The streaming video industry is facing a critical challenge that’s becoming impossible to ignore: reliable viewer identification. While global streaming giants build their walled gardens, local players have an opportunity to create something potentially more powerful – a unified identity platform built on the combined strengths of telecom operators and streaming services.
The Current Identity Puzzle
The industry’s reliance on IP addresses for viewer identification is showing its cracks. As Mike Shields recently noted, “The biggest hurdle we have in CTV is identity. The proxy today is IP, which is wildly inaccurate.” This challenge is particularly acute when viewers share accounts, making it difficult for advertisers to target audiences effectively.
At Go3, we’ve experienced this firsthand. Our current approach combines Profile IDs with IP addresses to improve identification accuracy, especially for shared accounts. However, this solution, while functional, still leaves room for improvement in an increasingly competitive advertising marketplace.
The Telco Advantage
Enter mobile operators. These companies possess something invaluable: authenticated user data across devices and networks. When combined with streaming service data, this creates a powerful foundation for precise viewer identification.
The European market is already seeing movement in this direction. Utiq, a collaboration between major European telcos, demonstrates how operators can create consent management platforms that respect privacy while enabling better advertising capabilities.
Building a Local Power Player
For markets like Baltics, the combination of a mobile operator like Bite and a streaming platform like Go3 could create a compelling local identity solution. Here’s why this partnership makes sense:
- First-Party Data Strength: Mobile operators have authenticated user data, while streaming platforms have detailed viewing behaviors
- Local Trust: Both entities are trusted local brands with established customer relationships
- Privacy Compliance: Built-in ability to manage consent and comply with local regulations
- Technical Infrastructure: Existing capabilities to handle large-scale data operations
This collaboration could extend beyond just two players. By creating an open platform, other local media companies could join, building a robust alternative to global platforms.
Competing with Global Giants
While individual local players might struggle to match the scale of Netflix or Amazon, a unified identity platform could level the playing field. This approach would offer advertisers something valuable: a comprehensive view of local audience behavior across multiple touchpoints.
The Path Forward
Creating such a platform requires several key steps:
- Establishing clear data sharing protocols
- Building robust privacy controls
- Creating standardized measurement metrics
- Developing transparent governance structures
The timing for such an initiative couldn’t be better. As traditional identifiers become less reliable and privacy regulations tighten, the industry needs new solutions that balance effectiveness with responsibility.