James Rooke On How TV Can Win Against The Platforms

Thought Leaders Circle
Written By Justin Lebbon

Comcast Advertising President, James Rooke, argues premium video is inherently performative and can win share back from the big platforms; if TV makes itself as easy to buy as social and proves outcomes via incrementality.

Rooke's core case is that premium video is "performative" across the whole funnel, and that TV can win dollars back if it fixes two things: making inventory easy to buy and easy to prove. The conversation ranges across the "curse of incumbency," the bloated programmatic value chain, and Universal Ads' fresh UK launch with ITV, Sky and Channel 4.

Highlights:

  • Why 90% of new media spend flowing to a handful of players is bad for brands, effectiveness and a balanced ecosystem.

  • The twofold problem with premium video TV: it's too hard to buy and too hard to prove.

  • Why the industry should not compromise on transparency - and why expecting "black box" players to become transparent is a fool's errand.

  • Incrementality as the level playing field: when four players share a $10 lift, only $10 of credit exists — and premium video is outperforming on that basis.

  • The "curse of incumbency": stitching scaled linear onto growing streaming across different tech stacks and measurement standards, and why AI could be a tailwind rather than a headwind.

  • FreeWheel's open-API approach so media companies build differentiation on top of shared "core plumbing" rather than re-solving solved problems — plus the case for collaboration and consolidation.

  • Universal Ads: 22+ publishers in the US, a zero-fee-to-marketer model built on FreeWheel, and a formal UK launch (test campaigns done, "the pipes are working") with ITV, Sky and Channel 4.

  • Getting root demand to root supply "as the crow flies"; fewer intermediaries, less latency, more working media.

Justin Lebbon

Justin founded Hubble Media, the company behind the world-renowned TV advertising strategy conference series, Future TV Advertising Forum. At Hubble Media, he also led the launch and growth of the Connected TV World Summit and Videonet, a platform for TV industry news and strategic insight. Having evolved into a highly respected international conference, networking, and publishing organisation, Hubble Media merged with Mediatel in 2016 to form Mediatel Events Ltd.

Mediatel Events was later acquired by Adwanted Group, where Justin now acts as a consultant. He continues to spearhead sold-out conferences in Sydney, London, and Toronto, and hosts exclusive, invite-only gatherings under the Pathfinders brand. These events are known for their sharp focus on the opportunities and challenges created by industry disruption.

Justin is an accomplished chair and host, regularly invited to lead sessions, panels, and bespoke private forums at industry events worldwide. He also invests in and advises various adtech firms, helping them launch and expand into global markets. And finally, he remains an active voice in the industry—writing and commenting on the space he’s spent his entire adult life working in.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-lebbon-9b70484/
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