GroupM Starts Addressable TV Ad Company in Canada

Media buying giant GroupM said Thursday it launched Finecast, its addressable TV company, in Canada.

Finecast, which enables advertisers to target audiences via connected TVs, previously launched and is running campaigns in the U.K. and Australia.

In Canada, Finecast is working with distributors including Bell, Rogers, CBC and Corus and streaming platforms including Tubi, Amazon, Roku and Samsung.

“As the largest media advertising company in the world, GroupM is able to create the scale of partnerships required to find relevant audiences in the fragmented TV landscape,” GroupM Canada CEO Stuart Garvie said. “With Finecast, we have partnered with the top content providers, broadcasters, platforms and data providers in Canada to build this market that will inevitably add more value to consumers and advertisers.”

GroupM, part of WPP, said Finecast allows advertisers to deliver targeted ads across multiple TV channels, pay-TV platforms and set-top boxes, VOD services, over-the-top providers and game consoles at scale.

Fincast targets campaign using data from Envronics Analytics, Mastercard and several third-party suppliers.

“There’s never been a better time to watch TV, as investments in original content continue to exponentially increase,” Finecast Global CEO Jakob Nielsen said. “With the advancements in data and technology, the advanced TV advertising opportunities available for brands is truly exciting. We know linear TV viewership has been declining, but the audience is still there; they are just changing the way they consume content. Finecast gives GroupM’s clients a holistic view of, and access to, their audience, regardless of where they are watching.”

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.