IPG Mediabrands launches Acxiom Contextual CTV solution for streaming ads

IPG Mediabrands, the media and marketing solutions division of Interpublic Group, and Acxiom announced the launch of Acxiom Contextual CTV powered by IRIS_ID on August 19, 2025. This marks the first time a global holding company has deployed a contextual solution built specifically for Connected TV advertising.

The solution transforms CTV advertising through a strategic partnership between Acxiom and IRIS.TV, a Viant Technology company. Built on IRIS.TV's widely adopted content ID, the platform enables IPG Mediabrands advertisers to reach consumers with relevant messages based on the context, genre, and tone of content being viewed.

According to Upwave, campaigns leveraging the IRIS_ID significantly outperformed standard CTV benchmarks. The data shows campaigns generated 2x lift in Awareness, 3x in Ad Recall, and 5x in Favorability compared to Upwave's Tactic Norms for CTV across all measured campaigns.

Connected TV viewership has reached historic levels. Nielsen's July 2025 report indicates streaming officially eclipsed the combined share of broadcast and cable TV for the first time. Streaming represented 44.8% of TV viewership in May 2025, while broadcast (20.1%) and cable (24.1%) combined represented 44.2% of total television viewing.

The streaming ecosystem's growth creates mounting complexity for advertisers managing reach, frequency, and measurement across platforms. With CTV representing 41% of total viewing time and more than 85% of US households streaming, advertisers face fragmentation challenges that make consistent campaign planning and measurement difficult.

"Acxiom Contextual CTV represents the future of programmatic—privacy by design, data-rich, and publisher-aligned," said Simon Poplyansky, VP of Global Partnerships at Acxiom. "With the IRIS_ID, we're able to enhance our core offerings with precise contextual targeting, driving superior outcomes for our brand partners."

The solution features a detailed taxonomy of over 1,200 content categories. Investment teams can now plan and execute real-time contextual targeting across the streaming ecosystem with greater precision and scale. The new Acxiom data solution will be available for both direct and programmatic activations across a range of platform partners.

IPG Mediabrands manages over $47 billion in marketing investment globally on behalf of clients across its full-service agency networks UM, Initiative and Mediahub. The company serves clients through award-winning specialty business units including Healix, Kinesso, MAGNA, Matterkind, Mediabrands Content Studio, Orion Holdings, Rapport, Reprise, and the IPG Media Lab.

Practical implementation shows measurable results. In a recent campaign for a global entertainment brand, IPG Mediabrands agency Mediahub saw significant improvements in tune-in lift and video completion rates when targeting IRIS-enabled publishers. The campaign demonstrated the power of strategic content alignment across the full brand funnel.

"With CTV content often consumed on hundreds of apps and shared devices like smart TVs, our customers want to ensure the intended target audience watches their ads," said Mike Treon, Head of Connected TV Strategy at PMG. "When our customers' campaigns target IRIS-enabled data, we have not only seen superior lifts in upper funnel KPIs like ad recall and brand favourability, but across all business outcomes."

The IRIS_ID enables publishers to become "IRIS-enabled" by passing the identifier in CTV bid requests. This process gives them access to scaled demand from IPG advertisers seeking to align their messaging with high-quality, relevant content. Publishers benefit from increased demand while advertisers gain access to contextual data across thousands of publishers.

"As CTV matures, advertisers need tools that deliver scale, precision, and respect for consumer privacy," said Field Garthwaite, CEO and Co-founder of IRIS.TV. "By adding real-time, video-level contextual data to its best-in-class data and identity solutions, Acxiom is giving IPG advertisers a powerful new layer of intelligence that consistently drives return on ad spend."

The solution addresses fragmentation by leveraging the IRIS_ID to unify contextual data across publishers. IPG Mediabrands uses this standardized approach to target and measure video content with greater precision and scale. The technology provides real-time data about what viewers are watching, enabling more informed advertising decisions.

"We are constantly seeking innovative ways to enhance media efficiency and effectiveness for our clients," said Molly Schultz, EVP Investment Strategy IPG Mediabrands. "This partnership with Acxiom and IRIS.TV delivers a holistic solution combining Acxiom's powerful data with the IRIS_ID, a privacy-first solution for contextual CTV."

The contextual advantage becomes more significant as the CTV landscape fragments. Streaming usage has increased 71% since May 2021, when Nielsen's The Gauge first launched. Six additional streaming services now exceed a full share point of TV usage compared to the original list of Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Prime Video and Disney+.

