Ad Targeting Specialist AppNexus Sold to AT&T

New York-based ad targeting tech specialist AppNexus is to be sold to telecoms giant AT&T for a reported $1.6bn, and will become part of its advertising & analytics division. WPP is among the groups selling their shareholding.

AppNexus' software helps marketers and agencies use data and machine learning to deliver intelligent and customized campaigns. This includes the Yieldex Analytics solution, which helps publishers manage, forecast, package and price their digital inventory to improve yield and maximize revenue across all delivery channels.

WPP invested $25m in the company in 2014, and News Corp spent $10m on shares as recently as September 2016.

Following its sale, AppNexus' management team and employee base - which includes more than 400 software engineers and product managers - will join AT+T, with skills in machine learning and predictive analytics, ad technology and video. AT&T says it will continue to invest in and build on AppNexus' foundational technology as it integrates with its own first-party data, video content and distribution. AppNexus will also extend AT&T advertising and analytics' footprint globally, expanding into Asia Pacific, Australia, Europe and Latin America.

The advertising & analytics division is led by former GroupM North America CEO Brian Lesser (pictured), who comments: 'Ad tech unites real-time analytics and technology with our premium TV and video content. AppNexus has scale of infrastructure, advanced technology and diverse talent. The combination of AT&T advertising & analytics and AppNexus will help deliver a world-class advertising platform that provides brands and publishers a new and innovative way to reach consumers in the marketplace today'.

Web sites: www.appnexus.com and www.att.com .