• by Wayne Friedman , July 23, 2019

Xandr’s Community, the AT&T unit's marketplace for publishers, has added three major partners: A+E Networks, AMC Networks and Cheddar.

Community helps media buyers and sellers -- especially with the coming convergence of linear TV and digital media platforms.

The three join AT&T’s own WarnerMedia businesses, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, B/R Live, Otter Media and Warner Bros., along with non-AT&T owned media: Vice, Hearst Magazines, Newsy, Philo, Tubi, and Xumo.

Xandr, an advanced advertising unit, uses research from AT&T’s 170 million consumer relationships in communications, entertainment and businesses. It is amassed in a “privacy-protected manner,” according to the company.

In April, WarnerMedia departed as a member of OpenAP -- an industry TV network consortium originally conceived to formulate new audience segments for traditional TV networks groups -- to compete with growing digital media platforms.

Just days after that announcement, OpenAP said it would be starting a centralized premium video marketplace for publishers called OpenAP 2.0. Then in May, Xandr announced its premium video marketplace, initially to be focused on OTT, CTV, digital, and mobile -- where marketers can survey potential inventory.

In June, Xandr started Xandr Invest, a media-buying platform, offering access to connected TV and OTT inventory, as well as native advertising, audio and other availabilities. In the future, it will offer traditional linear TV access.