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.