ITV partners with Sorenson Media to launch linear addressable advertising

ITV, the UK’s biggest commercial broadcaster, today announced a new partnership with Sorenson Media, a leader in addressable advertising solutions for linear television. ITV will use Sorenson Media’s unique technology to execute addressable advertising campaigns across ITV’s range of linear broadcast channels starting early next year.

The partnership was unveiled at the ITV Gala at the London Palladium, and will enable advertisers to deliver dynamically personalised ads on ITV’s channels using Sorenson Media’s addressable TV advertising solution on connected Smart TVs.

Sorenson Media’s addressable TV platform combines the targeting and measurement of addressable advertising with the scale and reach of ITV’s TV channel portfolio. The platform uses anonymised targeting data to ensure that ITV viewers receive TV adverts that are relevant to their interests, demographics and lifestyle.

Kelly Williams, Managing Director, ITV Commercial, said: “This partnership with Sorenson Media is the first step in allowing us to deliver to advertisers the best of both worlds – TV’s unique ability to deliver mass audiences alongside more data driven targeting.”

“Sorenson Media is excited to partner with market leader ITV to help advertisers better reach their audience, while providing more relevant and meaningful ad experiences for viewers,” says Brian Jentz, Sorenson Media’s SVP of EMEA. “Audiences will now be able to watch ads which are more personalized to them, and increasingly engaging.”

Using anonymised targeting criteria, the Sorenson Media addressable TV solution enables existing TV ads to be either dynamically replaced with more relevant ads or enhanced with interactive content. For example, a family household with children may see an ad for a people-carrier whilst a younger couple may see an ad for a sporty hatchback. Alternatively, a car ad could be augmented with the address of the local dealership or with a special offer tailored to the viewer.

Viewers who give permission during a software update on their Smart TV will be able to receive addressable advertising. ITV’s initial pilot will go live in Q2 2018.