RTL AdConnect and smartclip team up on addressable advertising

Friday, January 22nd, 2021
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RTL AdConnect and smartclip team up to bring advanced ATV and video advertising solutions to international advertisers in Europe

LUXEMBOURG, HAMBURG — RTL AdConnect, the international advertising sales house representing the largest Total Video inventory in Europe, and smartclip, a European-grown adtech and media sales company that offers broadcasters and publishers scalable Addressable TV and online video advertising solutions across Europe, signed an agreement to extend their international partnership.

This sales and technology partnership will enable RTL AdConnect to expand its product portfolio for international advertisers, while growing smartclip’s presence across European markets.

Extended media sales and technology partnership agreement signed

This new contract designates RTL AdConnect as an official partner for smartclip media sales.

Additionally, and in order to facilitate deals set-up, campaign management, and troubleshooting, RTL AdConnect will now use smartclip’s holistic ad serving and SSP stack smartx for a larger portion of its European addressable TV and online video campaigns.

  1. Online video advertising: smartclip’s online video inventory in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and the Nordics will now complement RTL AdConnect’s global Total Video portfolio – today consisting of 300+ online video, OTT/CTV and catch-up platforms in 12 countries. RTL AdConnect will offer video advertising solutions to its advertisers and their agencies in both in-stream and out-stream formats, and within 100% guaranteed brand-safety environments. Together, the two companies will create a powerful extended video advertising marketplace for all international programmatic and managed buyers.
  2. Addressable TV: RTL AdConnect will also monetise addressable TV (ATV) advertising solutions provided by smartclip’s technology, including XXL banners and video ads that are implemented as a layover during the linear broadcast and ad-spot replacements where available. This gives brands the opportunity to broadcast different ads to different households and specifically target their most relevant consumer segments.

The demand for ATV advertising is growing steadily and has been widely adopted across Europe. Since 2020, an advertiser can run ATV campaigns in Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and France. ATV combines the best of both linear and digital worlds: the high-quality TV content, brand-safe environment, and mass reach coupled with the targeting precision and measurement capabilities of online marketing. ATV advertising offers advertisers the opportunity to measure and ensure ROIs.

Stéphane Coruble, Managing Director of RTL AdConnect, said: “I’m very happy that RTL AdConnect and smartclip, two sister companies within the RTL Group, are now officially collaborating to offer advertisers the greatest media environments and technologies possible to effectively reach their audiences on a pan-European scale, no matter their investment budgets or target audiences. This partnership is the beginning of more innovative projects that combine RTL AdConnect’s know-how and the first-class ad-technology of smartclip to develop new advertising solutions for all international buyers interested in online video and Connected TV inventory at scale.”

Dr. Oliver Vesper, Co-CEO and Managing Director at smartclip Europe, said: “We are excited to partner with RTL AdConnect across Europe as it supports broader commercial strategies with international customers. It’s obvious that international advertisers are looking for new and affordable video advertising solutions to attract and retain their clients. With RTL AdConnect, we are putting the power in the hands of a recognised sales house to offer additional access to premium and brand-safe Total Video inventory that has become a business necessity. RTL AdConnect’s best-in-class expertise in European market needs combined with smartclip’s portfolio and ad technology make our partnership a clear win-win. We believe this partnership will create compelling and sustainable value for our business and our shareholder.”