In response to the shift in TV viewing behaviours across different devices and platforms, GroupM has today launched Finecast, a company delivering “digital-like precision and accountability to advertising on television.”
GroupM – the investment wing of WPP – says the new company will enable advertisers to target viewers across multiple on-demand, linear and live streaming TV environments through a single access point with standardised measurement.
“Finecast is built to strengthen the TV ecosystem for advertisers and media partners alike,” said said Kelly Clark, global chief executive officer, GroupM.
“By unlocking the ability to be targeted in TV campaigns, Finecast opens the door for new advertisers who haven’t used TV before, and it gives traditional TV advertisers new ways to use the medium. This represents tremendous upside for TV broadcasters.”
Jakob Nielsen, previously MD at GroupM Digital in the UK since 2009, has been named CEO of the new business. His Finecast leadership team includes chief product officer, Rich Astley, formally of Videology.
Already live and running campaigns in the UK, Finecast states that it has the ability to deliver targeted ads to audiences across multiple TV channel brands, pay-TV platforms and set top boxes, as well as a range of video-on-demand services and over-the-top providers.
At launch, this includes distribution across Sky, Virgin Media, Samsung, YouView, Amazon Fire, Roku, and gaming consoles such as Xbox.
A spokesperson for mobile operator Three, which has been using Finecast for its marketing campaign ‘Go Binge’, said it wanted to reach people that enjoy binging on TV shows but often access such content via connected devices as opposed to traditional broadcasting.
“Finecast enabled us to target our audience in previously hard-to-reach, on-demand platforms, and it helped us meet our campaign goals with robust measurement of key metrics,” the Three spokesperson said.
“Overall, we’re delighted with the outcomes and look forward to further new and exciting ways of increasing targeted engagement.”
