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FreeWheel expands premium CTV marketplace partnerships

Major streaming partners join advertising technology platform to strengthen programmatic ecosystem reach.

Luis Rijo

• 5 min read

FreeWheel announced expanded connected television partnerships with eight prominent streaming platforms on June 11, 2025, marking significant growth in the company's premium video marketplace infrastructure. The partnerships include Fubo, LG Ads, Philo, Plex, TCL Ads, Telly, and Wurl, according to a company announcement made at 8:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time.

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The expansion represents a strategic consolidation of programmatic advertising access across diverse streaming environments. Each partner brings distinct technical capabilities and audience segments to the unified marketplace architecture that FreeWheel has been developing since its 2021 acquisition of Beeswax.

Summary

Who: FreeWheel, a Comcast subsidiary and global television advertising technology platform, announced partnerships with eight streaming platforms: Fubo, LG Ads, Philo, Plex, TCL Ads, Telly, Wurl, and additional undisclosed partners.

What: Expansion of FreeWheel's premium connected television marketplace through new and enhanced partnerships designed to strengthen programmatic advertising offerings and simplify access to premium video inventory for advertisers of all sizes.

When: The announcement was made on June 11, 2025, at 8:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time.

Where: The partnerships span multiple geographic markets where FreeWheel operates, including the United States and international markets served through the company's offices in New York, Chicago, London, Paris, and Beijing.

Why: The expansion addresses market fragmentation challenges in connected television advertising by providing unified access to premium streaming inventory, advanced targeting capabilities, and simplified programmatic buying processes to help advertisers reach diverse audiences across multiple platforms more efficiently.

Technical infrastructure enhancements

According to the announcement, these partnerships provide FreeWheel supply-side platform clients with "unique access to a premium CTV marketplace, while also providing publishers with a streamlined access point to a wide range of demand." The technical implementation spans multiple streaming delivery methods, from free ad-supported television (FAST) services to premium subscription platforms with advertising tiers.

FreeWheel's approach addresses programmatic advertising complexity through standardized data signals and optimized bidding mechanisms. The platform architecture incorporates advanced customization features designed to simplify advertiser access across fragmented streaming inventory sources.

Greg Bel, Vice President of Supply at FreeWheel, stated that "buyers are increasingly looking to premium streaming inventory as the best way to reach diverse and fragmented audiences." He added that "by bringing together these premium streaming partners, FreeWheel is paving the way for smarter, scalable ways for buyers to find audiences in the current and future state of media buying."

Partner-specific capabilities

The individual partnerships reveal distinct technical capabilities across the streaming ecosystem. Fubo contributes live sports, news and entertainment inventory through its connected television platform. Jennifer Hess, Vice President, Global Ad Operations at Fubo, explained that "FreeWheel is opening the door for even more brands to activate against Fubo's live CTV sports, news and entertainment content."

Philo's integration focuses on brand safety and audience engagement metrics. Aulden Kaye Yi, Head of Advertising Partnerships at Philo, noted that the company "has always focused on helping brands reach their relevant audiences simply and flexibly across our premium, brand-safe CTV inventory and highly engaged viewership."

Plex brings FAST and AVOD inventory capabilities with enhanced self-service features. Zach Chapman, CRO at Plex, described the partnership as enabling "self-service capabilities and greater efficiencies" while "unlocking access to top-tier on-platform demand from partners like Comcast, Locality, and Universal Ads."

Artificial intelligence integration

TCL Ads introduces generative artificial intelligence-powered content capabilities within the partnership framework. Rebecca Wan, Head of Business Development at TCL Ads, stated that the integration "enables streamlined delivery of highly targeted advertising within premium CTV environments through generative AI-powered content for our free streaming services."

The AI implementation addresses content-level targeting and optimization across TCL's streaming service portfolio. According to Wan, "FreeWheel's marketplace serves as a driving force in maximizing audience monetization potential and accelerating growth for our ad-supported business."

Advanced targeting capabilities

Telly's dual-screen television technology provides unique advertising opportunities through its always-on smart screen functionality. Seho Lee, President of Advertising for Telly, emphasized that the partnership "unlocks a new era of opportunity for brands—bringing together precision targeting, creative freedom beyond the 30-second spot, and real performance at the moment viewers are most engaged."

The Telly integration specifically addresses engagement timing through its dual-screen design. Lee added that "by combining FreeWheel's premium demand and technology with Telly's dual-screen TV design and always on smart screen, we're enabling advertisers to connect more meaningfully with audiences during the moments that matter most."

Contextual advertising advancement

Wurl contributes scene-level targeting capabilities through its publisher ad insertion technology. Ria Madrid, Vice President of Advertising Partnerships for Wurl, explained that "as the technology behind publisher ad insertion, Wurl enables smarter ad delivery with better data, custom formats, and scene-level targeting."

The contextual advertising implementation operates at granular content levels. Madrid noted that "our collaboration with FreeWheel has significantly enhanced our ability to make contextually relevant moments biddable for streaming advertisers, at scale."

Market positioning and ecosystem development

The partnership announcements coincide with FreeWheel's broader ecosystem unification strategy. The company operates within what it terms "The New TV Ecosystem," spanning traditional linear television, connected TV, and streaming platforms across multiple geographic markets including New York, Chicago, London, Paris, and Beijing.

FreeWheel's technology infrastructure supports both enterprise-level buying through its Advertiser Suite and smaller advertisers via Universal Ads, the cross-industry television advertising platform. This dual approach addresses market fragmentation challenges that have historically limited programmatic television advertising adoption.

Industry context and significance

According to PPC Land, FreeWheel has maintained an active partnership expansion strategy throughout 2024 and 2025. The platform previously integrated with Adlook in November 2024 to enhance artificial intelligence-powered targeting capabilities and launched a unified product ecosystem in April 2025.

The connected television advertising landscape has experienced rapid transformation since FreeWheel's acquisition of Beeswax in January 2021. PPC Land analysis indicates that FreeWheel has systematically consolidated its programmatic offerings under simplified product architectures, including the Publisher Suite and Advertiser Suite launched in April 2025.

These technical developments address persistent industry challenges around programmatic advertising complexity. PPC Land reported that "only approximately 20% of premium video content is traded through programmatic channels, primarily due to complexity and protective measures for brand and viewer experiences."

Revenue and measurement implications

The expanded partnership network provides enhanced measurement capabilities across diverse streaming environments. Advanced customization features include standardized data signals designed to improve campaign performance attribution across multiple content delivery platforms.

FreeWheel's marketplace integration approach addresses both demand and supply side optimization requirements. The technical architecture incorporates real-time bidding optimization, inventory quality controls, and audience verification systems designed to maintain premium advertising standards.

Future platform development

The June 11 announcement indicates continued expansion of FreeWheel's programmatic capabilities across emerging streaming platforms. The company's technology roadmap includes further integration of artificial intelligence capabilities, enhanced contextual targeting systems, and expanded geographic market access.

The partnership network provides foundation infrastructure for cross-platform advertising campaign management. Technical specifications include unified reporting systems, standardized creative formats, and integrated audience measurement capabilities designed to simplify multi-platform advertising execution.

Madrid from Wurl concluded that "by leveraging FreeWheel's unified platform, we're able to connect with top-tier demand partners and deliver their campaigns alongside content that resonates and drives outcomes." This technical integration approach reflects broader industry movement toward consolidated programmatic advertising access across fragmented streaming inventory sources.

Timeline

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