Outdoor advertising giant JCDecaux has launched an automated planning and trading platform which offers out-of-home programmatic trading for media sellers and buyers.

The VIOOH, pronounced ‘View’, platform is said to offer a full stack for automated trading, data management, content serving, and ad exchange functionality.

“JCDecaux is delighted to have initiated the launch of VIOOH, a best in class global automated planning and trading platform for the benefit of the whole sector,” said Jean-Charles Decaux, chairman of the executive board and co-CEO of JCDecaux. “Independent, this new entity will see its shareholding structure evolve depending on discussions within the industry. The platform will provide advertisers and agencies with an enhanced value proposition for out-of-home allowing audience led planning and trading including the ability to plan the OOH digital screen alongside the mobile screen.”

The platform is being rolled out in the UK and the USA before also being introduced to Belgium, Spain, Italy, Hong Kong, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Singapore, Dubai, Norway, the Netherlands, and more markets.

The new business, based in London, is owned 93.5 per cent by JCDecaux and 6.5 per cent by Veltys, a data specialist and modelling company. It is being led by Jean-Christophe Conti, who has previously been VP of global partnerships at Yahoo and VP EMEA at AppNexus.

“The opportunity to join a future facing business that is committed to the development of a global digital out-of-home platform was too good an offer to turn down,” said Jean-Christophe Conti, CEO of VIOOH. “The VIOOH independent platform will offer existing buyers and new advertisers a frictionless and transparent experience for automated out-of-home and programmatic digital out-of-home transactions.

“The future for out-of-home  is tremendously exciting and the VIOOH platform will contribute to accelerate growth of the medium. In this context, and in order to position VIOOH as the industry preference, we welcome all media owners to join the platform.”