• Comcast, Charter and Cox form addressable ad alliance
  • Part of efforts to counter threat of online platforms
  • Comcast exec: Without addressability we’re going to fall short

comcast credit Sundry Photography

Comcast: “Unless addressability is achieved at scale, we’re going to fall short.”

Source: Sundry Photography/Shutterstock

Comcast is to partner with fellow US cable TV providers Charter Communications and Cox Media to develop an addressable ad offering.

Branded ‘On Addressability’, the programme will develop standards for addressable advertising, which delivers targeted ads to viewers.

Comcast, Charter and Cox will share their experiences of addressable advertising including ways in which they will be able to ensure customer data is used in ways that comply with privacy standards, reported Reuters.

Comcast Cable president of advertising Marcien Jenckes said: “TV is often looked at as the lowest common denominator medium (in advertising), and unless addressability is achieved at scale, we’re going to fall short.”

The move is part of broader efforts to encourage advertisers to spend with broadcasters rather than online platforms such as Facebook and Google, which are able to serve highly personalised ads to users.

In April, UK broadcaster ITV confirmed its plans to launch an addressable ad platform when it announced it had signed a deal with ad tech company Amobee for the programmatic buying and selling of ad inventory on its ITV Hub OTT platform.

Broadcasters’ efforts to counter the threat from Facebook and Google have also included forming alliances to sell ad packages across multiple countries

The European Broadcaster Exchange (EBX), which includes Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1, TF1 of France, Mediaset covering both Italy and Spain and Channel 4 from the UK, wants to encourage major international advertisers not to overlook traditional media operators in favour of the large online platforms.

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