Interactive TV Is Ready to Press Start: Phynd CEO André Swanston
CANNES, France – Television has spent decades asking viewers to sit down, stay quiet and watch whatever happened to be on. André Swanston, chief executive of cloud gaming platform Phynd, thinks that era is ending. The next battle for brands, he says, won’t be fought over another streaming series. It’ll be fought over who gets the controller.
Speaking with Beet.TV editorial director Lisa Granatstein at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Swanston said advertisers are beginning to realize that television is shifting from a passive medium into an interactive one, creating new ways to connect with consumers.
“I think what’s exciting for brands right now is that television is becoming interactive and more engaged and that presents new opportunities for brands to engage with consumers,” Swanston said.
Connected TV déjà vu
Swanston has seen this movie before.
Before founding Phynd, he built connected TV advertising company Tru Optik, helping advertisers navigate an emerging medium that many initially dismissed as experimental.
A decade ago, marketers questioned whether connected TV could be measured, targeted or scaled. Today, it’s one of advertising’s dominant channels. Swanston believes cloud gaming faces many of the same misconceptions.
“We helped solve for the industry, and now everybody views it as probably the most dominant platform and far and away the biggest opportunity to engage consumers,” he said.
His strategy at Phynd centers on three goals: convincing advertisers that gaming content is premium, making the technology easy to buy through familiar advertising infrastructure and educating brands about gaming’s unusually high levels of attention.
That premium lineup includes recognizable franchises such as Smurfs Kart, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Garfield Party, Agatha Christie Mysteries and Inspector Gadget.
Goodbye console tax
Swanston believes cloud gaming’s biggest advantage isn’t simply better technology. It’s eliminating expensive hardware.
He noted that only about one-third of television households worldwide own a gaming console, limiting advertisers’ reach. By delivering games directly through smart TVs, Phynd aims to make premium gaming available without requiring consumers to buy consoles, expensive games or additional subscriptions.
“Whether it’s seeing an ad, whether it’s giving you a reward or sponsored experience, we’re helping you access this game for free,” Swanston said.
For marketers, that creates access to hundreds of millions of smart TV households that might never have purchased dedicated gaming hardware.
Don’t ruin the vibe
If there’s one thing brands should avoid, Swanston joked, it’s becoming the marketing equivalent of someone talking through the boss battle.
Phynd’s approach is to keep advertising outside gameplay rather than interrupting it.
“What you don’t want is for a brand to be considered intrusive or ruining the vibe,” Swanston said with a laugh, borrowing the phrase from his son.
Instead, the platform focuses on pre-roll advertising before gameplay begins along with sponsored rewards, discounts or virtual items earned during play.
“What we really have focused on is how does the brand enhance the experience,” he said.
Swanston argues that approach increases engagement while making brands feel like contributors rather than unwanted guests barging into the game.
Building toward a bigger launch
Phynd recently launched on Samsung smart TVs and plans to expand to LG and Amazon Fire TV. Swanston said the company has already seen millions of downloads, along with longer play sessions and higher engagement than expected, though he did not disclose specific figures.
For now, the company is intentionally limiting commercial activity while collecting data and refining its artificial intelligence-powered FAME, or Phynd Agentic Monetization Engine.
“We’re really excited in Q4 to start opening up more abilities for brands to engage with our users,” Swanston said.
If television’s next chapter really does involve game controllers instead of remote controls, advertisers may soon discover that the most valuable screen in the living room isn’t asking viewers to binge another crime drama. It’s asking them whether they’d like to press “Start.”
You’re watching Beet.TV coverage from Cannes Lion 2026. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
CANNES, France – Television has spent decades asking viewers to sit down, stay quiet and watch whatever happened to be on. André Swanston, chief executive of cloud gaming platform Phynd, thinks that era is ending. The next battle for brands, he says, won’t be fought over another streaming series. It’ll be fought over who gets the controller.
Speaking with Beet.TV editorial director Lisa Granatstein at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Swanston said advertisers are beginning to realize that television is shifting from a passive medium into an interactive one, creating new ways to connect with consumers.
“I think what’s exciting for brands right now is that television is becoming interactive and more engaged and that presents new opportunities for brands to engage with consumers,” Swanston said.
Connected TV déjà vu
Swanston has seen this movie before.
Before founding Phynd, he built connected TV advertising company Tru Optik, helping advertisers navigate an emerging medium that many initially dismissed as experimental.
A decade ago, marketers questioned whether connected TV could be measured, targeted or scaled. Today, it’s one of advertising’s dominant channels. Swanston believes cloud gaming faces many of the same misconceptions.
“We helped solve for the industry, and now everybody views it as probably the most dominant platform and far and away the biggest opportunity to engage consumers,” he said.
His strategy at Phynd centers on three goals: convincing advertisers that gaming content is premium, making the technology easy to buy through familiar advertising infrastructure and educating brands about gaming’s unusually high levels of attention.
That premium lineup includes recognizable franchises such as Smurfs Kart, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Garfield Party, Agatha Christie Mysteries and Inspector Gadget.
Goodbye console tax
Swanston believes cloud gaming’s biggest advantage isn’t simply better technology. It’s eliminating expensive hardware.
He noted that only about one-third of television households worldwide own a gaming console, limiting advertisers’ reach. By delivering games directly through smart TVs, Phynd aims to make premium gaming available without requiring consumers to buy consoles, expensive games or additional subscriptions.
“Whether it’s seeing an ad, whether it’s giving you a reward or sponsored experience, we’re helping you access this game for free,” Swanston said.
For marketers, that creates access to hundreds of millions of smart TV households that might never have purchased dedicated gaming hardware.
Don’t ruin the vibe
If there’s one thing brands should avoid, Swanston joked, it’s becoming the marketing equivalent of someone talking through the boss battle.
Phynd’s approach is to keep advertising outside gameplay rather than interrupting it.
“What you don’t want is for a brand to be considered intrusive or ruining the vibe,” Swanston said with a laugh, borrowing the phrase from his son.
Instead, the platform focuses on pre-roll advertising before gameplay begins along with sponsored rewards, discounts or virtual items earned during play.
“What we really have focused on is how does the brand enhance the experience,” he said.
Swanston argues that approach increases engagement while making brands feel like contributors rather than unwanted guests barging into the game.
Building toward a bigger launch
Phynd recently launched on Samsung smart TVs and plans to expand to LG and Amazon Fire TV. Swanston said the company has already seen millions of downloads, along with longer play sessions and higher engagement than expected, though he did not disclose specific figures.
For now, the company is intentionally limiting commercial activity while collecting data and refining its artificial intelligence-powered FAME, or Phynd Agentic Monetization Engine.
“We’re really excited in Q4 to start opening up more abilities for brands to engage with our users,” Swanston said.
If television’s next chapter really does involve game controllers instead of remote controls, advertisers may soon discover that the most valuable screen in the living room isn’t asking viewers to binge another crime drama. It’s asking them whether they’d like to press “Start.”
You’re watching Beet.TV coverage from Cannes Lion 2026. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
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