DirecTV has expanded its investment in the addressable TV advertising space by acquiring a majority stake in Invidi Technologies, a leading platform for delivering targeted television ads. The terms of the deal, announced on Wednesday, were not disclosed.
This move deepens DirecTV’s involvement with Invidi, a company it has co-owned with Dish Network and WPP since 2020. While Invidi will remain an independent entity jointly owned by DirecTV, Dish, and WPP, DirecTV will now hold greater control over Invidi’s data and technology. This allows DirecTV to strengthen its monetization strategies and better compete with other TV providers for advertising revenue.
Invidi’s platform is designed to optimize advertising across traditional, addressable, and streaming TV. Its solutions help programmers and distributors deliver targeted ads, deduplicate audiences, and manage ad frequency, all of which improve efficiency and reduce media waste.
Amy Leifer, DirecTV’s chief advertising sales officer, said, “DirecTV has been a trailblazer in addressable TV for nearly 15 years. Our longstanding support of Invidi has enabled us to connect brands with their audiences effectively. The deal underscores our commitment to continue to invest in the future of addressability and leans into Invidi’s industry-leading solutions to deliver outcomes for brands of all sizes and across all categories.”
By combining its first-party subscriber data which includes demographic details, home addresses, and viewing habits with Invidi’s technology, DirecTV aims to maximize the value of its ad inventory. This collaboration benefits not only advertisers but also programmers distributing content on DirecTV’s platform.
Bruce Anderson, co-CEO of Invidi Technologies, said, “DirecTV is a strong advocate for addressable advertising. With their increased involvement, we expect to further grow our business in the US. At the same time, we plan to continue to build on our successes internationally, expanding our efforts in India, APAC, MENA, Europe, and Latin America.”
DirecTV’s majority stake in Invidi highlights the ongoing focus of TV distribution services on leveraging advanced advertising technologies. The acquisition follows other recent ad tech moves, such as T-Mobile’s acquisition of Vistar Media and The Trade Desk’s purchase of Sincera.