The coalition of leading media industry players – formed 12 months ago – has launched its five-point action plan to unlock growth, reduce fragmentation, and support the development of data-driven programmatic TV across the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
Set up in June last year, the European Programmatic TV Initiative (EPTVI) is backed by The Trade Desk, Google, OpenX, PubMatic, Equativ, Cadent, Magnite, and Adform and supported by media, tech and advertising advisory group The Project X Initiative.
The five-point plan is designed to set out clear, practical steps to fix the technical, operational, and commercial bottlenecks that still hold the market back.
It comes at a time when TV audiences are shifting rapidly to connected and on-demand environments, creating opportunities for programmatic sales and execution.
But while IAB Europe’s recent report showed growth in spend across connected TV formats, including SVOD and BVOD, the EPTVI believes adoption has been slow, when compared to some other regions.
It cites misalignments with existing TV ad sales models and regulatory requirements, uncertainties about the commercial benefits, and concerns about sovereignty, control, data and measurement.
In particular, aligning disparate sales and execution models can be challenging, making it harder to optimise delivery, measure results, and ensure satisfactory delivery against the expectations of buyers.
The move follows over a year of work from more than 100 senior stakeholders across Europe’s TV and advertising ecosystem to develop the five-point plan.
Firstly, they have agreed to establish a cross-industry steering group to align efforts across broadcasters, agencies, platforms, and trade bodies.
Next they will define and adopt a set of shared ‘North Star’ principles for quality, transparency, and interoperability in premium programmatic TV.
Thirdly, they plan to launch a certification programme for premium programmatic partners to give buyers and sellers confidence that commercial and technical standards are being met.
They will also develop a set of shared components, assets and frameworks – core components – that can support adoption of programmatic trading, reduce duplicated effort, and fix the basics that still slow campaigns down.
And, finally, they will facilitate a collaborative, open and participatory model to support shared learnings, including support for live pilots across key markets to test how things work in real conditions.
While recognising there is progress across Europe, the EPTVI believes too much of it is happening in silos, insisting this initiative is about connecting the dots and building something that scales for the benefit of all.
The roadmap outlines concrete steps to build trust, interoperability, and scale. It also calls for stronger alignment between broadcasters and buyers, arguing that a more connected ecosystem is essential to unlock the commercial and operational benefits of programmatic TV.
The proposals are being taken forward into stage two of the initiative, which launches this summer, with support from an industry steering committee involving key industry participants from across the European market.
Project X Initiative executive director Jon Watts said: “This report is not a theoretical exercise. It sets out a series of practical proposals designed with and for the industry, focused on reducing friction, joining up fragmented systems, and making programmatic TV easier to buy and sell.
“The proposals are designed to give commercial broadcasters, advertisers and technology providers the confidence to move forward. It’s about turning intent into action.”
Google head of broadcast and video ads EMEA Justin Gupta added: “The digital transformation of TV means every broadcaster now has a digital ads business. Although riding two horses can be challenging, this shift opens the door to new buyers and richer targeting. Standardising and automating workflows is critical — it’s how we enable the next wave of innovation in TV advertising.”
Live pilots will begin in key markets later this year to test interoperability, expose integration gaps, and build confidence in shared execution models. The roadmap will be supported by an Industry Summit in Autumn 2025, where EPTVI members and wider stakeholders will come together to assess progress and align on next steps.
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