Xandr, an advanced advertising platform owned by AT&T, has reached a deal to make TiVo’s ad-supported connected TV inventory available to buyers in the Xandr Marketplace.
The agreement includes TiVo’s pre-roll and in-stream content CTV advertising offerings and it means that TiVo will use Xandr Monetize for inventory management capabilities, yield optimization analytics and buyer demand.
The agreement with TiVo comes as video advertising and connected TV is becoming a bigger piece of Xandr’s overall business. The company said video now accounts for 35% of all spend on its platform, and that total video spend on its platform grew 75% year over year in the first quarter, largely driven by CTV’s 235% increase over the same period.
“By integrating with Xandr’s advanced technology platform, TiVo is furthering our commitment to providing advertising partners with the tools they need to effectively and efficiently communicate their marketing messages, at scale,” said Walt Horstman, senior vice president of monetization at TiVo, in a statement. “Xandr’s end-to-end platform enables a direct and streamlined exchange with buyers, providing unique and heightened value as the CTV ecosystem grows in complexity.”
RELATED: AT&T may also look to sell off Xandr advertising unit: report
TiVo’s connected TV products including pre-roll DVR focus on addressability for linear TV. Pre-roll DVR allows advertisers to reach prime time broadcast audiences that were missed due to time-shifted viewing and its CTV ad units are available across many AVOD streaming services.
“We’re excited to offer buyers in the Xandr Marketplace access to TiVo’s diverse content and inventory types as well as its highly engaged audiences,” said Alex Chatfield, vice president of marketplace development at Xandr, in a statement. “Xandr is committed to providing buyers with a robust, transparent, and data-rich infrastructure of deals that unlocks net new targeting and increased access to premium CTV inventory at scale.”
Xandr was last year linked to reports that AT&T was exploring options to sell off its advance ad unit. Verizon electing to divest its Verizon Media unit—along with its advanced advertising business—seemed to suggest an industry trend that AT&T could follow as it sells other assets including DirecTV and Crunchyroll.
But Mike Welch, general manager and executive vice president at Xandr, told AdExchanger last week that AT&T is still bullish on the ad tech business.
"We recognize the strength and uniqueness of the assets we have," he told the publication. "We’re committed to being a player in this space for a long time."