The Big Impression – Dish Media’s Liam Kristinnsson on How Linear and Programmatic TV Are Converging

Podcast: The Big Impression
Host: The Current (Damian Fowler & Ilyse Liffreing)
Guest: Liam Kristinnsson, Head of Programmatic Partnerships, Dish Media
Date: January 14, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode kicks off a new season of The Big Impression by exploring how Dish Media is bridging the traditional divide between linear and programmatic TV ad buying. Damian Fowler and Ilyse Liffreing sit down with Liam Kristinnsson, who discusses Dish’s innovations—particularly Dish Connected and Advantage—and how these platforms are helping advertisers tap into premium TV audiences with real-time accountability, transparency, and data-rich insights. The conversation spans industry fragmentation, measuring success, media buyers’ evolving expectations, and what “premium” means in TV today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Convergence of Linear and Programmatic TV

• Dish Connected & Advantage: Dish Media has brought millions of households into connected TV (CTV) through Dish Connected, offering advertisers a unified, transparent platform that bridges linear TV with programmatic buying.

  • "We've been able to convert an additional 4 million to 5 million households into tangible CTV devices across real time bidding systems all over the industry." —Liam [00:56]
  • Advantage extends these principles to all Dish inventory, creating a “grocery store” for ad inventory versus the “bodega” of fragmented options.
    • "Now we have all those components that the customer or the client is looking for." —Liam [03:26]

• The Convergence Trend: Kristinnsson notes that the convergence between linear and digital really accelerated after the pandemic. Now, secondary or “underutilized” audiences are being connected and measured alongside traditional TV viewers.

  • "This is the start of the convergence...there’s much more value because we are now enabling people to find attribution in a more roundabout, extrapolated way, but we can provide meaningful real-time results." —Liam [01:39]

2. Addressing Fragmentation & Unlocking New Advertiser Segments

• Expanded Buyer's Pool: Programmatic has made it easier for new segments, like CPG and pharmaceutical brands, to find and purchase their audiences without old upfront commitments.

  • "We are seeing a lot of success and generating a lot of traction across the CPG world, the direct to consumer world...Now they have the liberty and the luxury to find that right audience." —Liam [03:57]

• Transparency & Data: By integrating data and providing granular targeting, Dish makes it easier for advertisers to reach audiences formerly underserved (e.g., “middle America”) and track performance.

  • "Now these CPG brands are looking to trade off their kind of gross rating points but...am I serving a family that would buy my products? Now we’re freeing up the inventory." —Liam [04:34]

3. Measuring Success & Proving Value

• Custom Attribution: Dish uses in-house targeting and attribution teams to cut inventory and group audiences for clients, particularly for historically underserved markets.

  • "We have a legacy of success around specific verticals, and we're able to kind of provide that to these brands." —Liam [08:00]

• The Industry’s Black Hole: There’s still work to be done in connecting cross-platform measurement; Kristinnsson pushes for more innovation industry-wide.

  • "It's a little bit of a black hole sometimes of how they tie it back to each other...there needs to be a little bit more assistance on our end [the industry]." —Liam [08:46]

4. Surprises in Channel Performance & Content Types

• Unexpected Drivers: Sports remain a catalyst for CTV, but news and certain entertainment genres are gaining traction thanks to anonymized, audience-first targeting.

  • "Sports has been a real catalyst to the boon of CTV enablement...but a lot of our entertainment brands have shined...even news." —Liam [09:31]

• Brand Safety & News: While some advertisers worry about appearing alongside hard news, the reality is TV news audiences are highly engaged and attentive.

  • "People that watch news are glued into the TV and consuming the content between segments. It's kind of like sports, right?" —Liam [10:52]

5. The Value and Meaning of Premium Content

• Evolving Notion of Premium: Premium is more than just primetime; it’s about delivering diverse, engaged audiences that brands can count on—especially as younger viewers recover from “app fatigue” and seek richer experiences.

