Xandr, the advertising division of AT&T (T 0.53%), announced on Wednesday that it is collaborating with Disney (DIS 0.59%), AMC Networks (AMCX +2.80%) and its sibling company WarnerMedia to enable advertisers to buy television commercials and better target the applicable audience. This is a huge step forward for Xandr, which previously concentrated on internet advertising.
The company will provide a self-serve platform dubbed Xandr Invest to use its data to more effectively define its audience and show ads to the consumers most likely to act on the information. Advertisers will be able to plan marketing campaigns and buy commercial time slots on each of the television networks operated by AMC Networks, including AMC, BBC America, and IFC, as well as gaining access to Disney networks ABC, ESPN, and Freeform. Also included in the deal are WarnerMedia channels including TNT and CNN.
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Once the advertiser has determined its target market -- for instance people shopping for a new car -- marketers will be able to submit a single request and locate the appropriate time slots for commercials across each of the participating networks and place the ad in front of those viewers.
AT&T formed Xandr in 2018, in an attempt to build a television advertising business to capitalize from the data it collects from customers using its phone, broadband, and pay-TV services. By aggregating this information, the company is working to help advertisers make data-driven decisions when placing ads, a strategy that has long been used by technology behemoths like Facebook and Alphabet's.
