One of the industry’s most prominent broadcast industry executives has been retained by Verance Corporation to help it in its goal of introducing next-generation television benefits to broadcasters via its Verance Aspect technology.
Former Media General COO Deb McDermott, and her McDermott Media Group (MMG), will be working closely with Verance CEO Nil Shah on the company’s rollout effort for Verance Aspect.
Verance describes Aspect as a content measurement and enhancement solution that has been adopted as a fundamental component of the next-generation TV standard, ATSC 3.0.
Aspect works in today’s ATSC 1.0 environment, and is designed “to empower broadcasters with data independence by delivering first-party audience measurement on any device,” the company says.
Aspect also enables television networks and stations to deliver on advertisers’ demands for national and local audience targeting; provide analytics on an advanced data platform that augments first-party data with third-party, cross-screen psychographic, demographic and other data; and respond proactively to shifts in consumer behavior and trends.
The Verance alliance marks the debut of MMG.
“Deb has amassed a phenomenal track record of innovation and success across broadcasting and digital throughout her career, and we are excited to have her and her great team onboard,” said Shah. “By tapping into Deb’s exceptional operating expertise, we will pave the way for broadcasters to use Aspect to get the benefits of ATSC 3.0 in today’s ATSC 1.0 environment.”
McDermott commented, “For my new company to come out of the gate working hand in hand with the visionary team at Verance has been exhilarating. I find Aspect to be incredibly cutting-edge, providing an attractive, cost-efficient, game-changing technology to improve broadcasters’ sales, measurement and interactive abilities.
She added, “Aspect offers the only pathway for standardized reporting based on its collection of cross-screen, first-party data. For networks and stations to be able to capture and own this critical data outright, and to use this technology in conjunction with products from other vendors, marks a significant milestone for the broadcasting business.”