  • "Premium content...demands an eclectic audience to watch your spectrum of content..." —Liam [13:50]
  • “We're also starting to see a surprising jump in the youth getting app fatigue...they’re paying attention.” —Liam [27:22]

• Engagement through Long Form: Viewers are gravitating towards long-form, appointment viewing (sports events, live TV, multi-hour specials), which creates more sustained engagement.

  • "There's something nice about a long form...a football game, a soccer game..." —Damian [15:28]

6. Evolving Programmatic Spend in a Rocky Economy

• Ad Spend Dynamics: Even as economic concerns loom, Kristinnsson likens advertising to a mutual fund—the spend shifts, but demand remains. Publishers should resist lowering rates, instead focusing on proving value and outcomes.
  • "If we enable knee jerk reactive spend, that actually goes against supply path optimization and increasing outcomes." —Liam [18:16]
  • "Advertising is like a mutual fund...if one category is down, another needs to go up." —Liam [19:17]

7. The Future: The (Slow) Sunset of Linear TV

• Supply Path Optimization: Linear is losing ground to impression-based programmatic. For true accountability and outcome-based attribution, legacy tools must be phased out.

  • "I'm obsessed with continuing to improve supply path optimization. But I believe that comes with the slow sunsetting of linear." —Liam [20:38]
  • "We're leveraging too many legacy tools to tell and provide stories on outcomes that are not always as accurate as they should be." —Liam [21:04]

• Transparency as Key: Advertisers want enough visibility to confirm ROI. Too much opacity hinders everyone—brands, publishers, and measurement partners.

  • "Maybe not full transparency all the time, but enough...the client should be getting a return on our investment or understanding why the audience...is not working for me." —Liam [21:24]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It's kind of like a grocery store when I think the industry has become accustomed to going to a bodega… Now we have all those components that the customer is looking for." —Liam Kristinnsson [02:46]
• "You win championships with diversity...there’s a way to make it all fit together if we cooperate and enable each other." —Liam [12:36]
• "Racing to the bottom for what is happening tomorrow will not enable you next year...it doesn’t just hurt publishers; it ends up hurting the brands." —Liam [23:43]
• "Second tier auto brands...are unlocking and understanding how they can better access inventory for the right audiences, period." —Liam [24:53]
• "Now the brand through programmatic can really lead the new age of creative storytelling." —Liam [26:45]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Overview – [00:00-00:51]
• Dish Connected & Industry Convergence – [00:56-02:20]
• Programmatic Growth, Advantage Platform Explained – [02:30-03:41]
• New Buyer Cohorts & Data Transparency – [03:57-06:23]
• Addressing Fragmentation & Consumer Behavior – [06:23-07:53]
• Measurement & Attribution Challenges – [07:53-09:23]
• Content Performance Surprises (Sports, News) – [09:31-10:52]
• Defining “Premium” Content – [13:27-15:28]
• Youth/App Fatigue, Long-Form Content – [15:28-16:37], [27:22]
• Marketplace Conditions & Spend Outlook – [17:58-20:28]
• Quickfire: Supply Path Optimization, the Future of Linear – [20:38-23:36]
• Advice to Media Leaders – [23:36-24:48]
• Brand Shoutouts: Auto and CPG – [24:48-27:12]

Takeaways for Listeners

• The line between linear and digital TV ad buying is evaporating. Automation, transparency, and real-time targeting are now must-haves for both buyers and sellers.
• Dish Media, through products like Connected and Advantage, seeks to serve as a one-stop-shop for premium TV inventory, breaking down silos traditional to TV buying.
• Success in this space depends on leveraging data, measuring outcomes, and viewing programmatic as a facilitator for creativity—not just efficiency.
• Audiences are becoming more eclectic, younger viewers are showing signs of “app fatigue,” and there’s growing value in premium, appointment-based TV content.
• Advice to the industry: Value your inventory, avoid racing to the bottom on price, and embrace incremental transparency for stronger advertiser relationships.

This summary captures the essence and tone of the episode, offering a clear guide for those interested in the future of TV advertising and Dish Media’s role in shaping it.