Channel 4 signs up Trade Desk for data-driven TV boom

UK broadcaster Channel 4 has signed a new programmatic advertising partnership with adtech company the Trade Desk which it claims will offer client marketers the ability to target 23 million viewers at scale, across its live and on-demand services.

The Trade Desk will be one of several demand-side platforms (DSP) to offer access to Channel 4 inventory, such as Celebrity Gogglebox, Great British Bake off, Escape to the Chateau and Grand Designs programmatically. This will give brands access to audiences across connected TV and other devices – while allowing Channel 4 to further improve its access to brands and agencies across the entirety of the open web.

The partnership has been made possible by the implementation of key regulatory standards via programmatic technology. The Trade Desk says it will transfer a Clearcast clock number throughout the bidstream, which it insists will provide transparency on the provenance of every ad in order to meet product and age-specific advertising rules.

The rise of data-driven TV has been fuelled by consumers increasingly watching TV content through connected devices, allowing broadcasters to show ads in a way that has not been possible with traditional, linear TV. The partnership between The Trade Desk and Channel 4 will facilitate more precision and relevance in digital advertising, improving value for the advertiser, the two companies claim.

Channel 4’s All4 On Demand service runs on twenty platforms, with 100% of its audiences logged in and an ad completion rate of 96%.

Procter & Gamble has been one of the first major brand owners to sign up. Associate brand and media director for Northern Europe Alessio Martini said: “We are delighted to be the first advertiser to benefit from this new integration and we look forward to other TV partners joining Channel 4 on this journey.”

The Trade Desk director of partnerships EMEA Patrick Morrell commented: “As advertisers recognise the data-driven potential of connected TV advertising to maximise ad relevance and improve the viewer experience, this partnership with Channel 4 represents a further boost in their ability to execute.

“Broadening access to Channel 4’s inventory for brands across the open internet means better targeting for brands and greater revenue for broadcasters.”

Channel 4 is also on Sky’s AdSmart system, which was launched in 2014.