Xandr, AT&T’s data-enabled technology platform at the intersection of digital and TV, shared results of premium video and connected TV (CTV) spend on its platform for Q1 2021, which saw significant increases. Product advancements across video and CTV buying and selling spurred the significant growth, as well as tools and partnerships in support of the bespoke needs of marketers across verticals like pharma and CPG.

With analysts predicting digital video and CTV spend to grow 14.8%1 and 34.8%2 in 2021 respectively, Q1 spend on Xandr’s platform in these areas was impressive. Total digital video spend on Xandr’s platform – globally, across Xandr Invest’s DSP and Xandr Monetize’s SSP and ad server – grew 75% YoY in Q1 2021. The primary driver of this video spend growth across the platform is CTV, with total global platform spend up 235% YoY. Video now represents 35% of overall spend on Xandr’s platform.

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Growth in international platform spend is contributing significantly to Xandr’s overall global platform growth. Total platform spend in Xandr’s markets outside of the United States grew 30% YoY, with video spend up 55% YoY and CTV spend up 211% YoY.

In a world where advertising must prove its worth, marketers are increasingly relying on Xandr Invest to demonstrate outcomes and validate return on ad spend. Global spend on Xandr Invest grew 35% YoY, with spend specifically on CTV jumping 205% YoY, as Xandr scales strategic relationships through the demand chain, from agencies and holding companies to brands and direct marketers.

Due to growing direct integrations with premium video publishers, CTV inventory is increasingly available and monetized through Xandr. Global seller revenues on CTV inventory, through spend on Xandr Monetize, grew 391% YoY.

A unified model for a converged future

Another highlight of Q1 2021 was the completed launch of Crown Media Family Networks on Xandr’s linear optimization platform and integration with Xandr’s marketplace. Crown Media Family Networks’ premium inventory is now available for automated audience-based buying through Xandr’s Invest TV platform. In Q2 2021, Xandr will be focused on a unified inventory model for converged yield across digital, linear and addressable TV.

Important advances to CTV buyers’ visibility and confidence

To increase advertisers’ understanding of the growing opportunity of premium video, Xandr released its global guide, CTV: Advertising’s Creative Canvas, in January 2021, featuring global thought leadership from product experts at EBX, Finecast, Nine, 10 ViacomCBS, LiTV, GroupM, Xaxis, Jellyfish, France Télévisions Publicité, Matterkind, ShowHeroes, Omnicom Media Group, Peach, Vitor Media, DIRECTV GO, Hearts & Science, MiQ and Philo.

Xandr continues to proactively tackle challenges arising from emerging formats like CTV – around identity, context, campaign planning and outcomes – and is laser focused on ensuring that buyers can transact with assurance and drive performance. In Q1 2021, Xandr released important advances to programmatic buying and premium video including a data science-based CTV pacing solution so that buyers can be confident their budgets are allocated correctly; and a novel video taxonomy system so that users of the Xandr marketplace can transact and report on a clearly-defined and manageable set of OTT content descriptors, gaining critical insight into where their ads are running.