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‘A big step forward’: Fairfax and Google enter programmatic advertising and tech partnership

Fairfax Media’s Australian Metro Publishing business is to incorporate Google’s ad tech and programmatic technologies across its mastheads, the two companies have announced today.

The collaboration will commence in 2018 with Fairfax’s commercial team. Together they will focus on premium ad products, key client relationships and commercial solutions.

Jason Pellegrino, managing director of Google Australia and New Zealand, who will now work in partnership Fairfax Media

Chris Janz, Fairfax’s managing director of Australian Metro Publishing, described the partnership as a “big step forward for Fairfax Media”.

“We are excited to be deepening our partnership with Google, providing advertisers with a new way to work with Fairfax. Google’s sales channels and market-leading programmatic technology will empower and enable advertisers’ to access Fairfax’s brands and reach our valuable audiences,” Janz said.

“We are bringing the very best that Fairfax has to offer together with the smarts and capability of Google. The result will be a stronger Fairfax Media and continued investment in journalism.”

Fairfax Chief Executive Greg Hywood said the partnership “cements” Fairfax’s position as a leader in digital publishing innovation.

The announcement follows the commencement of a major overhaul of Fairfax Media’s digital properties and a new commercial strategy, which saw the publisher move away from its dependency on Facebook.

“This partnership cements Fairfax’s place at the global forefront of digital publishing innovation, having rebuilt our publishing technology from the ground up,” Hywood said.

“We are stepping up and understanding the future. We are ensuring our company, our media and our shareholders benefit from commercial opportunities available to us. We expect upside performance from this partnership will allow us to make new investment in our journalism.”

Jason Pellegrino, managing director for Google Australia and New Zealand, added: “We have long been working with publishing partners here in Australia. This deepening of our partnership with Fairfax allows us to jointly demonstrate the power of programmatic sales by combining Google’s best in class technology with Fairfax’s quality brands and deeply engaged audiences.”

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