Verizon Media to Become Only DSP Using Vizio’s Inscape Viewing Data

By Jon Lafayette
( Broadcasting & Cable )
last updated

Verizon will also monetize some Vizio ads

Mike O'Donnell Vizio Inscape
Mike O'Donnell (Image credit: Vizio)

Verizon Media and Vizio announced a data and inventory agreement that will make Verizon Media the exclusive DSP user of smart TV viewing data from Vizio’s Inscape unit starting in 2022. 

Verizon Media

(Image credit: Verizon)

The Trade Desk currently uses Inscape data to target and optimize connected TV ad campaigns. Both DSPs will use the data until Verizon Media’s exclusivity kicks in next year.

“Vizio has built a CTV advertising ecosystem centered around premium partnerships and our direct-to-device offering,” said Mike O’Donnell, chief revenue officer, Platform Plus at Vizio. “Our relationship with Verizon Media will enable us to expand our reach, bridge the gap between TV and mobile, and create more impactful and actionable premium advertising experiences across platforms.”

The deal enhances Vizio’s ad retargeting product, Household Connect. Through Verizon Media’s ad platform, Vizio can offer audience extension campaigns to advertisers that are fueled by Verizon Media’s unique omnichannel marketplace and diverse cross-device Identity Graph, matched with near real-time Inscape ACR data.

Vizio, sells ads to viewers on its smart TV platform, remains the exclusive seller of its guaranteed inventory and data licensing. The new agreement now also makes Verizon Media Vizo’s preferred supply-side platform for programmatic ad monetization.

“The evolving TV landscape creates unique opportunities and challenges for our customers. To meet and exceed the needs for growth in this area, we continue to strengthen our unified ad stack, which is an end-to-end, integrated ecosystem that delivers sustainable Identity, access to premium inventory and data, and the tools that drive performance and efficiency,” said Iván Markman, chief business officer, Verizon Media.

“This partnership with Vizio illustrates the deep and meaningful integrations we can forge, and reflects our commitment to leading in the CTV space. Together, we’re empowering our advertisers with exclusive data from the industry’s top hardware and software provider, and strengthening our solutions for publishers,” Markman said.

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.