Wurl has launched a new advertising technology platform that allows marketers to target commercials across connected television (CTV) services based on the programming viewers are watching.
The offering, called Content Intelligence Platform, connects information about streaming content with demand-side platforms (DSPs), which advertisers use to purchase commercial inventory through automated marketplaces. Yahoo DSP, StackAdapt and Viant are among the advertising buying platforms integrating the new technology.
The platform provides access to more than 140 billion monthly advertising impressions across more than 70 percent of the ad-supported streaming television ecosystem, Wurl said. The company operates infrastructure supporting free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels, giving it access to information about programming and available advertising opportunities. Its new platform uses that information to help advertisers identify programming that matches their campaign objectives before purchasing commercial inventory.
The launch addresses an ongoing problem in streaming advertising: Buyers often lack detailed information about the programming associated with available commercial inventory. In a recent survey, Wurl found that 79 percent of industry respondents believe problems involving data quality, fragmented inventory and compatibility between advertising systems are limiting the effectiveness of streaming television campaigns.
“Advanced contextual targeting already exists. What’s been missing in CTV is the footprint to make it truly impactful,” Ria Madrid, the Vice President of Global Advertising at Wurl, said in a statement. “By bringing richer signals to significantly more streaming inventory, we’re giving DSPs the ability to get more from the investments they’ve already made, while helping advertisers reach highly engaged audiences in the moments where their messaging can have the greatest impact.”
The platform builds on Wurl’s existing scene-level contextual targeting technology, which allows advertisers to select commercial placements based on the content of individual programming segments: Wurl has expanded those capabilities through partnerships with advertising technology companies KERV, Peer39 and Viant’s IRIS.TV.
KERV provides technology that can identify objects appearing in programming and support more precise advertising placement. Peer39 contributes information about programming context, brand suitability, advertising fraud and media quality. IRIS.TV provides additional scene-level targeting capabilities through Wurl’s existing relationship with Viant.
The combined technologies allow advertisers to target inventory based on programming characteristics and specific viewing moments rather than relying exclusively on conventional audience demographics. Wurl said its direct OpenRTB integration allows participating DSPs to receive enriched advertising requests without requiring an additional intermediary.
“CTV buyers are looking for greater transparency into where their ads appear and more precise ways to align their brands with the content and moments that matter,” Greg Joseph, the Vice President of Inventory Development at StackAdapt, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Our work with Wurl brings enhanced contextual signals into our platform, giving buyers a richer understanding of the content surrounding each impression and more opportunities to activate against relevant contextual moments. That combination helps brands reach highly engaged audiences while creating ad experiences that feel relevant to the viewer and reflect positively on the brand.”
Wurl is a subsidiary of AppLovin.
