Advertising technology provider Equativ has made a strategic investment in Nowtilus, a developer of digital video personalisation solutions.
The move by the company is the latest in a series of strategic acquisitions and partnerships accelerating Equativ’s growth in the connected TV (CTV) space alongside its Smart Adserver, DynAdmic and LiquidM solutions.
The integration of Nowtilus’ core Server-side ad insertion (SSAI) functionality into Equativ’s programmatic video ad tech stack will provide broadcasters and operators with live video advertising insertion capabilities. Video rights owners, distributors, and aggregators will also have the capability to manage revenue from direct sales with the power of reaching programmatic buyers.
Nowtilus will continue to operate independently, with its Serverside.ai brand remaining unchanged to provide a standalone SSAI solution for OTT, HbbTV and audio, for example dynamic ad substitution via HbbTV.
“The strategic investment in Nowtilus is the natural next step in Equativ’s advanced TV journey, allowing us to accelerate our vertical integration by internalising relevant TV tech expertise and resources,” said Arnaud Créput, CEO at Equativ. “Nowtilus is the perfect match as it allows us to provide our clients with a completely interoperable and agnostic advanced TV and video solution that innovates with new format capabilities such as audio. Together we will provide greater control for the seller, limit ad leakage and optimise outcomes for the buyers.”
Patrick Knippel, Managing Director and Co-Founder at Nowtilus, added: “This partnership will provide our customers with a whole new level of sophisticated video monetisation, as Equativ and Nowtilus enable the holistic end-to-end advertising supply chain.”
“We’re all thrilled to be joining the Equativ family,” said Leander Carell, Managing Director and Co-Founder at Nowtilus. “As a fervent supporter of the Open Web, Equativ also advocates for the wider adoption of stronger standards in terms of data sharing, competition management, transparency, interoperability, and openness.”