The Trade Desk and DIRECTV develop custom Ventura TV operating system

The Trade Desk and DIRECTV announced plans to develop a custom version of the Ventura TV operating system that integrates DIRECTV's streaming user interface, marking the first major alliance for the platform since its November 2024 launch. The companies made the announcement on October 1, 2025.

The custom operating system is designed for deployment by third-party TV manufacturers, retailers, and hospitality partners seeking a stable recurring revenue model alongside a streamlined OS solution. Ventura represents a flexible smart TV operating system that aims to deliver what The Trade Desk describes as a fairer and more transparent streaming ecosystem for original equipment manufacturers, advertisers, and media publishers.

"TV manufacturers deserve more choice in how they build their businesses. Publishers deserve to capture more of the value their incredible content creates. And advertisers need a more transparent and equitable ecosystem," said Matthew Henick, Senior Vice President of Ventura TV OS. "We look forward to working with DIRECTV to develop this version of Ventura TV OS that unlocks new revenue, powers a fairer advertising ecosystem, and delights audiences with seamless access to the media they love."

Through DIRECTV's consumer-friendly interface on this version of Ventura, viewers will access free ad-supported content alongside leading streaming apps from the Ventura TV OS app store, all within one platform. Consumers will be able to enjoy MyFree DIRECTV, DIRECTV's free ad-supported streaming television service, as well as the option to upgrade to DIRECTV's Genre Packs including MyEntertainment, MySports, MyKids, MyNews, and MiEspañol, plus Signature Packages.

Amy Leifer, Chief Advertising Sales Officer at DIRECTV, addressed the fragmentation challenges facing the television industry. "The TV landscape is riddled with friction and fragmentation — viewers are lost in a maze of content choices and marketers face inefficient routes to reach them," said Leifer. "We've solved for both problems by creating a seamless ecosystem with best-in-class search and discovery experience for audiences and an advertising platform built on deterministic data that makes it easy for brands to reach them. The Trade Desk shares our vision for ease and simplicity, and this integration with Ventura TV OS will further streamline the process to help brands connect with CTV viewers."

The strategic alliance represents an expansion of access to DIRECTV while offering consumers greater flexibility, choice and control. "This strategic alliance with The Trade Desk will meaningfully expand access to DIRECTV while offering consumers even greater flexibility, choice and control," said Vikash Sharma, Head of Product at DIRECTV. "OEMs gain a proven user experience that delivers a unified interface, combining live programming, popular streaming apps and personalized advertising. This collaboration sets a precedent for the future of smart TVs as DIRECTV and The Trade Desk work with OEMs to set a new standard for the consumer streaming experience."

Henick clarified that the DIRECTV partnership represents just the beginning of Ventura's customization strategy. The Trade Desk is currently in discussions with other companies about additional partnerships. Each partnership will be tailored to the specific needs of individual companies. "We built Ventura to be customizable," Henick explained.

This customization capability allows each business to tailor Ventura to its requirements, ranging from integrating logos and branding to implementing a complete user interface. Retailers can connect their own first-party data, including loyalty program information and other retail data, into the operating system to extend their customer relationships.

"The most important thing for us is flexing Ventura's strategic difference of being customizable," Henick stated. "There are OEMs who will say, 'We want trusted software. We want a great user interface, and we want a commercial model where we don't have to think about selling the ads ourselves.' And this solution from us and DIRECTV can fit really well."

Hotels and airplanes represent likely use cases for the custom TV operating system. Collaborations with video distributors like DIRECTV could help bring the system to market in these specific environments.

The Trade Desk unveiled Ventura in November 2024 as a method to bring greater transparency to the streaming ecosystem, from OEMs to advertisers and publishers. The platform positions itself as a means of opening new revenue channels for OEMs while making connected TV supply more efficient.

"[This collaboration] is a vote of confidence in our vision for a cleaner ad supply chain," Henick stated. "And it's a vote of confidence in the software that we're building to help power and expand their business. It's also a reflection of the amazing user experience, programming offerings and ad business DIRECTV has already built."

Henick recently acknowledged that trust represents the biggest challenge he has faced in selling Ventura's vision. The integration of a major player like DIRECTV appears positioned to serve as a springboard for expanding Ventura's reach in the market.

The announcement comes during a period of substantial transformation for The Trade Desk. The company joined the S&P 500 index in July 2025, replacing ANSYS Inc. following strong programmatic growth. The company achieved $2.4 billion in 2024 revenue and processed $12 billion in platform spend while maintaining a customer retention rate exceeding 95%.

