Sky moving ahead with programmatic TV

Sky Media has announced it is moving ahead with its programmatic TV offering following a successful pilot phase.

Sky Audio Visual Exchange (AVx), which has been tested with media agency group Omnicom, will allow buyers to purchase audiences and make marketing decisions in real-time across Sky’s portfolio of TV and VOD inventory.

Throughout the pilot Omnicom was able to buy ad space against its core audiences, in an automated fashion, within Sky Go’s live linear channels, including Sky 1, Sky Sports News and Sky Atlantic.

Sky has said the process is fully Clearcast compliant – which ensures brand safety and schedules ads to play correctly as they would on regular TV.

Harriet Perry, general manager at Accuen – Omnicom’s programmatic specialist unit – said Sky AVx will allow the UK market to tap into the £5bn TV industry using programmatic technologies for the first time.

“This means that clients are now able to make more informed buying decisions, in real time, during live TV broadcasts,” she said.

“We’re thrilled to be Sky’s exclusive partner for the launch of Sky AVx and help to deliver programmatic TV, something that has been highly anticipated in the UK.”

The pilot phase is the first step towards a fully programmatic offering for all of Sky’s broadcast platforms, but there is no clear idea how long industry will have to wait.