Synamedia updates ad platform and adds Index Exchange partnership

Synamedia Iris lights up unified advertising for content providers and broadcasters

LONDON — Leading video software company, Synamedia today unveiled major updates to its Synamedia Iris advertising platform that expand campaign formats and increase monetisation options. With the addition of programmatic support to its direct sold capability, customers will now benefit from a single, unified ad platform that reaches consumers on any screen. Furthermore, a partnership with the supply side platform (SSP), Index Exchange, one of the largest independent ad marketplaces, now connects Synamedia Iris customers with global advertisers.

With the addition of programmatic alongside direct advertising campaigns, Synamedia Iris increases the choice of media for advertising campaigns and bolsters in-house sales teams. Customers can now maximise the value of their inventory through the programmatic ecosystem and publishers can connect their agency partners to over 40 leading demand-side platforms (DSPs) through Index Exchange.

Synamedia Iris’ unified approach makes it possible to mix and match different types of campaigns and compare bids from auctions running in parallel to select the campaign that maximises results and ensures that publishers get the best price for their ad inventory.

Extending beyond Synamedia’s existing base, Synamedia Iris will now reach new customers including direct to consumer content providers and operators with FAST channels who have multiple campaign types and want to reach audiences based on a broad range of targeting capabilities.

It also extends Synamedia Iris’ reach to connected TV (CTV) streaming devices. This allows advertisers to create more impactful campaigns, while Synamedia Iris’ pre-integrated ad stack delivers cost and operational efficiencies.

With the unified management of campaigns, Synamedia Iris gives advertisers and media buyers complete control of their advertising across all screens and services. They can optimise campaign performance on-the-fly by adjusting priorities to better meet business goals while consistent measurement informs forecasting. As well as targeting based on audience segment data, Synamedia Iris now makes it possible to reach specific channels, apps, services, viewer devices, locations, times, or contextually, based on the viewing content metadata.

Synamedia Iris’ SaaS-based, modular design gives customers the flexibility to quickly add features as their needs evolve. This includes extending unified reach to legacy devices, implementing server-side ad insertion (SSAI), or routing demand between multiple ad servers. Synamedia has also increased the breadth of APIs supported for easy integration with existing ad tech environments.

Synamedia Iris’ SSAI service, which eliminates heavy client integration and avoids ad blockers for a seamless ad experience, is now available as a standalone product. The SSAI service is highly scalable, comes with low friction integration and supports both spot and full break ad replacement.

“Synamedia Iris has already proven its value in the addressable advertising space across both broadcast TV and streaming services, delivering operational efficiencies and new monetisation opportunities,” said Scott Kewley, Vice President, Commercial Product Management at Synamedia. “Importantly, while much of today’s ad tech started on the digital side, we approached unified advertising from the broadcast perspective, building on more than a decade’s experience in addressable advertising. The result is a platform that not only meets the needs of a broad customer base but is future-proofed for the fast-changing ad market.”

According to Marija Masalskis, senior principal analyst for TV, Video and Advertising at Omdia, “When it comes to advertising, the large broadcasters are looking to work with a trusted partner who really understands their business and challenges. For this reason, ad tech specialists and digital native vendors may not be the right solution for their needs. And, as broadcast and digital converge, those technology providers with a broadcast heritage are in a strong position as linear TV is the tougher nut to crack.”

Synamedia Iris demos will be at IBC 2023 in hall 1 balcony suite 21 and at DMEXCO in hall 7 stand B-023.