European broadcasting giant RTL, owner of American Idol, Got Talent and X Factor, has bought a 65% stake in online video platform SpotExchange, paying $144m to expand further into programmatic ads.
With over 10,000 employees and $8 billion in annual revenues, RTL Group is one of the largest global producers of entertainment content, with interests in 54 television channels and 27 radio stations.
RTL Group’s content production arm, FremantleMedia, is responsible for 8,500 hours of programming a year and distributes over 20,000 hours of content worldwide including hugely successful shows such as, which are watched in over 150 countries.
The deal is subject to US competition authority approval and is expected to close by the end of August 2014. The investment is the next step of RTL Group’s strategy to become a leading player in all segments of online video and online video advertising. RTL Group becomes the first major broadcaster to invest in the rapidly growing market of programmatic online video advertising.
Founded in 2007, SpotXchange was the first online advertising marketplace with an exclusive focus on video. Today, SpotXchange provides a video advertising monetisation platform to hundreds of publishers around the globe such as The Atlantic, Hearst Corporation, Meredith Video Studios, Mail Online, NDN and Adaptive Media.
Online video advertising is currently the fastest growing digital advertising segment, expected to grow globally at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 24 per cent between 2014 and 2018. This growth is driven particularly by programmatic video advertising which is estimated to increase from US-$2.7 billion in 2013 to US-$15.4 billion in 2018 worldwide (CAGR: +42 per cent).1
In a joint statement, Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch, Co-CEOs of RTL Group said: “Following our investments in non-linear TV services and in multi-channel networks on Youtube, RTL Group has already become the leading European media company in terms of online video views. The logical next step in our strategy is a structural move into the area of digital monetisation – improving our skills by adding innovative data- and technology-based competencies. SpotXchange is the perfect fit for RTL Group for such a move: it has a first-class management team that has built a leading, state-of-the-art platform for programmatic selling of online video advertising. With its impressive growth story and strong positioning in the United States, SpotXchange also represents a unique opportunity to enhance RTL Group’s presence in the world’s biggest and most advanced media market.”
In a joint statement from the two co-founders of SpotXchange, Michael Shehan (CEO) and Steve Swoboda (COO and CFO): “We are thrilled to be joining the RTL Group, a global leader in media and entertainment, and believe they are the ideal partner to help SpotXchange expand the reach of our comprehensive video ad monetisation services. This investment demonstrates RTL Group’s progressive vision and embrace of programmatic trading, ad serving and yield optimisation in the digital arena. The companies comprising RTL Group operate in a decentralised fashion which will allow SpotXchange to thrive and grow as the last independent digital video ad monetisation platform while providing significant opportunities through partnership with RTL Group’s leading European broadcast companies and top tier global content producers. Joining RTL Group will present incredible benefits and opportunities for SpotXchange’s publishers, buyers and people.”
Under the terms of the transaction, RTL Group will appoint three of five members of the Board of SpotXchange. Michael Shehan and Steve Swoboda will continue to manage the day-to-day operations of the company, reporting to its Board.
RTL Group and the management team of SpotXchange have developed a joint growth plan to keep SpotXchange on its current growth path in the US and Asian-Pacific region, while simultaneously focusing on an accelerated roll-out in Europe.
A presentation with more detailed information about programmatic online video advertising and about SpotXchange is available to download here.
