Sydney, Australia – Switch Digital’s transparent advertising buying network in Australia, EngageTV, has launched a new Internet Streaming TV buying network tailored to regional markets.

EngageTV offers connected TV and broadcaster video-on-demand campaign solutions to brands and agencies. It also provides direction on communicating the change in market dynamics to advertisers and independent voices to explain the benefits of this emerging media channel.

The new regional TV buying platform, which is developed in collaboration with media company Ads on Tap, will be providing local businesses the ability to advertise on TV, targeting TV advertising to specific audiences and individual postcodes. It has already been rolled out across Shepparton, Bendigo, and Ballarat, and will also be launched in other regional markets.

According to EngageTV, the advertising will be sold on the basis of ‘completed views’, with a special introductory offer of 10,000 completed views for US$1500. The platform also provides businesses the option to subscribe to packages.

Switch Digital’s CEO, Lee Stephens, refers to a PWC media forecast that points to CTV having around 30% of the TV advertising pie by 2025, which is a huge transformation in the advertising landscape. Stephens said that the migration to Internet-delivered TV is also a significant driver of regional TV viewing. 

“EngageTV empowers regional businesses to target their own towns and their local customers whether they are farmers, miners, retirees, or work in town. Significantly, in partnership with Ads on Tap, our platform will give regional Australian businesses the opportunity to access TV as an affordable and accountable medium, whereas previously for many, TV has been out of reach,” said Stephens.

Meanwhile, Chris Edis, Ads on Tap’s CEO, said that the launch of the platform comes at a time of significant disruption to linear regional TV with affiliate arrangements chopping and changing.

“The need to provide a simpler, more flexible, and affordable TV buying option for local businesses has never been greater,” said Edis.

Just recently, EngageTV has also announced the appointment of Mark Shaw, former managing director at in-house consultancy firm 88 Degrees and Rising, to assume the role of director of strategy and commercial partnerships.