are able to begin exploring new innovations while services like Netflix and Disney+ are still settling on plans on how to implement the option.

“Discovery’s launch signifies another leap forward for ad personalization and shoppability on TV,” BrightLine president Rob Aksman said. “Audiences expect and want personalized experiences and instant gratification, which applies as much to ads as it does content, so this represents another win for the viewer experience.”

At the recent Upfront presentations to advertisers, WBD executives noted that discovery+ can generate $5 to $6 of incremental revenue from between two and four minutes of advertising. By deploying ad features that provide a more personalized and interactive component to commercials, Warner Bros. Discovery is undoubtedly hoping to not only improve the user experience on their services but their bottom line as well.