Roku Announces Industry-First Advertising Watermark to Protect from Ad Spoofing

-Roku’s Advertising Watermark helps advertisers and publishers verify that ad inventory is running on genuine Roku devices

-OneView is first ad buying platform to offer ad inventory validated by Roku’s Advertising Watermark

Roku, Inc.  announced Roku’s Advertising Watermark, free technology to help advertisers and publishers validate the authenticity of video ads originating on the Roku platform. As the industry’s first authentication solution built for TV streaming, Roku’s Advertising Watermark gives marketers the confidence that their advertising spend is reaching real Roku users.

Today, device spoofing occurs when scammers pretend that a desktop or mobile device is a TV streaming device. Roku’s Advertising Watermark integrates with the Roku operating system to automatically verify publisher ad requests and impressions so that advertisers know they are reaching genuine Roku users. While ad spoofing in TV streaming remains rare, this technology will help the industry deter bad actors and improve ad effectiveness.

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Ad technology providers integrating Roku’s Advertising Watermark at launch include Basis Technologies, Google, HUMAN, Innovid, and Magnite. Publishers using Roku’s Advertising Watermark to sell their own ad inventory include Discovery, FOX, and more. Additionally, OneView by Roku will be the first ad buying platform to offer ad inventory automatically validated by Roku’s Advertising Watermark.

“As America’s No. 1 TV Streaming Platform, we are uniquely positioned to help the industry preempt device spoofing,” said Louqman Parampath, VP of Product Management, Roku. “This is powerful and free technology that will help advertisers accelerate their shift to TV streaming with even more confidence.”

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“Roku is moving the industry forward with a solution that combats spoofing across the ad supply chain before it becomes a major issue,” said Tamer Hassan, co-founder and CEO, HUMAN. “Together in partnership with Roku, we are creating a collectively protected ecosystem that brings even more trust and quality in a world where all TV will be streamed.”

“Roku’s Advertising Watermark assures our advertiser clients that they are buying genuine Discovery inventory on Roku devices,” said Bill Murray, Vice President, Programmatic Solutions, Discovery. “We’re excited that Roku has brought its data, operating system, and ad technology together to easily prevent ad spoofing.”