Why Critics Say Email-Based IDs Don't Work For CTV | AdExchanger

Email-based alternative IDs can serve as a third-party cookie replacement for online display and video, and they can be ported to CTV because smart TVs typically run streaming apps rather than web browsers. Many buyers and sellers remain skeptical about using one-to-one identifiers like email addresses in a media environment that does not prioritize one-to-one personalization. Concerns also focus on whether alternative ID providers verify that underlying data is accurate and collected with consent. Additional worries involve FAST channels that lack direct access to email logins and may generate email-based IDs from third-party or questionable sources, potentially undermining the first-party data premise. Advertisers may pay premium CPMs without clear value if the IDs rely on the same murky data they already buy.

"To be fair, email-based alt IDs are a viable third-party cookie replacement for online display and video. And for many omnichannel advertisers, it makes sense to port alt IDs over to CTV, which is incompatible with third-party cookies. Smart TVs mostly run streaming apps, not web browsers."

"But many CTV buyers and sellers aren't convinced it makes sense to use a one-to-one targeting signal like email addresses in a media channel that doesn't prioritize one-to-one ad personalization. They also worry that alt ID providers aren't checking whether the data underlying these IDs is accurate and was provided with consent."

"Another concern is that many free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels - which don't typically have direct access to email logins - are creating email-based IDs using data sourced from third parties or other questionable sources. The worry is that such arrangements go against the spirit of alternative IDs, which are supposed to be based on a publisher's first-party data."

""I've been in boardrooms when questions have come about regarding, 'Is the data targeting real? Is it accurate? And how do we defend it?'" said Mike Richter, co-founder and CEO of experiential events company Unplugged Collective and a former monetization manager at CTV publishers TEGNA, Jukin Media and Newsy (now known as Scripps News)."

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