Ad-tech outfit Equativ invests in Nowtilus to target CTV market

French ad-tech outfit Equativ has taken a significant equity stake in German targeted ad specialist Nowtilus to strengthen its position in the burgeoning connected TV market.

Equativ, formerly known as Smart, said the investment would help accelerate its growth in the CTV sector.

Arnaud Créput

The group said that its acquisition of another ad-tech outfit, DynAdmic, in 2021, along with its participation in TVMotik alliance with Bouygues Telecom and Realytics and success with live ad-substitution in the recent Euro football championships, had enabled it to accelerate its position in the TV market with an integrated and interoperable platform.

It said that many consumers had yet to be touched by the streaming revolution and that server-side ad insertion was essential in enabling personalisation of advertising in television. The integration of Nowtilus’ server-side ad insertion offering in Equativ’s tech stack will enable an offer of live TV targeted advertising to advertisers and operators, it said.

Nowtilus will continue to function as an independent company and its serverside.ai brand would continue to be offered as an independent solution for OTT, HbbTV and audio provider.

Equativ CEO Arnaud Créput said: “This strategic investment in Nowtilus is a natural step in the construction of our offering for audiovisual market players. It allows us to accelerate our viertical integration in internalising relevant TV technology expertise and resources. Nowtilus is the ideal partner because it enables us to provide our clients with solution for all modes of video distribution, while remaining totally interoperable and agnostic, and with new format capabilities such as audio. Together, we will offer better control to sellers, limit advertising leakage and optimise performance for advertisers.”