Broadcaster ITV Increases Investment in InfoSum

UK-based ITV has increased its investment in data tech company InfoSum by 50% of its original amount, following the launch of the TV broadcaster's updated Planet V premium ad platform, and the recent launch of the Matchmaker VOD targeting product. Terms have not been disclosed.

ITV and InfoSum began partnering at the end of August 2020, as part of the former's first-party data strategy that makes its 30 million ITV Hub users available for advertisers. With this initial deal, based on ITV's and advertisers' first-party data, InfoSum's operating infrastructure has allowed brands to activate customised audiences across the ITV Hub, but without requiring any personal data to be shared.

News of the increased investment follows the launch of Planet V 2.0, an updated version of ITV's premium advanced ad platform, and the launch of the Matchmaker cookieless solution - both of which use InfoSum's data platform, with the latter product matching ITV's first-party audience with Tesco's Clubcard and Boot's Advantage Card databases. According to ITV, the latest InfoSum product, Datamatch, tied to Platform V, has been 'developing nicely', and in 2023 will be moving out of ITV's innovation space Adlabs, and become a scaled 'always-on' feature of the broadcaster's addressable offering.

Rhys McLachlan, ITV Director of Advanced Advertising, described InfoSum as a 'critical part of ITV Commercial's innovation and addressable proposition', commenting that an increased stake in the business ensures that ITV is securing its future. Brian Lesser, Chairman and CEO of InfoSum, added: 'As an invaluable and longstanding partner, ITV and InfoSum are joined by a common vision for enabling secure data collaboration. With ITV's additional investment, we are thrilled to further solidify our close partnership and all that is to come.'

Web sites: www.itv.com and www.infosum.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.