Fox Corp. said it is using technology company Operative Media’s cloud-based system to manage its ad sales portfolio.
Operative’s AOS system gives Fox visibility across its portfolio of linear, digital and advanced audiences in a converged platform. The move will accelerate Fox’s advanced advertising capabilities including near-real-time ad creative substitution, automated rate cards and optimization.
The new arrangement replaces five separates systems that were not inter-operable. The old systems were on a combination of mainframes and in-office services. Fox has plans to include make its Tubi streaming service part of AOS.
“Operative’s AOS platform allows us to optimize and streamline our ad sales operations that will make it seamless for our clients to work across our portfolio,” said Marianne Gambelli, president of ad sales for Fox. “Our continuing goal is to provide a variety of solutions to our clients that help their businesses. The AOS platform allows for our advertising partners to extend their reach across our portfolio of products in a single solution, as well as leveraging our rich data sets in an easy and flexible way.”
AOS will enable a variety of selling strategies supporting new currencies, deeper targeting and more flexibility to provide better outcomes for Fox’s customers.
“The new capabilities provided by Operative provide us with a modern platform that will underpin commercial offerings for clients across our linear and digital services,” said Paul Cheesbrough, chief technology officer and president of Digital at Fox. “The partnership with Operative, and the adaptability of their cloud-based platform, will help our sales teams lean into the future with new ways of working and brand-new advertising products for our valued client base.”
In addition to its broadcast network and cable channels, Fox last year acquired ad supported streaming platform Tubi, which generated $300 million in ad sales in 2020. Tubi will be a part of Fox’s upfront and its inventory will be integrated into some client’s media buys. Other media companies have also been building up their over-the-top and connected TV inventory.
“There’s a new advertising reality that is quickly evolving the process of ad sales, and older infrastructures are becoming obsolete,” said Lorne Brown, CEO of Operative Media. “With AOS and the ability to move linear sales to the Cloud, Fox will be much better prepared to serve the shifts in demands that we’re seeing from buyers every day. Both buyers and sellers have struggled to find effective ways to address today’s changing consumption habits, showing how crucial AOS will be for the future of this industry.”
