Xumo Taps The Trade Desk to Expand Direct Access to Premium Streaming Inventory

Xumo
(Image credit: Xumo)

NEW YORK—Xumo, the streaming joint venture between Comcast and Charter Communications, has announced that it is working with The Trade Desk to provide a new way for advertisers to access Xumo’s premium streaming inventory through The Trade Desk's OpenPath.

“Direct paths to supply matter more than ever as buyers seek efficiency, transparency and certainty,” said Jerrold Son, vice president, advertising revenue operations, Xumo. “By integrating OpenPath and UID2, we’re reducing the friction that can weigh down performance from the ad stack and giving advertisers a clearer, more efficient route to viewers across Xumo’s fast-growing ecosystem.”

The new access enables advertisers and their agencies to seamlessly connect with Xumo’s ecosystem, which reaches more than 60 million monthly active users across streaming devices, smart TVs, and ad-supported streaming channels. Further, OpenPath helps reduce layers in the ad tech stack and supports identity-aware buying across CTV.

The announcement also builds on Xumo’s recently introduced advanced identity solution, which incorporates Unified ID 2.0 (UID2). Initially developed by The Trade Desk, UID2 is an open-source framework using a hashed and salted identifier across devices and media ecosystems to help create a consistent advertising experience. Enabling this infrastructure allows Xumo’s advanced identity solution to establish even more deterministic targeting across CTV.

Together, these efforts reflect Xumo’s broader strategy to simplify supply routes and maximize the value of every dollar through more seamless connections to the buyside tools advertisers rely on to access premium streaming inventory.

“Connected TV represents some of the best digital media inventory available, yet the majority of the media buys remain locked in transactional and linear methods,” said Will Doherty, senior vice president of inventory partnerships, The Trade Desk. “Xumo’s use of OpenPath demonstrates that programmatic opportunity in CTV will continue to grow, and by connecting through FreeWheel, we expect the tide to rise for everyone in CTV – advertisers, publishers, and consumers.”

As the CTV marketplace evolves, Xumo is focused on providing advertisers simpler, more accountable ways to reach streaming audiences at scale. The inventory access through OpenPath represents another step toward a more efficient and transparent buying experience, designed to help advertisers maximize performance while supporting a healthy premium streaming ecosystem.

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.