Sony Pictures Entertainment has selected PubMatic as its preferred programmatic advertising partner for “Live TV on PS5”, the companies announced on 6 October.
Through the partnership, PubMatic — the Nasdaq-listed ad tech company — will work alongside Sony’s advertising organisation to connect premium connected TV inventory and authenticated audience insights with brands and agencies worldwide. Advertisers can transact through their existing demand-side platform or activate campaigns directly through PubMatic’s platform.
Live TV on PS5, which launched on 31 August, lets advertisers reach logged-in PlayStation 5 users with premium video delivered directly within the console experience. Initial opportunities centre on premium in-stream video, with preferred deals, private marketplaces and custom sponsorship formats also on offer.
According to the announcement, the service gives advertisers differentiated access to highly engaged audiences, including exclusive performance-focused supply and preferred partnership opportunities — audiences that have historically been hard to reach through conventional television and streaming plans.
The deal is another sign of connected TV’s programmatic turn. For performance-focused brands and independent agencies, it offers a more direct route into premium streaming inventory without the price and complexity that have often kept them out.
For marketers, the console screen is an unusual asset: a lean-back viewing environment populated by an audience that largely sits outside traditional media plans. How quickly buyers take to it will depend on measurement — and on whether console viewing can prove incremental reach rather than simply shifting attention from one screen to another.
