advanced advertising

Mediaocean, the big media-buying software platform for U.S. media agencies, is automating local TV media-planning and media-buying tools, improving workflow to better compete with digital and other media platforms.

Ad impressions delivered by connected TV grew by 55% in the third quarter compared to the prior year, according to ad and analytics company Innovid. In its fall 2020 U.S. Video Benchmarks Report, Innovid said the CTV’s share of video ad impressions jumped to 41% in the quarter from 33% a year ago.

Ampersand, an advertising sales and technology company co-owned by Comcast, Charter and Cox, introduced a new self-serve feature in limited beta release. The new functionality is being built into The AND Platform, the company’s multiscreen TV planning, buying and measurement platform launched at the beginning of 2020. The company said its platform provides marketers with reach across 85 million households, more than 120 cable networks and more than 60% of all U.S. addressable households.

Samsung Ads, the advanced TV advertising unit of the TV set manufacturer, is launching Samsung DSP, a self-serve demand-side platform. The platform will give programmatic buyers access to exclusive CTV inventory, as well as offering targeted audiences and data from across 45 million households.

Broadcasters, advertisers and agencies need an approach to buying and selling spot TV that streamlines and simplifies the entire process end-to-end for traditional and automated transactions.

Kirk McDonald (left) is leaving AT&T’s advanced advertising unit, Xandr, to become CEO of North America for WPP’s GroupM ad-buying unit. He’s being succeeded as head of Xandr by Mike Welch, currently the unit’s EVP of product and business development.

ViacomCBS is combining  its three big connected digital video offerings into ViacomCBS EyeQ, which the company said will give ad buyers simplified access to large-scale audiences. EyeQ includes video from CBS Interactive, Viacom Video and Pluto TV at a time when advertisers are looking to connected TV to reach viewers with targeted advertising as young consumers are cutting the cord and turning to streaming programming.

Three months after the acquisition of Telaria by Rubicon Project, the company is renaming itself Magnite and claiming that it operates the largest independent omnichannel sell-side platform in the industry, including expertise in the fast-growing connected TV space. The new company will adopt the Nasdaq ticker symbol MGNI effective July 1.

The first phases of dynamic, addressable advertising trials include participation from Fox, ViacomCBS, NBCUniversal, Scripps, AMC Networks, Disney Media Networks, Discovery, Hearst Television and WarnerMedia.

The new agreement allows advertisers and agencies easy access to Nexstar’s digital audience of 106 million monthly uniques and the broadcast industry’s widest reach of 63% of U.S. TV households gives them the ability to send orders electronically directly in their Strata workflow.

Advertising rebounded in April — at least on connected televisions — as the initial wave of public service-driven advertising ebbed and brands began to take advantage of the rise in screen time in quarantine. Programmatic ad transactions on CTV rose 40% between April 5 and May 11 after falling 14% during March, according to research from Pixalate.

The Weather Channel is the latest media outlet to join OpenAP, the consortium of media companies working to help advertisers buy TV with some of the new methodologies they say they crave.

Three of the nation’s largest pay-TV companies are taking joint ownership of Blockgraph, a platform designed to make it easier for brands to harness data to serve targeted ads to people watching cable TV, a move that comes as cost-pressured ad buyers are increasingly turning to targeted advertising.

Instacart quietly debuted its self-service tool for promoted products in search results in its advertising platform on Tuesday as demand for the company’s services continues to climb. Brands and agencies can now buy ads through a self-service platform. The move toward featured products in search results will enable the online platform to not only compete for ad dollars from grocery brands advertising on ecommerce sites such as Amazon and Walmart, but on Google, Bing and Facebook as well.

Roku has revamped its ad platform on its quest to dominate the over-the-top advertising ecosystem. The company has rolled Dataxu into a new ad platform, OneView, that it says will let advertisers plan, buy and measure campaigns across digital devices in four out of five U.S. homes—including non-Roku households.

When TV advertising finds a new normal after the pandemic, targeted ads are more likely to be a bigger part of the ad mix, experts say. They also predict some “share shifting” of ad dollars away from broadcast TV toward ad-supported streaming services, social apps (such as TikTok) and other emerging video categories. And they said the pullback by some advertisers, including ones in travel-related businesses, has led to increased opportunities to advertise on platforms that are seeing a surge in viewing, including connected TV and over-the-top outlets, at reduced rates.

OpenAP, formed by media companies to standardize and simplify data-based targeting advertising, has named an advisory board of media buyers and advertisers. The board will help the company as it introduces new buying mechanisms designed to move the TV ad business beyond the traditional age and sex demographics.

Brian Lesser, chief executive of AT&T Inc’s advertising unit Xandr, has resigned, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, raising questions about the future of its advanced advertising strategy.

Gray will acquire a minority ownership interest in Tegna’s Premion and resell Premion in all of Gray’s 93 television markets.

Harnessing the power of Comcast NBCUniversal, NBC Spot On aims to provide local/regional clients access to 100% owned or purchased premium long-form inventory, at scale.

Ahead of the upfronts, it introduces new proprietary advertising technology and partnerships with 4C Insights, FreeWheel and Operative. According to Linda Yaccarino, chairman, advertising and partnerships, marketers can now optimize and target their key audiences across all screens, all networks and all dayparts, making every impression data-informed.

The two companies will roll out a private beta of a cloud-based cross-platform media buying and media accounting system.