Havas Media North America Selects FreeWheel as Preferred Supply-Side Platform Partner for Premium Video

February 01, 2023 at 12:17 PM EST

As part of the agreement, FreeWheel will work with Havas Media to scale premium CTV campaigns for U.S. advertisers.

The arrangement will help optimize supply chain consistency and financial and operational transparency via direct connection to FreeWheel’s premium video supply clients.

Havas Media Group (HMG) North America today announced that it has selected FreeWheel, a global technology platform for the television advertising industry, as a preferred supply-side platform (SSP) partner for premium video inventory.

As part of this agreement, FreeWheel will now serve as one of Havas Media’s preferred SSP partners for premium video inventory spanning connected television (CTV), programmatic guaranteed and standard private marketplace (PMP) deals that the agency holding company purchases on behalf of its U.S. clients.

“In our selection of an SSP partner, we sought a company that understood and championed a better approach to driving innovation in the TV ad ecosystem, as well as our commitment to creating and driving meaningful media strategies for our brands in North America,” said Tom Grant, SVP, Group Director, Investment Operations, Havas Media Group. “FreeWheel stood out as a leader in this respect, through its big picture, future minded approach in delivering on results via premium video inventory for marketers, streamlining the media supply chain, and industry leading transparency. We are very much looking forward to working with them to advance programmatic CTV buying for our clients.”

FreeWheel will work with HMG NA to scale premium CTV campaigns for advertisers. This integration provides marketers with several key benefits, such as:

A more optimized supply path, by providing direct access to premium CTV programmers and MVPDs across more than 90% of the premium video ecosystem.
A commitment to fair auction mechanics and pricing structures fostering innovation and efficiency in the programmatic marketplace.
A simplified and optimized media supply chain, leading to the strictest quality standards and best-in-class fraud monitoring and enforcement.

“This collaboration brings together two like-minded partners who recognize and deeply value the importance of solving for some of today’s most pressing industry needs, including driving greater scale and transparency, simplifying complexities and delivering for our clients,” said Katy Loria, Chief Revenue Officer, FreeWheel. “We are thrilled to be working with Havas Media Group and look forward to collaborating to make the premium video ecosystem better.”

About FreeWheel

FreeWheel empowers all segments of The New TV Ecosystem. We are structured to provide the full breadth of solutions the advertising industry needs to achieve their goals. We provide the technology, data enablement and convergent marketplaces required to ensure buyers and sellers can transact across all screens, across all data types, and all sales channels, in order to ensure the ultimate goal – results for marketers. With offices in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, London, Paris, Beijing, and across the globe, FreeWheel, A Comcast Company, stands to advocate for the entire industry through the FreeWheel Council for Premium Video. For more information, please visit freewheel.com, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Havas Media Group

Havas Media Group (HMG) is the media experience agency. HMG delivers this brand promise through the Mx System, where meaningful media helps build more meaningful brands. HMG is part of the Havas Group, owned by Vivendi, one of the world's largest integrated content, media, and communications groups. HMG also consists of two global media networks: Havas Media and Arena Media. The media experience agencies are home to more than 10,000 specialists across 150 countries worldwide, with 62 Villages. Global clients include Hyundai Kia, Puma, TripAdvisor, Michelin, Telefónica, Reckitt Benckiser, among many others.

For more information, visit the website or follow Havas Media Group on Twitter @HavasMedia, LinkedIn @Havas Media Group, Facebook @HavasMedia or Instagram @havas.