TV industry adopts single ad buying platform

9Galaxy will become the technology underpinning a common demand-side buying platform (DSP) for the television industry after Australian broadcasters joined forces to agree to a unified platform for media buying.

The Nine platform-based solution will be complemented by campaign optimisation software from Day8 and is expected to be operational by mid-2021. The DSP will provide agencies with a single interface to buy television across platforms and broadcasters in the Australian market, a move the industry is claiming is a world first.

The platform will simplify the process for buying linear TV, live streaming and broadcaster video advertising on-demand (BVOD). It will allow advertisers to optimise reach across platforms and inventory through a combination of data and operational excellence, with the VOZ database the driving force of the initiative.

VOZ is a measurement database which combines audience metrics platforms OzTAM, RegTAM and Nielsen data to quantify audiences across linear television and BVOD, and is scheduled to launch in early 2020.
Utilising the VOZ database, the DSP will enable advertisers to buy linear television and BVOD against audience segments such as new car buyers or home loan intenders as well as age and sex demographics, according to TV advertising and marketing research outfit, ThinkTV.

ThinkTV CEO, Kim Portrate, said the agreement to adopt a common platform is a significant moment. 

“The collaboration of broadcasters to select the technology to allow for a single platform to purchase TV speaks to the power of the TV business. The incredible impact of this move will be felt for years to come," she stated.

Media Federation of Australia chairman, Peter Horgan, also applauded the decision. “The combination of a unified purchasing platform and a cross-screen audience currency will enhance how we plan, buy and measure across video and television,” he said.

The next step is the creation of an independent body to oversee the DSP. The timeline to launch begins with a period of analysis, followed by design, build, test and implementation.

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