How the Streaming Boom has Landed Us Back in the Living Room

Brian Albert is Google’s managing director of agency and brand solutions in the U.S., leading teams that negotiate annual partnership deals with brands and agencies to help them plan and execute more effective video ads and content. Here he shares his perspective on navigating the video streaming boom.

I spend a lot of my time thinking about video: how advertisers can make the most of video platforms, what makes an effective video ad, and how behavioral shifts change the way people watch. From my perspective, we’re entering a clear third wave of viewership.

During the decades-long first wave, we all watched the same kinds of videos in the same places. We watched primetime TV, sports, the news, and our favorite shows on cable. Everyone watched at home on a TV screen. Then, in the past ten years or so, online platforms like YouTube took off, marking the second wave. Video went mobile. Mobile expanded where and when we could watch — during commutes, on a lunch break, in bed — and gave us new use cases for video, like making DIY projects, learning new skills, and connecting with passionate communities.