Samba TV transfers media sales assets to UK-based programmatic company MiQ, sharpening focus on data and measurement business

Data and measurement company Samba TV is transferring its media distribution business to MiQ in the UK to clarify its strategic focus at a time when Nielsen’s struggles have opened the door to new competitors.

The companies have entered into a multi-year commercial partnership under which they will continue to work together, but MiQ will directly manage the sales activities that were previously part of Samba. No employees will be laid off as a result of the deal, and both companies expect their respective headcounts to grow by double digits this year as money continues to flow into streaming advertising.

Estimates of the exact amount spent on streaming advertising vary, but it’s a growing share of the video total, and new vehicles like Disney and Netflix’s ad-supported tiers have come to try to capture some of the billions. Rather than continuing to hold a direct stake in managed media sales, Samba sees this as an opportune time to zero in on the measurement. While Nielsen continues to dominate the space, the century-old company continues to come under scrutiny from ad buyers and sellers over questions about its methodology. Earlier this week, a number of leading media companies announced a partnership with VAB and industry consortium OpenAP, with the aim of bringing a range of measurement and data alternatives to market by 2024.

Samba, along with companies like iSpot and VideoAmp, are seeking to take market share from Nielsen, especially given the growing need for clarity about shows and ad viewership in the streaming era. Traditional statistics from the linear era, while never very reliable, at least served as a universal standard for the industry. In the streaming era, there is much less commonly accepted data floating around.

The multi-year agreement between the companies will strengthen MiQ’s existing connected TV database with Samba TV’s ability to track 28 million US devices, giving MiQ a combined reach of more than 60 million devices nationwide. The partnership also extends MiQ’s advanced TV offering with the managed media services capabilities of Samba TV.

“We are pleased to enter into a long-term strategic partnership with MiQ, one of the
leading media partner for brands and agencies worldwide,” says co-founder and CEO of Samba TV
Ashwin Navin. “Today’s announcement reinforces our strategic focus on the next generation of
Currency reading and media optimization for our partners on every screen,
platform and channel. Marketers and media providers who collect our TV data and
Measurement portfolio we see as a reliable source of truth for media performance without
Prejudice for our own media.”

With more than $20 billion spent on connected TV advertising this year, “marketers need continuous access
to TV data to realize the benefits of a holistic TV investment,” said the co-founder of MiQ and
Gurman Hundal, Global Executive Chairman. “Samba TV has long been a major player in television
Datenraum and we are excited to work with them to bring scale and diversified television to our customers
Data that leads to leading advanced TV activation and analytics solutions. Through the combination of us
We make programmatic media expertise available to our clients with their media services business
Unprecedented access to advanced TV data and bridging TV investments to complete omnichannel treatment
in a way that was never possible before.”