Samba TV’s Acquisition of AI and ML Company Disruptel Will Improve Its Connected TV Measurement … [+]
This morning, Samba TV, a global television technology and provider of global cross-platform audiences and analytics. announced the acquisition of Disruptel, an artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) company. No financial terms of the acquisition were disclosed.
In an increasingly competitive advertising technology environment, the acquisition will further advance Samba TV to measure a greater immersive viewing experience in both linear and streaming. For example, with the acquisition, Samba TV will be able to identify and analyze additional on-screen content, including brand logos, products and people in real time. Features also include product placement, logos as well as in-app advertisements. The goal is to make marketers more aware of the value of their connected TV advertising investments in a non-intrusive way.
The announcement comes at a time when ad spend on connected TV continues to rise. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) predicts that CTV’s advertising dollars will increase this year by 39% to $21.2 billion. In 2021, CTV’s ad spend was $15.2 billion, a 57% year-over-year increase. Additionally, an online survey of 400 ad agency executives conducted earlier this year by Standard Media Index and Advertiser Perceptions found that 76% said CTV was a must buy. Additionally, as a first step, ad spend for political ads in the 2022 midterm elections is expected to exceed local cable.
Currently, Samba’s ACR technology measures first-party data in 46 million opt-in TVs, from 24 brands of smart TV manufacturers in more than 100 countries. Samba TV’s robust panel provides independent audience currency for linear and streaming. With audience measurement currently in flux, Samba has entered into agreements with seven leading advertising agencies and holding companies. Earlier this year, Samba struck a deal with Disney as a third-party partner to measure its audience, this will include Disney+ when it launches an ad-supported tier early next month.
In recent years, Samba TV has focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning as part of its suite of deliverables. In the press release, Samba TV Co-Founder and CEO Ashwin Navin said, “Artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming almost every aspect of our lives today, and we’re excited about its increasing relevance on TV.”
Navin adds, “The technology has been focused on facial/content recognition, but work is well advanced to be able to deploy AI for much larger detection efforts, such as brand recognition, allowing a large automotive company or consumer goods company to measure how frequently their brands appear, both organically and through paid product placements.We will be rolling out many new AI applications in the months coming. “
While Samba can already recognize everything on the screen from a content perspective, the upgrade will have interactive features such as “smart pause”, a feature that will provide additional on-screen information about actors and actresses and a non-intrusive break for the embedded ad units along with additional product information enhancing the overall viewer experience.
Disruptel CEO Alex Quinn adds, “With more TV data, in more countries, and more TV brands than any other company in the world, Samba AI is the perfect place for our machine learning expertise so we can be able to lead the industry. in AI. The acquisition will expand the capabilities of TV manufacturers and editors.
After years of R&D, Samba TV presented Samba AI at last year’s CES. Since then, they have made critical investments in Samba AI to support all facets of the connected TV ecosystem. With the integration currently underway, Samba TV plans to unveil its new Samba AI-powered experiences for TV makers at next year’s CES in January.
Navin from Samba concludes, “This acquisition brings us closer to the in-living viewing experience, where consumers are able to dig deeper into the content they are watching, advertisers will have a better sense of the value of their sponsorships and TV manufacturers will seize new opportunities to differentiate their products.