TVB ePort received its first electronic orders from Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) last week, connecting the electronic platform to its biggest agency to date.
SMG, a MediaBank client for its media buying system, will benefit from the open standards incorporated into the MediaBank O|X platform.
“The incorporation of ePort into our MediaBank O|X media buying system demonstrates the effectiveness of our open architecture in making it easy to integrate with third-party media partners such as ePort,” said Brad Keywell, co-founder of MediaBank. “We are thrilled that Starcom MediaVest Group is joining our growing client roster of those taking advantage of ePort’s platform to connect their buyers and sellers electronically.”
Over 30,000 orders have been sent by 110 agencies/advertisers via ePort to 930 TV stations and all of the national rep firms over the past year; the total dollar volume to date is poised to cross the $300 million mark.
Horizon Media was one of the first agencies (via Strata Marketing) to use ePort for orders, revisions and make-goods when it launched last year, and they are continuing to expand usage throughout their organization. Nancy Larkin, SVP, Director Local Television, Horizon, says, “In its early stages of makegood testing we’ve experienced a greater than 50% reduction in discrepancies as a direct result of using ePort.” Over the past few months, dozens of new agencies and advertisers have begun to use ePort, including ITN, KSL Media, Southwest Media and US International.
Additional vendors, such as Arbitron, One Domain and Harris EAS, continue to develop their ePort interfaces. For smaller advertisers and agencies without buy systems, spot TV business can be processed through ePort Connect, a special web-based service of ePort. TVB ePort is funded by local broadcasters and is free to their customers.
