Discovery Buys Stake in TV Audience Specialist OpenAP

US television conglomerate Discovery has acquired a minority stake in cross-platform audience-targeting specialist OpenAP, which recently launched a TV measurement framework called XPm. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

XPm is designed to enable measurement companies to deliver metrics including deduplicated cross-publisher and cross-platform reach and frequency. The Video Advertising Bureau, as part of its new Measurement Innovation Task Force, will operate as the governing body of XPm in order to create common standards and establish controls on how data is used on behalf of TV publishers. Participating XPm measurement companies include Comscore, iSpot, Nielsen, VideoAmp and 605.

Discovery joins FOX, NBCUniversal and ViacomCBS as a minority owner in the OpenAP joint venture. In a statement, Discovery said the investment furthers its plan to build a technical framework that enables cross-platform audience-based buying and creating collaborative support for alternative currency standards. As part of the investment, Discovery will be able to contribute to OpenAP's corporate strategy and product roadmap, while Discovery execs Jon Steinlauf, Chief US Advertising Sales Officer, and Jim Keller, EVP, Digital Ad Sales and Advanced Advertising, will join OpenAP's Board of Directors.

OpenAP CEO David Levy (pictured) comments: 'Discovery has long been a pioneer of TV entertainment with its iconic portfolio of content and direct-to-consumer experiences people love. The last two years have demonstrated the force of change that can happen when we take an audience-first approach to reimagining TV advertising for media owners, advertisers and consumers alike. We are grateful for the increased commitment Discovery is making to work alongside us on this journey of propelling further growth of the marketplace'.

Web site: www.openap.tv .