Fast-moving ad tech company Madhive has signed on TV audience analytics and insights company Samba TV as its preferred partner for automatic content recognition-based (ACR) audience targeting.
New York-based Madhive, which is seeking to become an end-to-end connected TV (CTV) advertising platform for local businesses, said the partnership will allow its broadcaster, advertiser and agency clients to target audiences based on TV viewing behavior and ad exposure.
“Samba TV is at the forefront of TV viewership data intelligence and this expanded partnership is already helping clients streamline activation and optimize marketing dollars against both top and bottom-of-funnel outcomes,” said Madhive SVP of Business Development Luc Dumont, in a statement.
Using means of opt-in data collection from myriad smart TV brands consisting of 38 million TV devices in the U.S., Samba TV is able to track TV usage across 111 million U.S. households. Madhive said that already, several of its clients have launched media activation tests against audience segments culled via Samba TV’s ACR tech. That includes media activation tests launched in early 2024 by advertisers against audience segments, in partnership with Hearst Television.
“Connected TV is a massive growth area. Being able to understand and help our clients target their ideal consumers across platforms is a critical component to driving optimal business decisions,” said Hearst VP of Digital Sales Jonathan Sumber, in a statement. “The partnership between Madhive and Samba can supercharge media buyers’ ability to reach the right audience at the right time on CTV.”
Madhive said the Samba TV integration will soon provide its clients with more than 1,000 standard audience segments. The data will help these clients target viewers who watched specific content on linear TV. Madhive cited this example: A regional furniture chain can target viewers of programs like the HGTV series “Fixer Upper.”
Madhive said its clients can create audience profiles based on behavior and content exposure, so a national vitamin brand can find viewers of health & fitness shows.
The partnership, the ad-tech company added, will help clients discover incremental audiences that haven’t even seen an ad yet, “so a political candidate can expand to new audiences with refreshed creatives,” for example.
Also, Samba TV will aid Madhive clients in reaching viewers who have seen a competitor’s ad.
“Our partnership with Madhive is a step forward for advertisers looking to reach granular CTV audiences at scale,” said Samba TV Chief Commercial Officer Aden Zaman, also in a statement. “By combining our incomparable reach with Madhive’s platform, advertisers can effectively locate and engage these diverse audiences, optimizing their ad spend across all screens.”
Notably, last month, Comcast’s FreeWheel ad tech unit announced that it, too, was integrating ACR-based data from Samba TV to help it better target viewers across TV viewing platforms, ahead of November’s U.S. elections.
Madhive has been making moves, too.
Announcement of the Samba TV partnership comes after private equity firm Goldman Sachs Alternatives made a $300 million investment in Madhive in June 2023.
In June of this year, Madhive acquired Frequence, an ad sales and workflow software and services provider for local media companies.
Article updated to add quote from Hearst's Jonathan Sumber.