LONDON – It started with an aim to stitch together the advanced TV ad targeting opportunity in its native UK.
Now GroupM’s Finecast is embarking on a global roll-out, intent on driving up the commercial potential of the channel.
In this video interview with Beet.TV, Finecast’s CEO Nicola Lewis explains the expansion.
Helping advertisers
“What we do is enable advertisers to deliver messaging to customer audiences across TV formats,” Lewis says.
“That’s by combining the data driven precision of digital with the scale and brand safety of television. But what’s really important as well is that we are providing access to a fragmented ecosystem.
Finecast is GroupM’s specialist advanced TV buying unit. In 2017, WPP’s GroupM launched Finecast, aiming to “help advertisers address hard-to-reach TV viewers through a single access point with standardized measurement”, beginning in the UK.
Finecast aggregates video ad inventory in programming from some of the UK’s main commercial broadcasters, plus over most main set-top and over-the-top devices, from Sky’s satellite box to games consoles.
Leveraging GroupM’s decades of experience, Finecast works directly with CTV-operating broadcasters, rather than buying through SSPs or exchanges.
Global growth
Lewis says she cites a forecast that addressable TV will be worth “45 billion” globally by 2025.
Finecast has now launched in the UK, Australia, Canada and Germany.
“This year, we’ve also officially launched in India and Thailand, with an extensive roadmap for the remainder of 2022,” Lewis adds.
“That does include a flagship external launch for our flourishing US markets in June. In fact, by the end of this year, we’re going to be launched in 14 markets, which is super-exciting.”
GroupM Brings Finecast, the World’s First Addressable Television Service to Thailand
Regional ramp-up
Lewis isn’t stopping there. She says she has grown the headcount to 350 around the world, and plans further launches.
“We’re going to grow, we have an expansion strategy that will go beyond our current footprint, developing markets like LATAM, Japan, um, investigating the DACH region, the Nordics,” she adds.
“The important point is to note that our market expansion principles are philosophically the same around the world. We look for the right data partners, the right supply partners, brand-side, premium and professionally produce content.”
Tech talk
The company has worked also with FlashTalking, in one of its markets, test approximately 350 pieces of creative within its ecosystem.
It has also worked with clients to integrate search intent data into client campaigns, specifically in the German regions.
Now Lewis is testing the impact that creative and segment relevance has on attention in the UK.
