FreeWheel, AMC Networks Launch New Linear Addressable Ad Capabilities

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NEW YORK—FreeWheel has teamed up with AMC Networks to introduce a new, fully self-service linear addressable solution. 

The launch is notable because it will help programmers monetize previously hard-to-access inventory for monetization purposes and streamline the management for multi-screen campaigns.

It also illustrates the growing importance of addressable advertising. 

According to research from Go Addressable, an industry initiative to advance the adoption and scale of addressable advertising, nearly 90% of advertisers agree that addressable is important to the future of TV advertising, and one in three addressable TV advertisers plan to increase their spending this year.

After successful addressable advertising trial campaigns in late 2020 and 2021, AMC is offering three national addressable slots in every hour of original programming on AMC and WE tv, with Amazon on board as the first advertising partner to take advantage of the opportunity to more effectively reach consumers with relevant advertising through this enhanced level of targeting.

“As we are demonstrating with our own inventory every day, addressable advertising has arrived, and now the next step is making it even more widely available and easier to buy,” said Evan Adlman, senior vice president of advanced advertising and digital partnerships for AMC Networks. “We are thrilled FreeWheel agreed to partner with us to expand access to this superior approach to television advertising, unlocking inventory that allows businesses to deliver more relevant and targeted messages to viewers across the country.”

FreeWheel is currently working with Canoe, an industry joint venture formed by Charter, Comcast and Cox, to introduce this new solution with AMC Networks. Moving forward, it will be available through other programmers later this year.

With this new offering, advertisers can now:

  • Make real-time decisioning and optimization decisions across previously siloed supply to improve audience reach and monetization.
  • Utilize a self-service solution to give programmers control of their inventory.
  • Use an automated schedule ingest to identify addressable supply and capture relevant business rules (e.g., industry categories, SASO), thereby reducing the need to identify spots in multiple systems.

“We’re approaching an inflection point in addressable advertising. Interest and spend in this sector is growing, and until now, programmers have been constrained by a lack of scale,” said Mark McKee, general manager, FreeWheel. “At FreeWheel, our purpose is to better connect buyers and sellers with solutions that make TV advertising more efficient, and we believe this new solution will go a long way in achieving that goal for linear addressable and the industry.”

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.