NEW YORK, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Operative, the preferred advertising management solution for the world’s leading media companies, today announced that National CineMedia (NASDAQ: NCMI) (“NCM”), the leader in cinema advertising, has partnered with Operative to enhance its advertising operations, improve inventory forecasting, and optimize sales activities across multiple channels. With more than 17,500 screens in over 1,350 theaters across the U.S., NCM’s dynamic cinema advertising platform serves thousands of advertisers at the national, regional, and local level. Through this partnership, Operative will enable NCM to more precisely forecast future demand and help optimize sales and operational workflows to drive improved yield across its business.

“NCM must be at the forefront of technology and innovation in order to deliver targeted advertising at the scale and sophistication our clients have come to expect,” said Catherine Sullivan, President at NCM. “Operative’s suite of solutions will enable us to streamline complex workflows to help our sales and ad operations become more strategic, efficient, and effective for our clients as we take our business to the next level.”

To achieve its goals, NCM will leverage Operative’s suite of solutions including AOS, the cloud-based intelligent media management platform, STAQ, the leading analytics and reporting tool, and OnTarget, an ML-based forecasting tool that delivers incredibly accurate forecasts of future demand for content at the local level. With this insight, NCM can create more accurate packages and proposals for advertisers and deliver more intelligent and effective campaigns that drive better outcomes for clients.

Operative will further enable NCM with:

• Automated and accurate forecasts: ML-based forecasting engine that leverages first-party, third-party, and exogenous data to automate predictions. Forecasts are visible and integrated into the sales process to improve long-term planning, unlock yield optimization, increase revenue generation, and reduce makegoods.
• Sales automation: Streamlined sales portals supporting proposal building, ordering, checkout, creative management, and reporting for clients and sales teams to build healthier pipelines, faster response times, and higher close rates.
• Yield optimization: Programmatic dashboard and executive dashboards to track revenue generation, capture viewership factors, and surface demand forecasts
• Media monetization: SaaS, cloud-based integration hub for the ad sales ecosystem. Cross-platform planning and order management system where planning and yield teams can manage products and plans and maintain deals through their entire lifecycle.

“Through this partnership, Operative will empower NCM with streamlined operations, enhanced forecasting, and integrated inventory to boost revenue, accelerate deal flow, and strengthen their competitive edge in cinema advertising,” said Michael Grossi, CEO at Operative. “In addition to improved sales and ad-ops workflows, NCM will gain unprecedented control over their business with the most accurate forecasting available, enabling precise ad sales and yield management.”

About National CineMedia (NCM)
National CineMedia, Inc. (NCM, NASDAQ: NCMI) is the largest cinema advertising platform in the US. With unparalleled reach and scale, NCM connects brands to sought-after young, diverse audiences through the power of movies and pop culture. A premium video, full-funnel marketing solution for advertisers, NCM enhances marketers' ability to measure and drive results. NCM’s Noovie^® Show is presented exclusively in 42 leading national and regional theater circuits including the only three national chains, AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (a subsidiary of Cineworld Group PLC). NCM’s cinema advertising platform consists of more than 17,500 screens in over 1,350 theaters in 184 Designated Market Areas^® (all of the top 50). NCM is the managing member and owner of approximately 100% of National CineMedia, LLC. For more information, visit www.ncm.com.

About Operative
Operative is the preferred advertising management solution provider for over 300 of the world's top media brands across 18 countries, including Fox, NBCU, Paramount, Disney, Seven Australia and Sky. Operative brings unmatched solutions to manage digital, linear, and converged advertising workflows while connecting, unifying, and activating data across platforms. Since 2000, Operative has grown to process more than $60 billion in advertising revenue. For more information, visit www.operative.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains various forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, that reflect management’s current expectations or beliefs regarding, among other things, NCM, Inc.’s ability to forecast future demand and help optimize sales and operations workflows to drive improved yield across its business. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of important factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking statements. Please refer to National CineMedia, Inc.’s (“NCM, Inc.”) Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the “Risk Factor” section of the NCM Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2024 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, for further information about risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Investors are cautioned that reliance on these forward-looking statements involves risks and uncertainties. NCM, Inc. undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result, of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contact:
NCM – douglas.serton@ncm.com

Operative – emily@rileystrategic.com