Channel 4 is to invest in the European Broadcaster Exchange, the digital sales venture established earlier this year by ProSiebenSat.1, TF1 and Mediaset Italy and Spain.
The UK broadcaster will be an equal partner in the venture that aims at running pan-European video campaigns at scale. It’s a bid to ensure that TV gets a slice of the online advertising market largely occupied by Facebook and Google.
Media agencies and advertisers will be able to buy multi-territory video campaigns within the ‘safe’ environments of well-known TV brands.
ProSiebenSat.1, TF1 and Mediaset involvement in the JV has already been approved by the European competition authorities and cleared by antitrust. Channel 4 joining will be subject to similar European competition and antitrust approvals.
Jonathan Lewis, Head of Digital & Partnership Innovation at Channel 4 said: “The demand for multi-territory digital ad campaigns in brand safe and transparent environments is increasing as the programmatic video ad market continues to grow exponentially across Europe. Our investment allows Channel 4 to cater for this demand exclusively in the UK market and forge closer strategic and commercially successful partnerships with key broadcasters in European markets which will in turn generate new digital revenues for Channel 4 to reinvest back into the UK creative sector.”
A CEO and dedicated sales team based in London will drive the build of the automated trading platform, with the aim of the company being fully operational early in 2018.
