DigitalReef Acquires Connected TV Advertising Management Platform Column6

DigitalReef, a leading global mobile marketing technology company, has completed the acquisition of connected television (CTV) advertising software platform Column6. This acquisition provides DigitalReef expanded capabilities and expertise in programmatic advertising and streaming media ad management throughout the Americas.

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“Column6 has built a powerful ad server and unified auction working with the largest CTV platforms and publishers, as well as Fortune 500 brands and ad agency holding companies,” DigitalReef CEO Maurizio Angelone said. “Its capabilities and expertise based on its proprietary technology will help DigitalReef expand its advantage in building close connections with audiences around the world, be it on mobile or connected TV and streaming media services.”

Column6 enables DigitalReef to target a rapidly expanding market opportunity, bringing together the Latin American mobile ecosystem and the North American streaming and broadcast markets. By 2025, the US is forecasted to spend more than $30B on CTV ads, an increase of over 233% from the $9B spent in 2020. Global CTV impressions in 2020 increased 60% year over year and connected TV accounted for 40% of all video impressions, up from 31% in 2019.

Column6 brings DigitalReef’s advertising and marketing platform, DR-ONE, immediate CTV scale and capability in key global markets (including the US and Canada). The joint company will leverage the more than 500 million mobile devices in Latin America to the nearly 200 million active CTV households in the United States to expand the engagement and revenue opportunities for digital content publishers, mobile operators and content producers. Column6 has access to more than 2,500 CTV applications and integration with more than 25 programmatic bidders and DigitalReef has more than 3,000 publishers and established carrier customers in its ecosystem.

“The mobile device is the first, and oftentimes the only, screen for streaming media consumption for hundreds of millions of people globally,” Column6 CEO Mark Yackanich said. “While we continue to expand our CTV exchange and platform services in the US, we are thrilled to leverage our platform to help power an emerging streaming media ecosystem with leading mobile operators across the Americas.”

The Column6 team will be expanded to build out their full product and market vision with Column6 executives playing a key role in DigitalReef’s global growth.