Rakuten Advertising has created a pan-European single marketplace for buying connected TV audiences from multiple streaming services, from Rakuten TV to FIFA+, DAZN, Samsung TV Plus and Virgin Media. The new offer reaches nearly 8.5m HHs per month.
The 8.4+ million household reach is delivering 237 million monthly ad requests, the company revealed at a launch event this week. Scale is a key selling point, with the marketplace designed to combat fragmentation in the media landscape and make it easier to buy connected TV inventory from a growing number of streamers. Rakuten Advertising is promising buyers “immediate scale”.
The new marketplace is called Rakuten CTVision+ and Rakuten Advertising reckons it will transform how advertisers navigate the connected TV landscape. Other media owners who are already making their inventory available via the marketplace include wedotv, Bloomberg, Extreme Sports Channel, Xiaomi, LoveTV Channels, CNN, Gusto TV, Tastemade, Unreel and Filmzie.
CTVision+ is entirely focused on CTV video inventory, covering live streaming and on-demand content. Rakuten Advertising has emphasised its ability to provide strong contextual opportunities in premium (and brand-safe) content, with transparency.
Genres covered include sports & live action (e.g., matchroom), food & lifestyle (e.g., Vogue and LoveWine), kids & family (e.g., Pop, and Lego), music & entertainment (e.g., Hell’s Kitchen and Qwest) and news & factual (e.g., Reuters, Euronews).
Rakuten Advertising is calling CTVision+ “the gateway to European streamers” and the marketplace will serve key European territories, drawing on local market expertise. Rakuten Advertising will aggregate audiences who will see non-skippable, in-stream ad formats. Targeting options include device and OS, geo, daypart, and channel & genre. Inventory can be bought via programmatic direct and private marketplace.