Video ad tech businesses JW Player and Connatix have agreed a merger, forming JWP Connatix, the two announced today. The deal will see the two companies unify their video delivery and monetisation tools, increasing the reach available to their buy-side customers. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
JW Player and Connatix both already operate in similar spaces. Both offer customisable video players, which use contextual data to surface relevant video content. And both have a hand in monetisation of video content run through their players, where contextual data again plays a significant role.
Merging will combine their sell-side client lists, which the two say cover 2,000 blue-chip media companies, including eighty percent of the top 25 Comscore US publishers. Connatix currently counts Reuters, Forbes, Vox, and HuffPost among its clients. JW Player meanwhile has a strong broadcaster customer base including Fox, Sky, Eurosport, and Fuse, and also works with Insider, Future, Axios, and Fast Company on the publisher side.
This broad reach feeds into JWP Connatix’s buy-side offering. The two businesses say that combined, they reach over one billion unique users around the world, with over seven billion minutes of on-demand and live content. Their combined contextual, consumption, and monetisation data will also strengthen their ability to increase engagement and boost monetisation, the two say.
Under the terms of the deal, JW Player co-founder and CEO Dave Otten will become CEO of the combined company, while Connatix co-founder and CEO David Kashak will serve as chairman.
CTV in focus
Exploiting opportunities in connected TV appears to be a big focus for the merged company, as JW Player and Connatix highlighted the growth of CTV in their joint announcement of the merger. Broadcasters continue to see increased video consumption on their streaming platforms, and are keen to streamline their online video and CTV operations for their advertising partners. Publishers are looking to build their own viewership in CTV environments, either through owned-and-operated CTV apps or through free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels. And advertisers are still ramping up their CTV investment.
“Over the past several years, how and where viewers consume video has radically changed,” said David Kashak. “As a result, media companies require innovative solutions that allow them to maximise audience engagement and help optimise revenue across disparate monetisation models, whether it be advertising, subscriptions or commerce. Together, JWP Connatix fulfils that requirement, by accelerating our companies’ mutual visions to create a world where premium video viewing, powered by best-in-class technology, meets high-quality monetisation experiences, enabling media leaders to deliver exceptional results.”
Dave Otten emphasised the importance of the scale and product breadth of the merged company, adding that JWP and Connatix “are bringing together two knowledgeable, dedicated teams, whose skill-sets and values are a perfect match for what we want to create as a single company.”
