Dish Media Expands Programmatic Ad Capabilities with Dish Connected Launch

Dish Connected
(Image credit: Dish Connected)

NEW YORK—In a notable expansion of its programmatic advertising capabilities, Dish Media has launched Dish Connected, a new advertising solution that for the first time allows Dish TV's live linear inventory to be programmatically executed. 

The new Dish Connected solution blends CTV and linear addressable TV advertising by allowing advertisers to complement their CTV buys on Sling TV with access to premium Dish TV inventory. 

"Marketing dollars continue to shift more towards the most effective and efficient solutions that allow for optimal targeting and full campaign measurement," said Kevin Arrix, senior vice president of Dish Media. "Dish Connected is the latest example of how technology can resolve traditional TV's inefficiencies and puts Dish Media at the forefront in driving more accountable, impression-based buying." 

With the launch advertisers are now able to programmatically transact on premium Dish set-top box inventory through private auctions set up with demand-side platforms (DSP) like The Trade Desk and Yahoo DSP, as well as the sell-side platform (SSP) Magnite, Dish reported. 

As viewers watch content on their Dish internet-connected set-top boxes, advertisers can bid on and deliver advertisements to them in real-time. This allows advertisers to extend their reach to an expanded footprint and to make a single buy programmatically across both Sling and Dish inventory.

CTV ad spend continues to surge and with this new effort Dish Media combines CTV and linear advertising accessibility, delivering new inventory, expanded reach, and added scale to advertisers like Horizon Media, Havas Media, Stagwell and Camelot Strategic Marketing & Media, Dish said. 

"We continue to place a strong emphasis on programmatic advertising, recognizing it as a powerful tool for delivering targeted and effective ad campaigns," said Alexander Stone, senior vice president of advanced video and agency partnerships, Horizon Media. "Having invested heavily in programmatic buying across premium CTV inventory, we're excited to take advantage of this new offering from Dish Media. Dish Connected allows us to open up a larger inventory pool for our clients, making the buying experience more accessible than before."

Accessing programmatic ad inventory is easy and familiar for digital buyers. Dish Connected™ introduces a new set of impressions to the market, giving advertisers a new opportunity to capture premium live inventory with programmatic efficiency.

Matt McLeggon, senior vice president, advanced solutions at Magnite also praised the launch: "Magnite has long worked closely with streaming platforms, like Sling TV, to provide the industry with a single touchpoint for execution across the entirety of the premium ecosystem. The addition of linear television inventory to the platform through Dish Media's breakthrough offering, Dish Connected, gives buyers the ability to reach their most valuable audiences holistically, regardless of how they consume their content. The programmatic automation of convergent television advertising will allow buyers and sellers alike to unify end-to-end campaign planning, execution, and measurement, accessible through Magnite."

"Linear media buys have historically used endemic metrics to inform their decisioning," added Verna De Jesus, vice president of CTV, The Trade Desk. "Now with Dish Media creating this innovative solution, media buyers can use today's advanced data ecosystem – including a brand's first party data – to make the most informed buy possible on linear TV. As the level of impressions scales through tools such as Dish Connected, consumers will enjoy a better ad experience that is more consistent with their streaming counterparts."

George Winslow

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.