RTL Group’s adtech development unit Smartclip has launched a fully programmatic linear TV ad break replacement solution, which would give European broadcasters the ability to target audiences across the continent.
The feature, the company said, can replace the full ad break or single spots in linear, where the European-wide Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV industry standard is active.
Through programmatic ad break booking, individual spots can be placed into any position within the linear ad break digitally. The tool enables one or multiple spots within an ad break to be replaced, as well as the deliver a “pre-roll-like format” into a linear TV programme.
The first ad deliveries were launched through an exclusive partnership with D-force and Active Agent in the German market, while the programmatic linear TV ad break replacement is planned to be rolled out to other European markets later in the year. The company did not confirm the timetable for the rollout.
Thomas Servatius, Smartclip’s CEO, said the ability to replace the linear TV ad break with programmatic tech “will transform how linear TV ads are bought and sold”.
He explained: “TV advertising has adapted to digitisation and increasing competition for viewers’ attention across devices and platforms. While we have made significant progress in Connected TV advertising and Addressable TV solutions with regards to special placements within broadcast TV, the traditional ad break was largely untouched.
“Digitising this last frontier of TV advertising, while broadcasters retain control over their ad inventory and usage data, opens up new opportunities to monetise the most consumed video medium in Europe.”
The tech is based on the Smartx ad server— Smartclip’s full-stack ad serving and supply-side platform — and follows IAB guidelines to provide open access standards for demand-side platforms.
In its Addressable TV Advertising Whitepaper published last year, Smartclip said that the technology is gaining momentum across Europe, yet remains an under-utilised strategy for advertisers.
