Yahoo expands identity solutions to CTV and publishers, boosting ad targeting

Yahoo has made strides in expanding its Identity Solutions, addressing the evolving landscape of digital advertising in an identity-constrained world. The company has announced two major developments: the introduction of Identity Solutions to Connected TV (CTV) environments and the extension of publisher availability through leading Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs) and header bidding marketplaces.

On April 16, 2024, Yahoo Advertising announced the launch of Yahoo Identity Solutions within CTV environments, including partnerships with Paramount, Tubi, NBCUniversal, and FreeWheel. This expansion aims to provide advertisers with enhanced targeting and measurement capabilities in the face of declining identity signals and the impending deprecation of third-party cookies.

Yahoo Identity Solutions for CTV consists of two key components:

1. Yahoo ConnectID: A first-party data-powered identity solution fueled by direct consumer relationships with over 205 million authenticated users in the United States.
2. Next-Gen Solutions: An AI-built solution for non-addressable environments, leveraging Yahoo ConnectID users as a panel audience to create inferences for targeting, optimization, and measurement.

Elizabeth Herbst-Brady, Chief Revenue Officer at Yahoo, emphasized the importance of this development: "As CTV investments increase, identity signals are declining, impacting targeting and performance across channels, including CTV. Yahoo is committed to helping advertisers evolve with the landscape, safeguarding addressability and measurement for our partners while supporting consumer privacy."

The expansion of Yahoo ConnectID to CTV environments bridges the gap between CTV and other digital channels, enabling advertisers to maintain a single view of the user across channels in a privacy-minded way.

Building on the momentum of its CTV launch, Yahoo announced on October 17, 2024, that its Identity Solutions are now widely available through leading publisher tools and SSPs. This update allows publishers to implement Yahoo Identity Solutions through launch partners including:

1. Amazon Publisher Services (APS) via Connections Marketplace
2. InMobi Advertising
3. Magnite
4. PubMatic

Chandra Cirulnick, VP of Global Supply Partnerships at Yahoo, stated, "This expansion demonstrates our commitment to future-proofing our clients' businesses as they adapt to the evolving digital landscape through robust identity solutions that drive performance and respect user privacy."

The integration with these platforms offers unique benefits:

• Amazon Publisher Services: APS publisher customers can easily onboard Yahoo ConnectID, making it available for bidding through APS' Transparent Ad Marketplace.
• InMobi Advertising: Publishers can implement Yahoo ConnectID through InMobi's UnifID for in-app use cases, centralizing multiple partner ID integrations through the InMobi SDK.
• Magnite: Publishers can leverage Yahoo ConnectID through Magnite's Demand Manager, a wrapper management solution built on Prebid, with support across all formats, including CTV.
• PubMatic: Yahoo ConnectID can be easily implemented through PubMatic's Identity Hub and OpenWrap, PubMatic's header bidding solution.

These developments offer several benefits to both advertisers and publishers:

For advertisers:

• Enhanced targeting capabilities
• Maximized audience scale
• Improved ad campaign effectiveness and efficiency in cookieless environments

For publishers:

• Easy adoption of Yahoo Identity Solutions through multiple buying paths
• Maximized inventory monetization for both logged-in and non-logged-in audiences
• Optimized yield in an identity-constrained world

Yahoo's expansion of Identity Solutions has garnered support from key industry players:

• Paramount: Leo O'Connor, SVP of Advertising, stated that implementing Yahoo Identity Solution exemplifies Paramount's commitment to providing best-in-class programmatic activation.
• Tubi: Jeff Lucas, Chief Revenue Officer, highlighted Tubi's commitment to offering people-based targeting and robust performance analytics in CTV.
• NBCUniversal: Ryan McConville, EVP of Ad Platforms & Operations, emphasized the integration's role in maintaining the gold standard in automated addressability.
• FreeWheel: Jon Mansell, VP and U.S. Head of Demand, praised the partnership for providing marketers with essential tools and insights to enhance viewer experiences.

Key Facts

• Yahoo ConnectID is implemented across nearly 50,000 publisher domains
• It is interoperable with more than 30 top data platforms
• Yahoo has direct consumer relationships with over 205 million authenticated users in the U.S.
• The CTV expansion was announced on April 16, 2024
• The publisher availability extension was announced on October 17, 2024

Summary

• Yahoo has expanded its Identity Solutions to Connected TV environments
• Partnerships include Paramount, Tubi, NBCUniversal, and FreeWheel
• Yahoo Identity Solutions are now available through leading SSPs and header bidding marketplaces
• Launch partners include Amazon Publisher Services, InMobi Advertising, Magnite, and PubMatic
• The expansions aim to enhance ad targeting and measurement in an identity-constrained world
• These developments benefit both advertisers and publishers by improving targeting capabilities and inventory monetization
• Yahoo ConnectID is implemented across nearly 50,000 publisher domains and is interoperable with more than 30 top data platforms
• Yahoo has direct consumer relationships with over 205 million authenticated users in the U.S.