Being able to choose what programming you want to watch, when you want to watch it, used to seem like a futuristic idea. But now it’s the reality – and publishers are taking it a step further. It’s not just letting viewers choose which shows or ads they want to see, though – some companies are even letting audiences change the narratives they watch. A prime example is Netflix’s recent experiments with “Choose Your Own Adventure” (CYOA) programming, letting viewers make decisions that affect the story in their chosen piece of content, with programs like Puss in Book and the “Bandersnatch” episode of Black Mirror offering an innovative experience for the audience and publishers. It’s an interesting concept for not only publishing, but advertising as well.

Infinitive CEO Denis McFarlane and Advertising Practice Lead Jeremy Hines discussed how this new platform is reshaping the way audiences consume content, as well as how CYOA is changing advertisers’ approaches to programming. Denis and Jeremy dig deeper into the applications of CYOA in the video below. One of the biggest factors is that such a model incentivizes viewers to watch the same piece of content more than once (which is great for streaming services). But how is it affecting advertisers? A few of the key questions to think about:

• When it comes to ad programming, how can viewers’ choices help determine which ads to show to which audiences?
• How will CYOA impact network design and data gathering and handling?
• What testing is necessary to really understand the user experience and work out a successful monetization strategy?