AMC Networks is the first major programmer to join On Addressability, an addressable advertising initiative formed last June by Comcast, Charter and Cox.
As part of the addressability pilot, AMC will allocate some of its commercials to addressable ads delivered to aggregated household audiences across the Charter, Comcast and Cox cable television footprints, increasing the amount of addressable advertising inventory available to national advertisers and providing additional scale.
The inclusion of AMC Networks marks a significant step forward for On Addressability. When Charter’s Spectrum Reach, Comcast Advertising and Cox Media first announced the initiative, Comcast said the initial focus was on sharing what it’s learned about addressable advertising in the U.S. and in Europe with Sky Media.
“We launched the On Addressability initiative last year because as MVPDs, we are responsible for delivering ads into viewers’ households. Enabling addressable TV has to begin with the content distributors who lay the groundwork and set up the infrastructure,” said Marcien Jenckes, president of Comcast Advertising, in a statement. “Programmers have the largest amount of inventory, however, and we need their participation to achieve scale. AMC Networks’ decision to partner with On Addressability is important for the industry and the start of what we believe is a growing trend.”
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On Addressability is working on defining common practices and standards, enabling technical solutions and working to solve challenges surrounding addressability like measurement. The cable operators are partnering with Canoe Ventures as their technical implementation and service management arm for linear and video on demand addressability.
“Even though MVPDs have inventory across all platforms – IP, VOD, online included – linear television is still where the majority of viewing takes place, so if we can bring better targeting and more scale to TV advertising, while maintaining security and brand safety, everyone wins,” said David Kline, executive vice president of Charter Communications and president of Spectrum Reach, in a statement. “We’re looking at a really big opportunity, and with the cooperation and support of forward-thinking programmers like AMC, we’re well on our way.”