Key Points
- Index Exchange and Gracenote have launched show-level transparency for programmatic streaming ads without requiring audience segment activation.
- The capability uses Gracenote’s content ID graph to deliver program-level reporting and impression verification.
- Spectrum Reach is among the first adopters, offering enriched, privacy-focused streaming inventory to advertisers.
Index Exchange and Nielsen’s metadata business Gracenote have announecd a new capability that enables show-level transparency for programmatic ad buyers in a way that doesn’t require campaigns to activate against Gracenote’s audience segments.
The new functionality builds on a collaboration the companies announced last September that introduced what they described as the industry’s first supply-side platform integration of Gracenote IDs. With the latest enhancement, Index Exchange said it is currently the only SSP offering show-level reporting powered directly by Gracenote’s content ID graph, which is built on TMS IDs, the persistent program identifiers widely used across the media industry.
The new capability was announced during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which is taking place in Las Vegas this week.
Charter’s advertising business Spectrum Reach is among the first media owners to adopt the capability. Through the integration, Spectrum Reach is bringing streaming inventory to market with enriched contextual signals and program-level reporting while avoiding the use of viewer-level data. Index will also provide buyers with a count of show-level impressions, allowing advertisers to verify delivery across Spectrum Reach streaming inventory transacted through the platform.
“Marketers want deeper transparency and more actionable signals in streaming TV, and we are focused on making these capabilities simple to access through programmatic,” said James Wilhite, the Vice President of Product at Index Exchange. “Offering Gracenote-powered show-level reporting today underscores our commitment to advancing measurement and bringing meaningful innovation to both buyers and publishers.”
For advertisers, the capability is positioned as a way to gain clearer visibility into where ads ran and how they performed across streaming environments. Program-level reporting enables marketers to assess adjacency, confirm brand suitability and inform planning and optimization decisions without adding operational complexity or relying on segment-based activation. The reporting can also be used to identify content types and programming themes that deliver stronger results, shaping future buying strategies even when Gracenote segments are not used.
For media owners, the integration offers a privacy-focused approach to introducing contextual data into programmatic marketplaces. By using Gracenote metadata, publishers can differentiate their streaming inventory and increase transparency for buyers while maintaining control over how and when program-level information is shared.
“Gracenote and Index are working together to make content-based data more interoperable and practical for modern ad buying,” said Gracenote Vice President of Partnerships Jake Richardson. “Our content ID graph helps unlock a clearer view of program-level performance, and this new capability with Index supports stronger outcomes for both sides of the ecosystem.”
Spectrum Reach executives said the integration aligns with advertiser demand for improved transparency without compromising consumer privacy.
“The combination of transparency and high-quality, privacy-focused data are the foundation of smart media investments and help drive better decisions,” said Daniel Callahan, the Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer at Spectrum Reach. “Working with Index Exchange and Gracenote helps us provide advertisers with even more enriched streaming inventory in a way that benefits both advertisers and viewers.”
The companies said the collaboration reflects a broader effort to advance a more transparent, contextually aligned and measurement-ready advertising environment for streaming TV.
