Comcast is looking to beef up its targeted advertising portfolio with the possible acquisitions of ad-tech startups Cadent and DataXu, AdExchanger reports.
The effort is being driven by competition from AT&T, which is making fast advancements with its Xandr operating unit in the race for targeted advertising supremacy in the media and telecom sectors.
Comcast didn’t immediately respond to MCN’s inquiry for comment.
According to the Wall Street Journal, DataXu began working with investment bank GCA Advisors LLC to prep for a sale that would value the company at around $300 million. DataXu was founded in 2009 and has raised around $87.5 million in funding from investors including recent Comcast acquisition of Sky.
DataXu and New York-based Cadent Network would beef up Comcast’s ad tech holdings at a time in which the cable conglomerate’s FreeWheel unit has struggled with the client defections Disney and Google, AdExchanger points out.
“If brands and advertisers start embracing the AT&T/Xandr model and clients start looking for something similar, there is definitely a case to be made that Comcast wants a seat at the table,” said Elgin Thompson, managing director of tech investment firm Digital Capital Advisors (DCA), told AdExchanger.
