Sky Launches AdSmart Targeted TV Ads

Sky_TV_CustomerSky has launched AdSmart, its targeted TV advertising service which delivers ads based on viewers location and profile.

AdSmart stores a library of adverts on the Sky+ set-top box which are narrowed down, based on the households postcode and demographic information from third-party providers including Experian, and inserted into live ad breaks.

The inventory is being traded on a CPI basis, where an impression is defined as a household viewing 75 per cent of an ad at normal viewing speed.

“With Sky AdSmart, we want to make TV advertising work better for viewers and advertisers. By enabling advertisers to better segment the TV audience, AdSmart has the potential to open up TV advertising to many more brands and businesses,” said Sky CFO Andrew Griffith. “This helps both the brands that previously thought TV too broad a medium, as well as local advertisers who felt that TV wasn’t previously accessible to them.”

More than 40 brands have signed on to use the service, including Tesco, RBS, Audi and American Airlines, as well as local advertisers. Sky says that a quarter of the brands that have signed up for AdSmart are either new to TV advertising or had previously left the market.