Deutsche Telekom this morning announced that MagentaTV, the German telco’s TV offering, will enable addressable advertising from mid-2024. Addressable ads will be traded programmatically through Equativ, a French ad tech firm which owns an ad server, supply-side platform (SSP) and demand-side platform (DSP).
The telco recently revamped MagentaTV, which offers live TV and on-demand content, including free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels. The platform carries a range of different broadcaster content, and the partnership with Equativ allows major TV broadcasters to market their own inventory programmatically on MagentaTV.
The T-Mobile owner also called advertising a key focus for growth in Germany, which has one of the most mature addressable TV markets in Europe. German broadcasters ProSiebenSat.1 and RTL Deutschland have invested heavily in addressable TV in the region, and are among the groups who will be able to target their ads on MagentaTV through the new partnership.
Server-side ad insertion (SSAI) will be carried out by Nowtilus, Equativ’s SSAI platform, enabling audience-based replacement of TV ads on MagentaTV. Nowtilus’ Serverside.ai solution handles ad insertion on the server, stitching personalised ads and streaming content into a single stream.
Investing in addressable TV
The partners said the new initiative allows the broadcasters to monetise inventory across linear and FAST channels, as well as live sports. Deutsche Telekom is planning to add more FAST channels to Magenta TV, further leveraging its new advertising partnership. Equativ will also provide ad serving capabilities on MagentaSport, the telco’s sports subscription service.
Deutsche Telekom’s corporate venture unit, T.Capital, is also working with Equativ’s majority shareholder, the private equity firm Bridgepoint, to organise strategic investment in the ad tech firm. The telco said the investment demonstrates its commitment to Equativ’s solutions.
“Addressable TV is a growth driver for MagentaTV outside our core business,” said Dr. Jörg Richartz, VP Sales & Marketing TV at Deutsche Telekom. “Through our Magenta Ad Solutions, we will enable major broadcaster groups, such as RTL Deutschland and P7S1, to target their advertising customers’ TV spots on MagentaTV in such a way that they reach their target groups in the best possible way.”
“We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Deutsche Telekom and MagentaTV, revolutionising programmatic TV advertising in Europe, especially in Germany,” added Equativ CEO Arnaud Créput. “Leveraging our full CTV suite, we empower major TV broadcasters to market their inventory programmatically on MagentaTV. Committed to further innovation, this partnership opens up exciting opportunities for enhancing market-leading advertising and customer engagement products, to better support Deutsche Telekom as an advertiser through curated programmatic direct buying solutions.”
