Broadcast M.A.P.

Innovative Products for the Australian Market

Background

Founded in 1995, Broadcast M.A.P. develops media forecasting, trading and analysis software for media buying agencies and broadcasters. TVmap and RADIOmap are its two flagship products with both solutions being the preferred industry standard for agencies and broadcasters in New Zealand.

Broadcast M.A.P. joined Volaris Group in early 2020. Four years later, the business has propelled its growth through new product innovation and application of Volaris Group best practices.

In 2018, streaming or broadcast video on demand (BVOD) was on the rise and broadcasters and advertisers acknowledged that their approach to audience tracking and media buying solutions needed to adapt. Broadcast M.A.P.’s team set about to create a new solution that captures BVOD audience data; however, there was a lot of ambiguity as the broadcasters were not yet having the conversation around what the new audience tracking data would look like or how it would be used. In the two years prior to acquisition, the Broadcast M.A.P. team started exploratory development work.

Between 2018 and early 2020, our investment was ad hoc in nature. Volaris Group encourages rigorous business cases; it was a decision based on the numbers. We realised the market opportunity and that we would need to be first to market.
- Kavitha Sadasivam, Software Development Manager, Broadcast M.A.P.

New product development and market perception

Shortly after joining Volaris Group, the Broadcast M.A.P team was asked to present a business case for the development of a BVOD solution. This was challenging as the BVOD data set was considerably large and still relatively amorphous. The team applied Volaris Group’s processes for understanding and validating market demand, and then evaluated different operational scenarios and stress-tested key assumptions. A ‘go-to-market’ plan was also prepared.
The team was successful and, less than two years after acquisition, TVmap VOZ launched in 2021 and was enthusiastically welcomed by the market.

This was meaningful for the business, particularly when looking back at its historical presence in Australia. Broadcast M.A.P. had previously entered the Australian media market in 2005 and, although the business initially managed to achieve traction, it had limited success in selling its media buying module. While the module was successful in New Zealand, it did not suit the Australian market, which was something the team had not anticipated. The assumption had been that the Australian market would simply be a larger version of New Zealand’s market, and this was not the case as there were subtle but crucial differences.

The new product helped shift market perception of Broadcast M.A.P from a brand that only sold TVmap to a business that solves interesting and challenging problems for its customers.

Achieving 50 per cent sales growth

New products do not capture market share alone. The efforts of those connecting with prospects and customers was equally valuable. Leanne Peruch, an account manager with 15 years of experience at Broadcast M.A.P., was promoted to Head of Business Development shortly after the business joined Volaris. Internal promotions are a core tenant across the group, which values the knowledge, experience, loyalty, and passion that committed team members bring to businesses across the portfolio.

I definitely found the new title helped open doors and connect with the right people. It also focused me on product and brand development, rather than primarily seeking new logos.
- Leanne Peruch, Head, Business Development, Broadcast M.A.P.

Since her promotion, and armed with a new product, Leanne and her team achieved a 50 per cent sales growth after the launch of TVMap VOZ.

Looking ahead with new products

The team has continuously researched and ideated new solutions and features for future development.

We have become a very entrepreneurial business where everybody thinks about what value is out there that we can potentially capture. We found that, the more you look for opportunities, the more you find. You have to talk to people, see what’s out there, and then do something.
- William Graf, General Manager, Broadcast M.A.P.

In 2024, Broadcast M.A.P. is looking to form its first special interest group (SIG) to assist in the direction and development of a new, yet-to-be disclosed product.

SIGs are formed from a group of existing customers who validate the need for the solution and provide feedback on features and prospective. Many Volaris Group businesses have embraced SIGs to guide new product development as it mitigates many of the costly risks associated with new product releases.

As Volaris Group businesses increasingly use this model, they provide new insights that help to continuously improve and evolve the SIG process.