Liberty Global invests US$7.5m in Samba TV

Liberty Global has invested US$7.5 million in San Francisco-based television data and analytics firm Samba TV.

Samba TV said that it will use the cash to expand its TV audience platform footprint to make audiences more addressable and measureable for agencies, brands and broadcasters.

“The television markets in Europe are ready for the next generation TV experience and business model built on better data and greater personalisation for consumers,” said Ashwin Navin, CEO and co-founder of Samba TV.

Liberty Global’s managing director of advanced advertising and data, John Paul, added: “Samba are true pioneers in the field of advanced advertising and we’re excited to be working with them as they expand their business in Europe.”

The news comes after Samba TV raised US$30 million in Series B funding last year from Union Grove Venture Partners and followed by Interpublic Group, MDC Ventures, Time Warner, A+E Networks, TGM, Draper Associates and Ambition VC.

Samba TV uses software embedded in smart TVs, amplified by set-top boxes and mapped to millions of connected devices to make it easier to measure TV audiences. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in New York, Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles and Nevada in the US. Internationally it has operations in London, Warsaw and Taipei.