Cox Media Partners With TubeMogul For Web Video Ad Sales [Breaking News]

Little by little, the TV ad business is adopting principles from digital media. 

Case in point: Cox Media and TubeMogul have entered a unique partnership that will enable ad buyers to purchase linear TV ads and Web video ads via the same digital interface. At the same time, Cox’s local ads sales force will be able to sell local TV ads along with Web video ad space from a variety of sites, such as YouTube, Crackle and MLB.com.

The deal is the latest move by a traditional TV player into the fast-growing “programmatic” ad space. Already, Cox Media, the advertising division of the cable company Cox Communications, sells some of its local TV ad inventory via digital ad platforms through partnerships with startups like Clypd.

Now, Cox Media wants to make sure that some of that TV ad inventory is available to advertisers that use TubeMogul ‘sTUBE +8.69% buying software for Web video. Via the TubeMogul buying interface buyers will be able to set some parameters, like a specific target audience and timing for an ad campaign, and then theoretically piece together an ad buy that includes Web video and TV.

“We want to bring cable and digital together and let advertisers find audiences regardless of screens,” Mike Zeigler, Cox Media’s vice president of business development.

But perhaps even more groundbreaking is the other side of this pact. Cox’s local ad sales force will use TubeMogul’s tools and software to help local advertisers in markets like San Diego, Phoenix and Las Vegas reach larger audiences by coupling TV ads with local Web video ads. Mr. Zeigler said he sees digital video ad inventory helping local advertisers that wouldn’t normally consider the Web extend their reach beyond local TV.

“It would be easy to see Web video as competing with TV but we see it as a direct complement,” he said. “We see a lot of synergy bringing the two together. And the fact that we’ll have feet on the street selling programmatic ads makes this very unique.”

Source: The Wall Street Journal CMO Blog