Beachfront and SeaChange Launch Linear TV Programmatic Ad Solution for Cable TV Operators

Beachfront and SeaChange International Launch Linear TV Programmatic Ad Solution for Cable TV Operators 

Joint Solution First Deployed with a Leading Global Operator, Enabling Premium Linear TV Inventory for Purchase by Digital Ad Buyers via Real-Time Bidding

NEW YORK — December 14, 2020 — Beachfront, the convergent TV advertising platform, and SeaChange International, Inc. (NASDAQ: SEAC), a leading provider of video delivery platforms, have partnered to enable real-time, programmatic monetization of linear spot, over-the-top (OTT) and video-on-demand (VOD) ad inventory.

The joint solution is already deployed in the U.S. — including with a global operator and regional cable company — and enables Beachfront's demand partners to automate cable TV ad buying through SeaChange’s value-based Framework video delivery platform.

SeaChange recently signed agreements with Tier 1 TV providers with an estimated ad inventory of hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Effective immediately, agencies, brands and demand-side platforms (DSPs) who utilize Beachfront can automate their ad buying across the entire video ecosystem, including linear TV as provided by the SeaChange Framework. These advertisers can activate this premium linear TV ad inventory — along with VOD, connected TV (CTV), mobile and desktop inventory — much faster than traditional direct buys through the use of real-time bidding (RTB).

“Linear TV inventory has long been excluded from programmatic marketplaces due to technical limitations and infrastructural challenges,” said SeaChange CEO Yossi Aloni. “In partnership with Beachfront, we’ve completed the difficult work of connecting modern, digital-oriented ad buyers to linear TV inventory. This is a major milestone for the media and advertising industry, which we expect will serve as major catalyst for improving the CPMs for our cable operator and media owner partners.”

This partnership builds on Beachfront’s work developing solutions for multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) that address technical challenges surrounding set-top boxes — and solve major infrastructural problems inhibiting monetization of traditional TV viewing environments. In 2019, Beachfront launched the first-ever set-top box VOD programmatic ad solution, allowing MVPDs and media owners to expose VOD inventory to modern programmatic ad buyers and increase the average cost per thousands (CPMs) in the process. Now, Beachfront is bringing that same programmatic VOD solution to linear TV, effectively enabling demand partners to automate their ad buying across the entire video ecosystem.

Beachfront CEO Chris Maccaro commented: “When you look ahead at the next decade of TV consumption, there will surely be a continued proliferation of cord cutting and Internet-based TV streaming, as well as a continued base of consumers who will get their content via a traditional cable box. For these reasons, we don’t over emphasize any one consumer viewing endpoint. Rather we prioritize all premium TV viewing platforms — from smart TVs to cable set-top boxes — and we’re excited to continue bringing uniformity and simplicity to the convergent TV ad marketplace, while empowering agencies and brands to automate their media buying across the video ecosystem.”

In tandem with its focus on traditional TV, Beachfront has thrived for more than a decade as an independent ad tech platform for media owners and advertisers to transact across screens. The company has continued to deliver innovations in CTV, most recently in April 2020 launching the first-ever CTV ad pod bidding product that makes the entire TV ad pod available for dynamic ad insertion against multiple demand-side advertising exchanges.

For more information, visit beachfront.com.

About Beachfront

Beachfront is the convergent TV advertising platform for media owners, distributors and buyers. At the intersection of connected TV, video on demand, and linear broadcast, we are the independent source for unified, real-time buying and selling of premium, cross-screen video inventory at scale. Leading cable companies, programmers and streaming platforms leverage our advanced ad decisioning and inventory management technology to optimize yield and drive revenue across all screens. Similarly, major agencies and ad buyers work with Beachfront to deploy premium video campaigns to maximize ROI. Learn more at beachfront.com.

About SeaChange International, Inc.

SeaChange International (NASDAQ: SEAC) powers hundreds of cloud and on-premises platforms with live TV and video on demand (VOD) for more than 50 million subscribers worldwide. SeaChange’s end-to-end solution, the Framework, enables operators and content owners to cost-effectively launch a direct-to-consumer video service. This includes back-office, media asset management, ad management, analytics and a client application for set-top boxes (STB), Smart-TVs and mobile devices. Framework is available as a product or managed service, and can be deployed on-premises, in the cloud or as a hybrid. For more information, please visit www.seachange.com.