Tru Optik launches OptOut.TV to give consumers OTT privacy controls

OptOut.TV Makes OTT History; Provides Ability for Consumers to Opt out of Audience-Based Ad Targeting Across OTT and Connected TV

LAS VEGAS — Tru Optik, the audience intelligence and data-management platform at the forefront of Over-the-Top (OTT) and Connected TV (CTV), today announced the launch of OptOut.TV, a one-stop solution for consumers to opt out of audience-based targeting across the entire OTT ecosystem, including CTV. OptOut.TV’s mission is to proactively bring a higher level of privacy control and an enhanced consumer experience to OTT. With the click of a button, consumers can now opt out of audience-based OTT targeting at the household level, not just at the individual device or publisher level.

“OTT and CTV are the future of television,” said Andre Swanston, CEO of Tru Optik. “However if the right privacy controls aren’t addressed now, at the outset, the industry could be at risk. OptOut.TV enables viewers to easily opt out of audience-based targeting and provides a simple way for media companies and advertisers to ensure they are putting consumer privacy at the forefront.”

Despite the rapid growth of OTT and CTV, until now, no industry association has provided consumers with a way to opt out of data-driven advanced TV targeting. The privacy controls on OTT devices have little or no impact on how OTT publishers and advertisers leverage household’s data for advertising purposes.

From major advertising technology platforms like Videology to leading consumer data companies like Alliant, dozens of the most respected and influential data companies, publishers and ad-tech platforms share Tru Optik’s belief that consumer privacy across CTV is a priority, and have pledged to be compliant with OptOut.TV in 2018.

“With the convergence of content across devices, we need to ensure that the same data standards apply, regardless of where a consumer is viewing, to employ truly screen-agnostic strategies,” said Aleck Schleider, SVP of Client and Data Strategy, Videology. “The launch of OptOut.TV, which offers consumers more advertising choices, brings CTV into closer alignment with digital media and will help to accelerate the growth of CTV by removing any additional barriers to its use.”

“At Alliant we take consumer data privacy very seriously. OptOut.TV provides us with a mechanism to assure we can meet the needs of consumers who do not want data to be used to target them across CTV/OTT,” said Donna Hamilton, SVP of Product and Partnerships at Alliant Cooperative Solutions.

Swanston continued, “Tru Optik’s OTT Data Marketplace powers the majority of the programmatic audience-based advertising across CTV in the United States. So we felt it was our duty to work with our many partners to lead the charge in enabling consumer privacy. As the industry is poised for explosive growth in 2018, it is critical to ensure a positive experience for everyone involved in OTT – from the publishers to the advertisers and most importantly the consumers that are increasingly cutting the cord in favor of OTT/CTV.”