IRIS.TV Announces New US Partnership with GroupM’s Finecast to Incorporate Video-Level Data into All Premium Video and Connected TV Ad Buys

The new agreement will provide contextual and brand-safe targeting for all Finecast US clients through IRIS-enabled™ supply partners

Los Angeles – November 19, 2021 -- IRIS.TV, the leading video data platform, and Finecast US, a leading addressable TV provider, today announced that they have entered into a partnership to make IRIS-enabled contextual targeting, and brand safety tools available directly to Finecast’s local market clients. The new partnership will make it possible to guarantee brand safety across the Advanced TV (CTV and premium streaming video) marketplace while delivering the contextual targeting that marketers demand as audience-based targeting becomes more challenging.

Digital ad spending is expected to reach $526 billion by 2024, according to a recent report from eMarketer. As advertisers continue to increase their investments in CTV and premium digital video, two of the fastest-growing segments of the market, the new partnership between IRIS.TV and Finecast US will make it possible for marketers to ensure their campaigns reach their intended audience, in a privacy-compliant way, alongside safe and suitable material. IRIS.TV’s video data platform enables video-level contextual targeting and brand-safety analysis across content providers and platforms. GroupM is committed to delivering the highest performing media investments while also ensuring safety and instilling confidence in all of their media buys.

Before IRIS.TV, contextual and brand-safety data for videos was only available by analyzing the text on a web page and was an impossibility for CTV. Now, for the first time, marketers can “think inside the video” with the transparency to confidently buy CTV and premium video inventory based on video-level contextual and brand-safety analysis and according to the specific topical nature of every video. Likewise, Finecast is the first tool to allow brands to plan, track, measure and activate across all Advanced TV at the same time. All GroupM video buys for Finecast US clients will now be IRIS-enabled, providing their advertising clients with the ability to reach contextually aligned video programming verified by IRIS.TV’s data partners - including Oracle Advertising, GumGum, Comscore, Silverbullet, Reticle, Kerv Interactive, and ZEFR. Any publisher who is IRIS-enabled can make their video library available for contextual-based buys via GroupM. As a result, marketers working with Finecast US will have unprecedented transparency and access to contextually target billions of monthly video views across web, mobile, and CTV platforms.

“We are excited to announce our new strategic partnership with GroupM to enable their brand clients to access video-level data across both CTV and online video formats to inform contextual and brand-safety targeting,” said Field Garthwaite, co-founder and CEO of IRIS.TV. “This new partnership will allow all GroupM clients to access privacy-compliant video-level data across any screen — an absolute necessity as we enter the post-cookie era and marketers seek more compliant targeting options.”

“Guaranteeing brand safety is one of Finecast’s central offerings to brands looking to activate in the Advanced TV space,” said Marissa Jimenez, President of Finecast US. “We are thrilled to be launching this new partnership with IRIS.TV, a dynamic company that matches our commitment to brand safety and security. As Finecast grows our presence in the US and enters into this new era of targeting and compliance, the addition of IRIS-enabled video-level contextual targeting and brand safety solutions will ensure we continue to provide our clients with the most innovative and highest performing solutions that we have in other markets.”

About IRIS.TV

IRIS.TV is engineering the most open video data ecosystem in the world to power meaningful connections between brands and consumers. Our video data platform provides publishers, media brands and connected tv apps with secure onboarding and activation of their video data and marketers with video-level transparency. Since 2013, we’ve enabled our partners to build scalable solutions on top of our platform including video-level contextual and brand-safe ad targeting, third-party verification, personalized video recommendations, and measurement & analytics solutions. For more information, visit www.iris.tv

About Finecast
Finecast is a leading addressable TV company which enables advertisers to precision target viewers across on-demand, linear and live streaming TV environments. Finecast gives advertisers the ability to deliver targeted ads to audiences watching TV content across multiple broadcasters, connected devices, set top boxes, over-the-top providers and game consoles – all through a single point of access.

Finecast optimises delivery across the entire addressable TV marketplace. With access to hundreds of different targeting segments, from socio-economic to life stage, purchase and financial data, advertisers can identify and reach viewers whenever and wherever they are watching. Finecast is part of GroupM, the media investment group of WPP. Find out more www.finecast.com

About GroupM

GroupM is the world's leading media investment company responsible for more than $60B in annual media investment through agencies Mindshare, MediaCom, Wavemaker, Essence and m/SIX, as well as the outcomes-driven programmatic audience company, Xaxis. GroupM's portfolio includes Data & Technology, Investment and Services, all united in vision to shape the next era of media where advertising works better for people. By leveraging all the benefits of scale, the company innovates, differentiates and generates sustained value for our clients wherever they do business.