Samsung ads and Magnite expand partnership

Samsung Ads and Magnite have announced an expanded global partnership focused on enhancing audience addressability in streaming television. The announcement, made three days ago on April 9, 2025, comes as both companies seek to capitalize on the growing streaming advertising marketplace.

According to Magnite, the largest independent sell-side advertising company, the partnership expansion follows a period of significant growth. From 2023 to 2024, Samsung Ads experienced double-digit percentage gross revenue growth on the Magnite Streaming SSP (Supply-Side Platform) as a result of their collaboration.

The partnership enhancement arrives as Samsung Ads continues to strengthen its position in both U.S. and global markets. Samsung Ads has established itself as the owner of the largest single source of TV data in the U.S. market, all obtained with user consent. This data infrastructure supports Samsung TV Plus, the company's free ad-supported television (FAST) and advertising-based video on demand (AVOD) service.

Samsung TV Plus currently boasts 88 million monthly active users globally. The service recently expanded its reach by launching in Singapore, the Philippines, and Thailand. Magnite will facilitate programmatic access to this inventory in these regions for the first time, opening new opportunities for advertisers seeking to reach audiences in emerging Asian markets.

Joe Melaragno, Head of Channel Sales at Samsung Ads, explained the strategic importance of the expanded partnership: "Alongside the rapid growth of our ads business, Magnite has been an instrumental partner helping us build custom technology to improve our programmatic monetization."

The collaboration has resulted in several technological advancements that benefit both companies. These include simplified genre targeting to support contextual advertising, improved forecasting capabilities, and a significant reduction in timeouts. These improvements complement Samsung's growing viewership on Samsung TV Plus.

Melaragno expressed enthusiasm about future prospects, particularly regarding Magnite Storefront, which is part of the Magnite Access suite. "We're very excited to see how Magnite Storefront within the Magnite Access suite can bring additional value to our data capabilities and further empower our sales team to deliver best-in-class solutions for advertisers," he stated.

The enhanced partnership focuses specifically on the Magnite Access product, which will help Samsung Ads better manage behavioral audience data across Magnite platforms. The technology assists media owners like Samsung Ads in increasing the volume of targeted impressions in Magnite's exchanges while driving higher CPMs (Cost Per Thousand impressions) and revenue.

Ryan Kenney, SVP, Streaming Platform at Magnite, highlighted the significance of Samsung's position in the streaming landscape: "As ad-supported streaming continues to rise in popularity, Samsung Ads is at the forefront of delivering best-in-class experiences to viewers worldwide."

Kenney added that Magnite aims to facilitate more effective audience-based advertising through this collaboration. "We're pleased to continue our collaboration with Samsung Ads to bring high-quality streaming TV advertising to more programmatic buyers and to make audience-based buying more prevalent and effective in this environment," he said.

Strategic implications for the advertising industry

The partnership expansion represents a significant development in the streaming advertising ecosystem. As traditional linear television continues to lose viewers to streaming platforms, advertisers are increasingly looking for effective ways to reach audiences across fragmented digital environments.

Samsung's position as the world's leading TV manufacturer gives it unique access to viewing data. The company's Smart TV technology allows it to collect and analyze viewing behaviors across both traditional and streaming content, providing valuable insights for advertisers seeking to understand audience patterns.

By leveraging Magnite Access, Samsung Ads will be able to apply this data more effectively within programmatic advertising environments. This offers several advantages to advertisers, including more precise targeting, improved measurement capabilities, and potentially greater efficiency in advertising spend.

The expansion of Samsung TV Plus into new Asian markets also signals the company's commitment to growing its advertising business globally. As streaming adoption increases in these regions, having established infrastructure for programmatic advertising will position Samsung Ads favorably against competitors.

For Magnite, deepening its relationship with Samsung Ads strengthens its position in the competitive ad tech landscape. As the largest independent sell-side platform, Magnite's technology connects publishers with advertisers across multiple formats including CTV (Connected TV), online video, display, and audio.

Data privacy considerations

While the partnership focuses on enhancing data capabilities, both companies operate in an increasingly complex regulatory environment regarding data privacy. Samsung's approach emphasizes user consent for data collection, an important factor as global privacy regulations continue to evolve.

The ability to effectively utilize first-party data—information collected directly from users with their consent—has become increasingly valuable as third-party cookies and other tracking technologies face restrictions. Samsung's direct relationship with its device users provides it with advantages in this area compared to many other advertising technology companies.

Technical advancements

Beyond the core data management aspects of the partnership, the companies highlighted several technical improvements resulting from their collaboration. The reduction in timeouts—instances where an ad request fails to return an advertisement within a specified timeframe—represents an important technical achievement that improves the viewer experience by reducing delays in ad delivery.

Similarly, improved forecasting capabilities help both Samsung Ads and advertisers better predict inventory availability, leading to more efficient campaign planning. The simplified genre targeting feature supports contextual advertising, which focuses on placing ads in relevant content environments rather than relying solely on user data for targeting.

Market positioning

Samsung Ads puts significant emphasis on its scale and reach. As part of the announcement, the company noted that it "puts the power of the world's #1 Smart TV and mobile device brand to work for businesses of all shapes and sizes." With connected reach across hundreds of millions of smart devices, Samsung Ads aims to help advertisers break through to consumers who have opted in to receive advertisements.

The company currently serves over 25 countries globally, offering advertisers access to various Samsung entertainment services beyond Samsung TV Plus, including Samsung Gaming Hub and Samsung Galaxy mobile applications.

Magnite similarly emphasized its global footprint, noting its presence across North America, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), LATAM (Latin America), and APAC (Asia-Pacific) regions, with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Denver, London, Singapore, and Sydney.

Industry implications

The expanded partnership between Samsung Ads and Magnite reflects broader trends in the advertising industry, particularly the increasing importance of data-driven targeting in streaming environments. As consumers continue to shift their viewing habits from traditional television to streaming platforms, advertisers are following this migration.

This collaboration represents an attempt to create more sophisticated advertising infrastructure for streaming television, potentially bringing capabilities more commonly associated with digital advertising to the larger screen experience. For marketers, this means opportunities for more precise audience targeting while maintaining the impact of television advertising.

For smaller publishers and streaming services, partnerships between major players like Samsung and Magnite could increase competitive pressure, potentially accelerating consolidation in the streaming advertising market. However, it may also establish standards and technologies that benefit the ecosystem as a whole.

Timeline

• April 9, 2025: Samsung Ads and Magnite announce expanded global partnership
• 2023-2024: Period during which Samsung Ads experienced double-digit percentage gross revenue growth on the Magnite Streaming SSP
• Recent months: Samsung TV Plus launches in Singapore, the Philippines, and Thailand, with Magnite facilitating programmatic access in these regions
• Present: Samsung TV Plus reaches 88 million monthly active users globally
• Near future: Implementation of Magnite Access to enhance Samsung Ads' data capabilities