Fox, FreeWheel Expand Playbook With Dynamic Ad Insertion in College Football Games

Michigan vs. Ohio State 2023
Fox’s college football package includes the Big Ten and the yearly Michigan-Ohio State rivalry game. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Fox said it will be introducing dynamic ad insertion for college football games it televises as part of an expanded relationship with FreeWheel, Comcast’s ad-tech company.

The new relationship makes FreeWheel Fox’s primary ad-serving partner and main monetization engine.

Dynamic ad insertion will enable advertisers to better target campaigns, while showing viewers more relevant commercials.

“The TV ad marketplace is very complex and when we thought about who is doing a great job helping advertisers to cut through that clutter and drive ROI, FreeWheel clearly stood out,” Darren Sherriff, senior VP, advertising technology solutions at Fox, said. “We’re thrilled to be able to offer our advertising partners a powerful way to reach engaged audiences across the entire Fox portfolio, including our premium live sports events, while prioritizing and protecting the viewer experience.” 

FreeWheel is also integrating with Fox’s AdRise technology platform enabling Fox to find contextually relevant content that will boost the performance of advertiser message. 

In football games, that means creating opportunities to mesh ads with information about players, teams or scores. 

“We are excited and proud to strengthen our relationship with Fox,” Katy Loria, chief revenue officer at FreeWheel, said. “Our antidote to today’s complicated ad landscape is to provide technology and solutions to help further accelerate the momentum, growth and innovation behind premium video. As Fox’s primary ad serving partner, we are looking forward to working with them — and advertisers — to drive better business results.”

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.