Sky rolls out targeted AdSmart service

UK satellite TV operator Sky has launched its intelligent TV advertising service AdSmart following a successful six-month trial of the technology. 

AdSmart is designed to tailor what is shown during TV ad breaks depending on a household’s profile and location, allowing advertisers to target their campaigns more accurately.

The technology works by sending a library of ads to a viewers’ Sky+ box, selecting what best matches that home’s postcode and demographic information, and then inserting the ad into a live ad break.

“With Sky AdSmart, we want to make TV advertising work better for viewers and advertisers. By enabling advertisers to better segment the TV audience, Sky AdSmart has the potential to open up TV advertising to many more brands and businesses. This helps both the brands that previously thought TV too broad a medium, as well as local advertisers who felt that TV wasn’t previously accessible to them,” said Sky’s managing director, commercial businesses and chief financial officer, Andrew Griffith.

With the launch Sky has expanded its Sky AdSmart sales team, creating five new regional teams in London, the South West, Midlands, North and Scotland and a total of 18 new jobs.

Sky has already lined up major brands for the ad service, including Tesco, Royal Bank of Scotland and Littlewoods, with companies including Citroen and Dial-A-Flight signed up to run AdSmart campaigns this year.