• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, June 17, 2010

Madison Avenue giant WPP Group has made another strategic investment in an advanced TV industry developer, acquiring a stake in Ace Metrix, which provides real-time analytics of TV advertising buys. The investment, which was made by WPP Digital, the unit that oversees the agency holding company's digital media holdings, includes an agreement to work with WPP operations including research unit Kantar, which will help market syndicated versions of Ace Metrix's products to clients of WPP's companies and to develop new tools and approaches for measuring the effectiveness of TV advertising buys.

"This partnership continues our strategy of combining third-party data sets with our own for the maximum benefit of clients," stated Mark Read, CEO of WPP Digital.

The deal follows other recent strategic investments by WPP to get a leg up on the advanced TV advertising marketplace, including a position in addressable TV advertising developer Invidi Technologies.

Ace Metrix, launched in June 2009, has developed software that measures the effectiveness of TV advertising creative.

As part of the agreement, Mary Ann Packo, CEO of WPP's Millward Brown North America unit, will join the Ace Metrix board of directors.