Free ad-supported television (FAST) services have become increasingly popular. PlutoTV, Roku Channel and Tubi combined for 5.7% of total TV viewing in May 2025, representing more viewership than any individual broadcast network during that period.

The partnership demonstrates how contextual targeting has emerged as a scalable and effective solution in the complex streaming environment. PPC Land has extensively covered the growing importance of contextual advertising as third-party cookies phase out and privacy regulations increase.

Data from the Brand Building Power of Contextual Targeting on CTV report shows real-time, content-aligned ad placements drive deeper consumer engagement and better brand performance. The research highlights contextual targeting's value in cutting through noise in the fragmented CTV landscape.

"Aligning ads with content isn't just intuitive – it's proven to be highly effective when executed with IRIS-enabled data," said Field Garthwaite, CEO & Co-founder of IRIS.TV. "Today, the smart TV is the most valuable screen in the household, but unlike a mobile device, we don't know who is watching."

The launch occurs as advertisers face increasing pressure to prove the value of brand investments in fragmented environments. Chris Kelly, CEO of Upwave, noted that IRIS-enabled contextual targeting cuts through clutter and delivers measurable brand impact when combined with Upwave's measurement platform.

Industry analysis suggests this represents a major shift toward privacy-first contextual targeting at scale. The solution combines established data and identity capabilities with real-time contextual signals to create comprehensive targeting options for CTV advertisers.

Technical implementation involves passing the IRIS_ID in bid requests, which standardizes contextual data across thousands of publishers. This approach unifies how video content gets targeted and measured, addressing one of the primary challenges in the fragmented CTV ecosystem.

IPG Mediabrands clients include many of the world's most recognizable brands across automotive, personal finance, consumer product goods, pharmaceuticals, health and wellness, entertainment, financial services, energy, toys and gaming, direct-to-consumer and e-commerce, retail, hospitality, food and beverage, fashion and beauty sectors.

The announcement comes as traditional media companies continue transforming into streaming-first entities. Platforms like Hulu, Paramount+ and Peacock have expanded accessibility to create connection points with streaming-native audiences, complementing rather than competing with linear counterparts.

Acxiom operates as the connected data and technology foundation of Interpublic Group, focusing on data ethics and governance while serving clients globally with locations in the US, UK, Germany, China, Poland, and Mexico. The company specializes in unifying, connecting, and preparing data for AI-driven marketing and decision-making.

IRIS.TV functions as the leading content data marketplace for streaming, structuring, connecting, and activating video-level data to create better viewing experiences and advertising outcomes. The company's content identifier enables partners to build scalable advertising solutions for contextual and brand-suitability planning, targeting, and measurement.

Timeline

• October 31, 2023: Oracle Advertising and The Trade Desk partner to offer video-level contextual via IRIS_ID - Partnership leverages IRIS.TV technology for CTV contextual intelligence
• March 4, 2024: IRIS.TV launches Contextual CTV Deal Library offering curated Private Marketplaces for video-level targeting
• July 29, 2024: Gracenote introduces Contextual CTV Ad Targeting with industry partnerships featuring program-level metadata
• October 7, 2024: Google expands Custom Bidding Options in DV360 for CTV Ads adding content duration and delivery type multipliers
• December 11, 2024: IAB Tech Lab unveils Content Taxonomy upgrade for programmatic CTV advertising introducing OpenRTB attributes
• April 28, 2025: Upwave and IRIS.TV released "The Brand-Building Power of Contextual Targeting on CTV" report
• May 2025: Nielsen data shows streaming reaches 44.8% of total TV usage, eclipsing broadcast and cable combined
• June 5, 2025: Magnite partners with Anoki to enable scene-level targeting in CTV using multimodal AI analysis
• June 17, 2025: Nielsen announces streaming's historic milestone in official report
• July 9, 2025: Marketers struggle to adapt social creative for connected TV campaigns with only 25% developing tailored content
• July 16, 2025: Wunderkind launches programmatic CTV pause ads with 79% cost reduction
• July 2025: Nielsen report confirms streaming officially surpassed combined broadcast and cable viewing
• August 17, 2025: Nexxen renews partnership with VIDAA for North American CTV expansion securing exclusive monetization rights through 2029
• August 19, 2025: Viant integrates with Wurl for scene-level CTV targeting becoming first DSP offering contextual intelligence
• August 19, 2025: IPG Mediabrands and Acxiom announce launch of Acxiom Contextual CTV powered by IRIS_ID

PPC Land explains

Connected TV (CTV): Internet-enabled television devices that stream digital video content without traditional cable or satellite infrastructure. CTV represents the fastest-growing segment of digital advertising, with budgets projected to double from 14% to 28% of total media spending between 2023 and 2025. The platform enables household-level targeting while maintaining the premium viewing environment associated with television screens.

