The programmatic advertising market is experiencing explosive growth, with projections reaching $116.57 billion by 2029, according to Research and Markets. This expansion was clearly evident at CES 2025, where numerous partnerships and platform announcements dominated the conversation.
Comcast unveiled Universal Ads, a platform designed to simplify premium video advertising purchases. This platform boasts initial partnerships with major players such as Fox Corporation, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Roku, AMC Networks, A+E, DirecTV, TelevisaUnivision, and Xumo. The platform offers a self-service buying tool and plans to incorporate AI-driven TV commercial production, aiming to reach over 90% of U.S. households.
Disney also strengthened its advertising capabilities, particularly for live events, through new third-party partnerships and a certification program. Google’s Display & Video 360, The Trade Desk, and Yahoo DSP received certification, alongside Magnite as the sole supply-side partner. This program facilitates handling large-scale inventory and automated ad placement.
Yahoo DSP integrated with Roku's advertising ecosystem, including Yahoo ConnectID in the Roku Data Cloud and connections to Roku Exchange and Yahoo Backstage. Roku also launched its Data Cloud analytics platform, offering access to streaming viewership data and partnering with Innovid, iSpot.TV, Omnicom Media Group, and PMG.
DirecTV Advertising introduced programmatic access to its linear satellite advertising inventory, using DirecTV Axis ad technology, collaborating with Publicis Media Exchange, Magnite, and Basis Technologies. Comscore data highlights that traditional linear TV still significantly outperforms streaming in ad impressions.
Xumo, a joint venture between Comcast and Charter Communications, expanded its partnership with Google TV Freeplay to monetize over 160 FAST channels, managing ad sales and carrying “provided by Xumo” branding.
The shift towards automated advertising systems is driven by increasing demand and challenges faced by advertisers on social media. A 2024 Comcast Advertising study revealed that 50% of advertisers with limited TV experience saw diminishing social media returns, with 89% expressing interest in TV advertising.