Video inventory management platform SpotX is partnering with over-the-top (OTT) video news service Newsy to monetise Apple’s new tvOS platform.
The companies say they are doing so in response to burgeoning advertiser demand for connected TV video inventory and the agreement will see E.W. Scripps subsidiary Newsy choose SpotX as its partner to power the sale of video ads programmatically on its Apple TV app.
Newsy will also employ SpotX’s ad server and supply-side platform to help sell inventory across desktop, mobile and other connected TV distribution points.
The partners see particular potential in connected TV platforms, which they believe offer one of the largest opportunities emerging for video publishers.
According to Allen Klosowski, VP of mobile and connected devices at SpotX, advertiser spend on connected TV in the SpotX platform increased 570% from Q3 to Q4 2015, and publisher CPMs nearly doubled on average.
“Advertisers want to execute cross-screen strategies, and that has quickly extended to data-driven buying on large screens,” Klosowski added. “We’re seeing digital-centric agencies shoot for the living room TV, then attempt to match the same viewers on smartphone and desktop to execute retargeting video campaigns.”
Added Newsy general manager Blake Sabatinelli: “The power of connected TV is its ability to reach audiences who are cord-cutters and cord-nevers and engage them in meaningful ways. This audience is increasingly harder to find on cable TV, which is why we’ve developed video news experiences in formats specifically for digital devices."