IRIS_ID: A universal content identifier developed by IRIS.TV that enables standardized contextual data classification across streaming video content. Publishers become "IRIS-enabled" by passing this identifier in bid requests, which unlocks access to scaled demand from advertisers seeking content-aligned messaging. The IRIS_ID serves as the technical foundation for real-time contextual targeting without relying on individual user tracking.

Contextual targeting: An advertising approach that places ads based on the content, genre, and tone of the media being consumed rather than individual user behavior or demographics. This method has gained prominence as privacy regulations restrict traditional tracking methods, offering advertisers a way to maintain relevance while respecting consumer privacy. Research shows contextual alignment drives significantly higher engagement rates compared to demographic targeting alone.

Streaming: Digital video content delivery over internet connections, which officially surpassed combined broadcast and cable television viewing for the first time in May 2025 at 44.8% of total TV usage. Streaming platforms have grown 71% since 2021, fundamentally reshaping how advertisers reach audiences and requiring new approaches to campaign planning, targeting, and measurement across fragmented platform ecosystems.

IPG Mediabrands: The media and marketing solutions division of Interpublic Group, managing over $47 billion in marketing investment globally across agency networks UM, Initiative, and Mediahub. The company serves clients through award-winning specialty business units and operates in more than 130 countries, representing many of the world's most recognizable brands across diverse industry sectors from automotive to entertainment.

Programmatic: Automated buying and selling of digital advertising inventory through real-time bidding systems and algorithmic optimization. In the CTV space, programmatic enables advertisers to purchase streaming inventory at scale while applying sophisticated targeting parameters. Industry data shows 72% of marketers plan to increase programmatic investment in 2025, with CTV demonstrating particular effectiveness for brand-building objectives.

Brand measurement: The process of evaluating advertising impact on consumer awareness, recall, favorability, and other brand-building metrics rather than direct response actions. CTV campaigns using contextual targeting show measurable improvements across the brand funnel, with some implementations delivering 2x awareness lift, 3x ad recall improvement, and 5x favorability increases compared to standard benchmarks.

Fragmentation: The challenge created by the proliferation of streaming platforms and apps, making it difficult for advertisers to plan, execute, and measure campaigns consistently across the ecosystem. With hundreds of streaming services and varying technical implementations, advertisers struggle to achieve unified reach and frequency management. Contextual solutions like IRIS_ID help address fragmentation by providing standardized data signals across publishers.

Privacy-first: An approach to advertising technology that prioritizes consumer data protection and compliance with regulations like GDPR and CCPA. Privacy-first solutions avoid relying on individual user tracking or personal identifiers, instead using contextual signals and aggregated data for targeting. This methodology becomes increasingly important as third-party cookies phase out and privacy regulations expand globally.

Real-time: The ability to analyze content and make advertising decisions instantaneously as streaming video plays, enabling dynamic ad placement based on current content characteristics. Real-time contextual analysis allows advertisers to align messaging with specific scenes, emotions, or content categories as they occur. This capability requires sophisticated technical infrastructure to process video-level data and execute bidding decisions within milliseconds.

Summary

Who: IPG Mediabrands, the media and marketing solutions division of Interpublic Group managing over $47 billion in marketing investment globally, partnered with Acxiom, the connected data and technology foundation of IPG, and IRIS.TV, a Viant Technology company specializing in content data marketplace for streaming.

What: The launch of Acxiom Contextual CTV powered by IRIS_ID, the first contextual solution built specifically for Connected TV by a global holding company. The solution enables advertisers to target based on content context, genre, and tone using a taxonomy of over 1,200 content categories, delivering 2x lift in Awareness, 3x in Ad Recall, and 5x in Favorability compared to standard CTV benchmarks.

When: The announcement was made on August 19, 2025, with the solution becoming available for both direct and programmatic activations across platform partners.

Where: The solution operates across the fragmented CTV streaming ecosystem, unifying contextual data across thousands of publishers through the IRIS_ID identifier, with IPG Mediabrands serving clients across its agency networks UM, Initiative, and Mediahub in more than 130 countries.

Why: As streaming reached 44.8% of total TV usage in May 2025, surpassing combined broadcast and cable viewing for the first time, advertisers face mounting complexity in the fragmented CTV landscape. The solution addresses challenges in targeting, measurement, and privacy compliance while providing scalable, content-aligned advertising that drives measurable brand impact without relying on individual user tracking.