Magnite launches Live Stream Acceleration to help publishers monetise live CTV programmatically

The announcement:

Magnite (Nasdaq: MGNI), the largest independent sell-side advertising platform, today announced the launch of Live Stream Acceleration (LSA), a technology designed to help CTV publishers optimise their live inventory programmatically. LSA helps publishers more effectively monetise their supply, ensuring that ads are served in a timely manner without burdening their technical infrastructure.

APAC publisher TVNZ is among those testing the technology, along with US based Sling TV.

Rob Hutchinson, GM Digital-Commercial at TVNZ commented, “Technology developments like LSA are an important stepping stone to streamlining the often-unpredictable environment of live CTV. TVNZ was excited to work with Magnite in the testing and development of this product and we look forward to seeing the revenue benefits over the coming months.”

With Magnite’s cloud based SSP, publishers like Sling and TVNZ can process large volumes of complex decisioning in a short time frame without interruption, a necessity for live content where unexpected ad breaks can occur.

Juliette Stead, head of JAPAC at Magnite commented, “As consumers increase their OTT and CTV consumption, we will see live TV being viewed even more in this environment.  This creates a huge opportunity for publishers and advertisers alike, with large audiences watching the ad breaks simultaneously.  LSA has been built with this in mind, helping publishers handle concurrent high volume ad calls, reduce response times, and in turn, open up more advertising opportunities to more brands, while also giving viewers a positive, uninterrupted and tailored advertising experience.”

“Live CTV offers a can’t-miss opportunity to engage with a highly receptive audience but has historically been harder for advertisers to activate against due to its unpredictable nature and limited available inventory,” said Paige Bilins, senior vice president of product management at Magnite. “LSA is built to handle the complexities of live CTV, creating efficiencies that benefit publishers, advertisers and viewers alike.”

By leveraging LSA for live sports over a five-week period, Sling TV saw a 47% lift in ad conversions compared to the previous five weeks. Efficiencies via LSA implementation allowed for ad delivery which otherwise would have been lost (i.e., timed out) – which is equivalent to 51 seconds of advertising airtime on a standard 1 hour live event. This helps make it easier than ever for advertisers to access premium and scalable inventory on Sling to reach the audiences they want, without technical limitations.

“Live CTV is a key differentiator for Sling, there is no better or more valuable medium for advertisers to reach highly engaged viewers, in real time, with personalised, relevant messaging,” said Jessica DuFresne, Head of Ad Ops and Digital Ad Tech, DISH Media. “Utilising LSA allowed us even greater, more efficient, deliveries of live-viewing audiences to our advertisers, while simultaneously delivering an enhanced experience for our customers, all while maintaining the highest privacy standards.“ 

LSA brings significant benefits to the wider advertising ecosystem, regulating queries per second (QPS) from elevated audience spikes, resulting in less throttling and more fill. A key benefit for advertisers is that they can address more actionable supply, with a greater likelihood that their ad will serve as a result of LSA. This helps make it easier than ever for advertisers to access premium and scalable inventory, to reach the audiences they want, without technical limitations. 

Meanwhile, Magnite has been chosen to power the GroupM Premium Marketplace in the US and Canada, as well being named as a global preferred technology partner. GroupM will consolidate its programmatic media buying across omnichannel environments including CTV, digital video, and display within Magnite in the US and Canada. GroupM will leverage Magnite on a preferred basis globally across APAC, EMEA and LATAM.

“Magnite has been a trusted technology provider for a number of years, and we are excited to officially leverage them as our primary exchange in the US and on a preferred basis globally to enhance our collective buying power,” said Andrew Meaden, global head of Investment at GroupM. “Consolidating our media investments within a central platform is a huge benefit to our global organisation.

“Magnite’s strong relationships with top tier media owners and advanced technology across a range of screens and formats are two top reasons, among many others, that we are making this move,” said Meaden.

With technology at the heart of this preferred relationship, Magnite and GroupM will collaborate closely to simplify and optimise various aspects of advertising. As brands shift towards audience-based buying strategies, data enablement solutions will be an area of focus, as will measurement and forecasting.

Magnite’s award-winning CTV platform, which features a real time data and analytics dashboard, gives buyers like GroupM live campaign performance updates. Leading publishers including Disney and Samsung utilise Magnite to manage and monetise their inventory. Additionally, GroupM will leverage the SpringServe ad server as the frontend for the GroupM Premium Marketplace.

“This partnership is indicative of how modern agencies are transforming media planning and execution, with GroupM leading the way on innovation,” said Sean Buckley, chief revenue officer, CTV at Magnite. “We are excited to roll up our sleeves and collaborate with the GroupM team to make advertising more efficient and effective. This is another major milestone in streamlining the workflow between the buy and sell side, while continuing to scale digital media investment for the independent internet.”

Source: Press release