AT&T, Dish And WPP Group Take Joint Ownership Of Invidi

Striking an unusual three-way deal, AT&T, Dish Network and WPP Group have announced plans to acquire ad-technology company Invidi Technologies.

Invidi, which provides media companies with addressable TV advertising platforms, will continue operating independently under the three companies’ ownership.

Each company will have representatives on the company’s board of directors. AT&T will hold a controlling interest, adding that “AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.”

Financial terms of the new deal were not disclosed.

Since 2007, WPP Group has had a minority stake in Invidi. Irwin Gotlieb, global chairman of WPP’s GroupM, has been on the company’s board of directors.

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Invidi already has major distribution in the U.S. -- including platforms operated by AT&T (including DirecTV), Dish Network and other pay TV companies. Addressable TV ads delivered via Invidi’s technology targets matched to “thousands of demographic or psychographic attributes.”

In a statement, Dave Downey, CEO of Invidi, said: “Maintaining our independence and deepening our existing relationships with AT&T, Dish and WPP is a big move for our company and our people.”

AT&T AdWorks manages advertising inventory across national advertising-supported cable networks, as well as live, linear addressable advertising to more than 14 million homes as well as managing data from more than 35 million set-top boxes.

AT&T's current annualized advertising revenues are $1.5 billion.

Dish Media Sales has addressable advertising on about 100 networks to more than 8 million U.S. homes through Dish Network and Sling TV platforms.

1 comment about "AT&T, Dish And WPP Group Take Joint Ownership Of Invidi".
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  1. Darrin Stephens from McMann & Tate, November 22, 2016 at 9:40 a.m.

    WPP's partial ownership of Invidi was a conflict of interest writ small and is now writ large. Clients, watch your wallets.

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