Following the merger of Viacom and CBS, the CBS Television Network and CBS’s digital video assets are joining the OpenAP Market, where advertisers can buy commercials based on target audiences.
Viacom was one of the founding partners when the OpenAP consortium was formed, along with Fox and Turner. Later, Comcast’s NBCUniversal unit signed up, but after being acquired by AT&T, Turner pulled out because AT&T wanted to consolidate its advanced advertising business with its Xandr unit.
Long-time CBS ad sales head Jo Ann Ross, now president and chief advertising revenue officer for ViacomCBS domestic advertising sales, has been added to the OpenAP Board of Directors. She replaces Sean Moran, who had been head of ad sales solutions for Viacom before the merger.
“We believe in the mission of OpenAP and we’re excited to add CBS assets to those of Fox, NBCUniversal and Univision, marking another step forward in providing unprecedented reach and scale for agencies and clients who rely on the power of television to build brand awareness,” said Ross.
With the addition of CBS, OpenAP can help advertisers reach nearly all U.S. TV viewers via four broadcast networks--CBS, NBC, Fox and Univision--20 cable networks and a bunch of digital properties.
“The new addition of CBS further validates our commitment to powering advertisers’ ability to connect with diverse audiences at scale, democratizing the most proven vehicle for storytelling,” said David Levy, CEO of OpenAP. “With ViacomCBS, Fox, NBCUniversal and Univision assets all available to advertisers and agencies in a single platform, the OpenAP Market, we are unlocking unmatched access to premium inventory for cross-publisher campaigns.”
In addition to Ross, OpenAP’s board includes John Halley, COO, advertising revenue, and executive vice president, advanced marketing solutions, at ViacomCBS, Linda Yaccarino, chairman, advertising and partnerships, NBCUniversal; Krishan Bhatia, executive VP of business operations and strategy at NBCUniversal; Marianne Gambelli, president, advertising sales at Fox; and Meredith Brace, executive of client solutions and portfolio marketing at Fox.
