FreeWheel – a Comcast-owned TV and video ad tech company – is planning to launch a slate of new identity collaborations which will enable advertisers to connect first- and third-party to “the increasing wide array of IDs coming from diverse platforms and endpoints”. The company say the move will allow for greater scale, as well as optimal reach and frequency for TV advertisers.
The initiative will enable advertisers to match their first-party IDs to some of the most commonly used IDs in the TV advertising ecosystem, supporting ID solutions from companies such as Merkle, OpenAP, Blockgraph, Experian, LiveRamp, and TransUnion. The initiative will also support device identifiers such as cookies, mobile IDs and CTV IDs.
FreeWheel argues that privacy regulations and future cookie deprecations are causing companies to rely on first-part data solutions, often built on proprietary identifiers. As a result, the identity landscape has become highly fragmented. FreeWheel believes that creating interoperability between publisher, operator and carrier data will ‘de-fragment’ the industry.
Mark McKee, General Manager, FreeWheel, said: “We are doing this to simplify workflows and create scale by driving interoperability across many of today’s leading ID solutions. The industry is growing more complex – from data points to endpoints, and everything in between. As an ecosystem connector, we hope to make the premium video space more seamless, efficient, and ultimately, more effective for both media buyers and sellers alike.”
Jon Whitticom, Chief Product Officer, FreeWheel, commented: “FreeWheel creates interoperability across various industry ID solutions, as well as traditional device IDs, utilizing advanced privacy methodologies and minimizing data leakage.
“This enables a buyer or seller to build a segment in nearly any ID space and execute using FreeWheel technology to provide the connective tissue across the television industry enabling them to better reach their audience accurately, and at scale.”
