Channel 4, ITV, Sky, and Comcast Advertising have joined forces to create a new advertising solution enabling small to medium sized businesses to advertise on streaming and on-demand platforms.
In addition to their own outlets, Channel 4, ITV and Sky’s advertising businesses also sell advertising opportunities on third-party channels and streaming platforms.
The new initiative will bring together addressable inventory from all three sales houses into a single marketplace, offering new-to-TV advertisers “a direct, simple way to access premium video content”.
Set to launch in 2026, the service is aimed at businesses which are already used to buying their own media in social and digital environments and will be powered by Comcast’s Universal Ads platform and FreeWheel’s technology.
The broadcasters are also exploring the potential creation of a joint solution based on ITV’s Planet V technology intended to simplify the purchase of addressable inventory for media agencies.
Priya Dogra, Chief Advertising, Group Data and New Revenue Officer, Sky, said: “In today’s fast-evolving media landscape, we strongly believe success will require collaboration, simplification, and innovation.
“In partnership with ITV and Channel 4, and following the successful US launch of Comcast’s Universal Ads platform, we are excited to bring this to the UK and with it, the opportunity to open up TV advertising to new brands.
“Building on this innovation, we also want to simplify TV trading for established brands and agencies and look forward to exploring potential opportunities with ITV and Channel 4 to use Planet V.”
Kelly Williams, Managing Director, Commercial, ITV said: “As a TV industry, it is important that we collaborate to make television easy to plan, buy and measure for our established customers as well as the huge potential of new to TV brands.
“Both of these initiatives, this new marketplace for SME’s and Planet V for agencies, represent a very exciting future.”
Rak Patel, Chief Commercial Officer at Channel 4, said: “This marketplace underlines what sets TV apart from all other media: its ability to collaborate at scale.
“By uniting the power of Channel 4, ITV and Sky through a single marketplace, we’re creating a new home for premium video while accelerating our Fast Forward strategy to become the first public service streamer.”
Thomas Bremond, Managing Director, Comcast Advertising, International, commented: “We are excited to work with the UK’s premier broadcasters to offer advertisers a simplified way to access premium video, powered by Comcast’s Universal Ads platform.
“The collaborations across ITV, Channel 4 and Sky showcases the industry’s commitment to bringing together tech, media and data to offer greater efficiency and effectiveness to TV advertising.”