Comcast’s FreeWheel boosts programmatic with Beeswax buy

Comcast’s FreeWheel has agreed to acquire Beeswax, a software as a service (SaaS) advertising company, to expand its programmatic capabilities across TV and video advertising.

The companies did not disclose financial terms for the transaction, whic is expected to close in January 2021.

Beeswax offers programmatic advertising capabilities through its Bidder-as-a-Service customizable bidding stack, which will fit alongside FreeWheel’s existing technologies for supply-side and demand-side clients.

“Together, FreeWheel and Beeswax can further enhance how television operates. As the ecosystem becomes increasingly complex, sellers and buyers of media want similar capabilities: great automation, simplicity, and the ability to manage data-driven campaigns across hundreds of endpoints. By incorporating Beeswax’s technology into FreeWheel’s offering, we can deliver even more value to clients of both companies, helping them better navigate and succeed in this new landscape,” said Dave Clark, general manager at FreeWheel, in a statement. “The team at Beeswax has a well-earned reputation for innovation and technological leadership. We couldn’t be more excited about combining our efforts, visions, and roles in the ecosystem to build technology that provides television with the transformation it so eagerly awaits.”

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The companies said that Beeswax’s bidding technology will allow for FreeWheel users to access broader pools of inventory to fulfill complex campaign requirements, and Beeswax's customers will benefit from the scale and expertise of FreeWheel within the video and connected TV advertising sectors.

“We’re looking forward to integrating our BaaS platform into FreeWheel’s global infrastructure to accelerate our vision of giving our customers greater flexibility, transparency, and control over their media buying,” said Beeswax CEO Ari Paparo in a statement. “Now, together with Freewheel, we can deliver scale across all programmatic channels, including advanced TV advertising.”