FEP Advertising

The programmatic advertising industry asks many questions regarding the digital TV space. One of those being what does FEP stand for in media? Short for a full episode player, FEP online video is the content shown on premium TV networks.

The FEP programming duration typically keeps in line with standard TV content, such as 30 and 60 minutes, and is seen on Connected TV devices. It also encompasses commercial breaks for FEP advertising and also a wide range of different types of genres like comedy shows, reality shows, and even news programs.

So, let’s depict the question, what is a full episode player? The FEP media definition allows advertisers to target longer shows that are premium in nature – meaning that viewers are more likely to binge-watch multiple episodes of a television season through digital TV. FEPs are highly controlled and exclusive and tend to bring highly engaged audiences – making them the perfect opportunity to get a brand’s message out to the broadest possible audience.

To grasp the full episode player example, Keynes’ One View TV commercial review series is where our CEO & Founder reviews Connected TV advertisements served during FEP OTT content.

One of the most prominent FEP examples – and perhaps the one that people are most familiar with – is FEP streaming. Remember that FEP is all about streaming entire episodes of a particular program, as opposed to the clips and smaller chunks that some are used to on their traditional cable television.

FEP streaming is the best option for viewers to have control of what they are watching. Think streaming a favorite show out of convenience via Connected TV devices.

Short for video on demand, VOD is a way for users to watch content on their terms – meaning that it does away with the idea of appointment television, even for premium content.

Even as recently as a decade ago, watching a new episode of a favorite show probably meant having to be home at a specific time to do so. Sure, there may be an option to program a DVR (and before that, a VCR) to record the program to watch it later but if chances of not being able to or even forgetting was high.

Thanks to the advent of VOD, all of this changed. Virtually all of the content consumers were interested in watching was delivered over the Internet in an on-demand fashion, allowing them to view it all on their terms. FEP is an extension of this by allowing full episodes of those programs to be played back whenever a person desires, thus giving them the freedom and flexibility that traditional broadcast television has historically lacked.

Short for online video, OLV advertising is another channel of digital marketing for brands. The most important thing to understand is that FEP and OLV are different like OLV vs OTT or CTV vs OLV.

So, what is OLV? OLV digital marketing and OLV advertising examples would include those brief ads that run before and even during clips being watched on a video streaming site like YouTube. Is YouTube OLV? Yes, in as much as YouTube is an online video streaming site. But the main thing to comprehend is that very little of the content on YouTube is professionally created. People upload clips from shows and movies they don’t own and amateur YouTubers create content that doesn’t match the quality of what is found on most TV broadcasted networks.

They tend to be targeted broad campaigns used to raise brand awareness. OLV examples have some success in funnel management, but not nearly as engaging as something like an FEP-driven campaign would be.

What is OTT advertising? Short for over the top, OTT terminology is defined as delivered ads and related content through various online video streaming platforms. This can include but is certainly not limited to, CTV platforms. FEP OTT is quite similar. OTT examples include all the content served on Connected TV devices and even Youtube. These channels are just quality content.

The main benefit of OTT vs OLV is that the former delivers content in a way that bypasses traditional distribution methods. So instead of watching a favorite new Hulu show when it airs via a cable TV provider, consumers would do so via some app like Hulu on a set-top box. Consumers are still viewing the same shows but doing so in an entirely different way – one that gives the consumer power over what they want to watch.

Now the biggest question is what is CTV? And how does it differ from all other opportunities singled out up to this point? The answer to the question of what is Connected TV involves not only smart television sets but also various types of Internet-enabled devices like the Amazon Fire Stick, the Apple TV, and more.

The essential point to understand between FEP vs CTV is that a connected television device will only display FEPs. On a broadcast network, all of the viewers of a particular program will always see the same ad at the same time. With FEP and CTV, on the other hand, ads can be targeted to specific people based on previously connected data about what they like, what types of products they buy, and even which program they watch.

Overall, CTV vs OTT vs FEP are all closely related. What is OTT/CTV advertising? CTV advertising examples again include the ads seen before and during a TV program like Hulu. While watching a TV program, consumers see a few ads outlining certain products or services. We’ve all seen this with traditional cable but this TV viewing experience is thought out and audiences are now reachable in an easier, more effective, and wasteless way.

To reiterate, FEP OTT content is found on all CTV devices, but OTT content is found on OLV too. FEP is not found on OLV due to the premium nature of the content in question.

It may be helpful to think about this: OTT content is any show or movie delivered over the top, meaning over the Internet not via a cable provider. CTV devices, such as Apple TV, are the ones that enable the distribution of that content. So CTV devices are essentially two different sides of the same coin, but not quite the same even though these devices are used in the same situation.

Overall, FEP is a popular form of content in the digital industry. With more streaming services popping up, CTV advertising platforms have made a significant impact. Not only do they allow advertisers to gain credibility by offering a more personal and targeted experience, but Connected TV advertising statistics also point to the importance of the high quality, premium nature of the content that these ads run alongside.

In 2020 alone, addressable TV and Connected TV ad examples of advertising spending hit $9.03 billion in the United States. That number is expected to hit $27.5 billion as soon as the end of 2025 – pointing to one digital advertising revolution that brands should not pass up.