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The streaming platform and operating system Roku announced three blockbuster partnerships at its NewFronts presentation at The Glasshouse in New York on Tuesday afternoon, as well as a slate of new video programming.
Roku, which now reaches over 81 million households, unveiled tie-ups with demand-side platform The Trade Desk, measurement service iSpot.tv and the publisher NBCUniversal, according to head of ad sales Julian Mintz.
“We want to position ourselves as the lead-in to all television,” Mintz said. “Right now, streaming is fragmented, but we put that puzzle together for viewers and advertisers.”
The deals with The Trade Desk and iSpot.TV aims to solve two of the most pressing problems facing the connected television space: ease of programmatic buying and measurement. Additionally, its partnership with NBCUniversal, which will highlight NBC’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, will create a bespoke hub for Olympics coverage on the Roku interface.
The new offerings come amid a period of dynamic change in the streaming landscape. Competition among publishers has led to cost-cutting and consolidation, while a newfound emphasis on profitability has led streamers to foreground their ad-supported offerings.
Roku, a hardware company that used its early presence in the streaming landscape to become a publisher, has sought to use its unique position as both gatekeeper and content provider as a point of differentiation.
Its efforts to make programmatic ad-buying more seamless stand to benefit the company in multiple ways as Roku generates ad revenue through inventory on its shows, its user face and through a revenue share with its publisher partners.
Trade Desk, iSpot.tv and NBC partnerships
Roku’s partnership with The Trade Desk underscores the blurring lines between the open web and CTV ecosystems.
Through their partnership, the independent DSP will gain access to Roku data on Roku inventory, allowing media buyers to target viewers with more precision, according to Mintz. The new product is designed primarily to make the buying process more seamless. Buyers had access to many of these capabilities previously but with a more difficult user experience.
Similarly, Roku’s new partnership with iSpot.tv will make the measurement provider a preferred source of third-party measurement for Roku, which means iSpot.tv will have access to Roku’s data.