A new platform designed for connected TV (CTV) and free
ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) environments now can support bid requests in real-time across more than 140 billion monthly CTV impressions. The ad-tech platform is being integrated with Yahoo
DSP, StackAdapt, and Viant.
Wurl, a cloud technology company owned by AppLovin, introduced the “Content Intelligence Platform” in September to provide CTV services that allow
publishers, streamers and advertisers to manage video distribution, monetization, and contextual advertising.
The technology can collect and process raw content and data using artificial
intelligence (AI), machine learning, and analytics, which is key.
“The interoperable infrastructure that underpins each of those things may bfe one of the most intelligent parts about
it,” Ria Madrid, vice president of global advertising at Wurl, told MediaPost.
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Madrid added that the company has a “privileged POV” because it “knows what’s on
screen right before an ad break.”
Looking at specific types of businesses that benefit from hyper-granular targeting, Wurl's technology may perform best in industries with high emotional
context and strict brand-safety requirements.
The company's technology scans live video scenes in real-time to match ads with the precise mood onscreen. It offers significant advantages in
three specific sectors: automotive, consumer packaged goods (CPG) and entertainment.
Madrid believes having the access to see what is on the screen allows Wurl to analyze content and signals
in order to improve bidstreams in real-time.
Coordinating billions of hours of streaming viewership monthly generates a high volume of data and insights that Wurl can leverage to optimize ad
delivery and the viewer experience.
There is a direct connection between streaming content intelligence and programmatic demand to see new opportunities for how CTV inventory is understood,
targeted, and activated.
DSPs have invested in contextual data integrations, but the value of those capabilities depends on having enough signals to activate them. Fragmented data can derail
campaigns.
Wurl brought its own scene-level contextual technology and during the past year, expanded on it to build an ecosystem of data partners that bring more signals into the mix.
Wurl has worked with existing partners including Viant’s IRIS.TV for years, and has now brought in KERV’s capabilities around object-level recognition and precise ad-break targeting and
Peer39’s verified pre-bid contextual, suitability, fraud and media-quality signals.
Rather than DSPs having to manage massive and unpredictable spikes in data and viewers without
crashing or slowing across a fragmented set of integrations and inventory sources, Wurl can manage the cycle by consolidating sources of premium CTV inventory with a range of data signals.
When an ad request is sent from a publisher, Wurl can add information about the content leading up to the ad break directly into the request before it goes into auction.
Beyond the buyer
knowing that an ad slot is available, they are able to a achieve a deeper understanding of the content that led up to the moment where their ad would be served. Before bidding, they can gain an
understanding of the genre, sentiment, suitability, and other contextual characteristics.
The DSP can access the CTV inventory through one integration with Wurl without adding additional
supply-chain “hops,” and can extend their contextual targeting capabilities across more than 70% of the ad-supported streaming ecosystem.
While the platform launched this month,
Wurl has been testing what Madrid calls the “value of richer content signals in CTV” for some time.
For example, Wurl's research with TVision found that aligning ads with the
emotional context of a scene drove a 2.4x increase in attention.
It also has seen the value of more granular contextual targeting in real-world campaigns with brands and agencies, including
agencies PMG and Monks.