Shazam and ITV sign exclusive TV ad sales deal

ITV has signed an exclusive deal with Shazam to offer advertisers its functionality in TV spots.

For the first time in the UK, viewers will be able to access additional information and content related to ads via the Shazam app. The Shazam logo on TV spots will indicate that more brand information is available via the app, which will also allow consumers to download music and videos.

Simon Daglish, the group commercial sales director at ITV, said: “Shazam’s audio-recognition technology is transforming the way consumers interact with content including advertising.”

In the US, a third of the ads shown during this year’s Super Bowl featured Shazam’s service. Reporting early results last year, Shazam claimed that “0.3% of (viewers) Shazam’d the commercial, three times the average online click-through of 0.1%. 27% of the people who Shazam’d the ad either shopped, downloaded the song featured in the ad or viewed additional content”.

In the past, Shazam’s TV offering has been mainly experimental, developed through partnerships with individual programmes or directly with advertisers but this exclusive deal, which is expected to run until the end of 2013, will allow it to reach ITV’s complete broadcast network. ITV sold £1.5 billion in advertising in 2011 across its six linear channels and its ITV Player catch-up service.