DirecTV Advertising has introduced a groundbreaking initiative to integrate its linear satellite inventory into the programmatic advertising ecosystem. Leveraging its proprietary ad tech stack, DirecTV Axis, this move aims to provide advertisers with greater flexibility and access to untapped audiences across both satellite and streaming platforms. The company is currently collaborating with select partners and plans broader availability soon. Additionally, DirecTV has launched MyFree DirecTV, a free TV service that enhances its streaming footprint and offers more opportunities for digital buyers.
Empowering Advertisers with Flexible Solutions
The integration of programmatic capabilities into DirecTV's linear satellite inventory marks a significant shift in the media landscape. By enabling satellite households to be accessed programmatically, marketers gain seamless solutions for reaching premium TV inventory. This approach provides increased scale and access to previously untapped audiences, enhancing the overall effectiveness of advertising campaigns. Amy Leifer, Chief Advertising Sales Officer at DirecTV Advertising, emphasizes the importance of this transition in meeting the evolving needs of buyers who seek greater flexibility.
In today’s dynamic media environment, advertisers require adaptable strategies to engage with diverse audiences. DirecTV's new programmatic capabilities offer precisely this, allowing marketers to tap into a wider range of viewers through automated and streamlined processes. Tyler Kelly from Basis Technologies highlights how this access to brand-safe, premium content via programmatic methods creates unique opportunities for reaching incremental audiences. The collaboration between DirecTV Advertising and partners like Publicis Media Exchange (PMX), Magnite, and Basis Technologies showcases a commitment to delivering innovative and effective advertising solutions.
Enhancing Transparency and Brand Safety
Beyond flexibility, DirecTV Advertising is focusing on improving transparency and brand safety for today’s buyers. By incorporating universal IDs and content metadata, the company aims to boost relevancy and ensure that brands can manage their audiences with greater precision. This granular control allows advertisers to gain deeper insights into the content they are running within, ultimately leading to more impactful campaigns. Sean Buckley from Magnite underscores the significance of these advancements in bridging the gap between linear and streaming platforms, creating a unified workflow for buyers.
Control and transparency are paramount for programmatic buyers, especially in contexts like live sports, where rich contextual signals can enhance the connection between brands and content. DirecTV Advertising's efforts to enable more signals within their content have generated new opportunities for advertisers. For instance, clients can now leverage detailed contextual data to get closer to the action, thereby enhancing the overall transparency of their campaigns. Moreover, the launch of MyFree DirecTV in November 2024 further expands DirecTV's reach by offering a free TV experience that complements its existing connected devices and linear satellite footprint. This expansion effectively doubles DirecTV's streaming footprint, providing more scale and opportunities for digital buyers to engage with a broader audience.