DIRECTV has been expanding its presence in connected TV advertising throughout 2025, partnering with Magnite in August 2025 to introduce Pause Ads, an advertisement format that appears when viewers pause streaming content and disappears when playback resumes. The company has also integrated with FreeWheel's enhanced platform announced in April 2025, which provides advanced platform customizations, improved data signals, and optimized bidding capabilities.

The Trade Desk developed Ventura TV OS during the COVID-19 pandemic, assembling a team of dozens including former senior Roku employees. The operating system is based on Android AOSP, similar to Amazon's Fire TV OS. This technical foundation could simplify development and app porting processes.

The company's strategic approach includes offering more favorable revenue-sharing agreements compared to competitors and providing hardware partners with greater flexibility in customizing the user interface. The Trade Desk does not own content, positioning itself as a neutral player distinct from existing platform providers like Roku, Amazon's Fire TV, and Google's Android TV.

Industry observers have expressed varying perspectives on The Trade Desk's operating system initiative. Chris Vanderhook, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Viant, raised concerns in September 2024 about potential market dominance, comparing The Trade Desk's strategy to historical approaches taken by major technology companies in display advertising.

The connected TV advertising market continues expanding rapidly. Industry projections show CTV's media budget share doubling from 14% in 2023 to 28% in 2025. Streaming officially eclipsed the combined share of broadcast and cable TV for the first time in July 2025, with CTV representing 41% of total viewing time and more than 85% of households streaming content.

The Trade Desk has been developing multiple new products despite facing challenges with its Kokai platform transition. The company underwent what CEO Jeff Green described as "the largest reorganization in company history" in December 2024. The company recently announced Audience Unlimited on September 29, 2025, marking an overhaul of how third-party data is priced and deployed in digital advertising campaigns.

For the marketing community, this partnership represents a significant development in the connected TV advertising ecosystem. DIRECTV brings established relationships with major content providers and a proven user experience, while The Trade Desk provides programmatic advertising infrastructure and technological capabilities. The combination could potentially accelerate adoption of alternative operating systems among TV manufacturers seeking greater control over their business models.

The first devices running this version of Ventura TV OS are expected to launch in the second half of 2025. The companies did not disclose financial terms of the partnership or identify which specific TV manufacturers, retailers, or hospitality partners have committed to deploying the custom operating system.

Timeline

• August 30, 2024: The Trade Desk reportedly developing a smart TV OS, with project codenamed Bridgewater
• September 14, 2024: Viant COO warns about potential market dominance concerns regarding The Trade Desk's TV OS
• November 20, 2024: The Trade Desk officially announces Ventura TV OS
• December 2024: The Trade Desk undergoes largest company reorganization
• March 16, 2025: The Trade Desk's Kokai platform faces challenges amid executive departure
• April 29, 2025: FreeWheel announces enhanced platform with DIRECTV as integration partner
• July 18, 2025: The Trade Desk joins S&P 500 index
• August 26, 2025: Magnite announces Pause Ads expansion with DIRECTV
• August 30, 2025: The Trade Desk forces Kokai adoption for new campaign creation
• September 18, 2025: The Trade Desk unveils Kokai platform enhancements
• September 29, 2025: The Trade Desk launches Audience Unlimited with AI-powered data scoring
• October 1, 2025: The Trade Desk and DIRECTV announce custom Ventura TV OS development

Summary

Who: The Trade Desk, a programmatic advertising platform based in Ventura, California, and DIRECTV, a streaming television provider, announced a strategic partnership involving original equipment manufacturers, retailers, hospitality partners, advertisers, and media publishers who will use or benefit from the custom operating system.

What: The companies announced plans to develop a custom version of Ventura TV OS that integrates DIRECTV's streaming user interface, designed for deployment by third-party TV manufacturers, retailers, and hospitality partners. The operating system combines DIRECTV's free ad-supported content, Genre Packs, Signature Packages, and streaming apps from the Ventura TV OS app store within one platform.

When: The announcement was made on October 1, 2025, with the first devices running this custom version of Ventura expected to launch in the second half of 2025. The original Ventura TV OS was unveiled in November 2024, following development work that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Where: The custom operating system will be deployed on smart TV devices manufactured by third-party partners in the connected TV market, with specific focus on applications in hotels, airplanes, and consumer homes. The partnership operates globally through The Trade Desk's international presence and DIRECTV's distribution network.

Why: The partnership aims to provide TV manufacturers with greater choice in building their businesses while offering a more transparent and equitable advertising ecosystem. DIRECTV seeks to expand access to its services while solving fragmentation problems in the TV landscape. The Trade Desk aims to create new revenue channels for OEMs, improve supply chain transparency for streaming TV advertising, and establish Ventura as a viable alternative to existing smart TV operating systems from Roku, Amazon, and Google.