What Samba TV does

Samba TV is a privately held, San Francisco-headquartered media intelligence company that operates Samba Interactive TV — an opt-in Automated Content Recognition (ACR) service embedded across Smart TVs globally — to capture deterministic viewership data from approximately 46 million U.S. households and a claimed 1.5 billion opted-in user profiles worldwide. That first-party data layer powers the Samba AI suite (content recognition, audience modeling, predictive analytics) and the Project Gravity independent data activation platform, which matches advertiser first-party data against Samba's Identity Graph and activates it across 40+ advertising platforms including Google DV360, The Trade Desk, Meta, TikTok, Amazon, and Magnite. Following the June 2026 acquisition of Bestever AI, Samba has added agentic and generative AI capabilities for autonomous brand research, campaign planning, and creative generation, with Bestever founder Apoorva Govind joining as Director of Product.

Samba generates revenue primarily through data licensing and audience intelligence (Samba Intelligence) sold to advertisers, brands, agencies, and data owners; subscription and platform fees from Project Gravity; tailored advertising delivered to opted-in Smart TV consumers; and managed-service / measurement revenue via strategic partners such as TiVo Ads in the UK. The company also co-develops verticalized measurement products, exemplified by TikTok Box Office Lift (with LiveRamp), which links ad exposure to verified ticket sales. Its customer base spans advertisers and brands, advertising agencies and data owners, Smart TV OEMs (Samba Interactive TV is embedded on TVs), movie studios/theatrical marketers, and end consumers who opt in to receive personalized content recommendations.

Samba's GTM is hybrid: a direct enterprise sales motion via the samba.com Business Solutions site, channel/managed-service partnerships (TiVo Ads), an API-first platform integration model (Project Gravity into 40+ ad platforms), and embedded OEM distribution via Smart TV manufacturers. The company holds ISO/IEC 27001 and 27701 certifications, PRIVO COPPA Safe Harbor, and EU-U.S./UK/Swiss-U.S. DPF certifications, and operates wholly owned subsidiaries in the UK, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Australia, and other markets. Founded in 2008, Samba TV employs 251–500 people and is funded primarily through a December 2025 up-to-$60 million growth-capital facility from Horizon Technology Finance Corporation (with Monroe Capital affiliates).

Name

Samba TV

Legal name

Samba TV, Inc.

Website

https://samba.tv

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Samba TV is a private media intelligence company that uses Smart TV ACR technology and deterministic viewership data from 1.5 billion opted-in user profiles to power its Project Gravity data activation platform, Samba AI suite, and agentic advertising tools for brands, agencies, and data owners globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Connected TV Analytics & Audience Intelligence

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Set-Top Box (STB) & Smart TV ACR Data Analytics Providers (MPABAOAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Data Platform & Audience Insights (CDP, Data Warehouse, Attribution) (MPAHAJAN)

Keywords

• Connected TV analytics
• Audience intelligence platform
• Cross-platform measurement
• Automated content recognition
• Targeted TV advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Data Monetization & Audience Intelligence: Samba TV monetizes deterministic viewership data from 1.5B opted-in user profiles by licensing audience intelligence and measurement insights to advertisers, agencies, brands, and content owners. Data disclosed or sold includes IP addresses, device IDs, advertising IDs, and content/ad exposure data.
2. Project Gravity Platform Fees: Independent data activation platform that onboards and activates first-party data across 40+ ad platforms; generates revenue from brands, agencies, and data owners leveraging AI-driven identity resolution and audience modeling at vector-database speed.
3. Managed Services / Measurement & Ad Operations: TiVo operates as a preferred managed service advertising partner, integrating Samba analytics with TiVo's CTV platform to deliver audience targeting and campaign measurement for brands and agencies.
4. Targeted / Tailored Advertising: Revenue from tailored advertising delivered to opted-in consumers on Smart TVs based on viewership profiles, shared with advertising and marketing partners.
5. Agentic Advertising / Creative Generation Services: AI-powered autonomous brand research, campaign planning, audience targeting, and creative optimization capabilities derived from Bestever AI acquisition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Samba TV operates a connected TV media intelligence platform built on Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology embedded on opted-in Smart TVs, capturing pseudonymized viewership data from 1.5 billion user profiles across global markets. The company sells audience intelligence, cross-platform measurement, and AI-driven data activation services (via Project Gravity, Samba AI, and Bestever AI) to advertisers, agencies, brands, and data owners, while also operating a consumer-facing Samba Interactive TV service and the Samba Weekly Wrap editorial product.

Product overview

Samba TV operates a multi-product media intelligence platform built on top of its consumer-facing Smart TV content recognition service. The core foundation is Samba Interactive TV, which runs on opted-in Smart TVs and captures pseudonymized viewership data; this same data layer feeds the Samba AI suite, which was enhanced through the acquisitions of Disruptel (content recognition) and Bestever AI (agentic advertising). On top of this foundation, Project Gravity serves as an independent data activation platform that matches advertiser first-party data against Samba's Identity Graph and activates it across 40+ advertising platforms. The Bestever AI platform provides the agentic creative and campaign automation layer, while specialized measurement offerings such as the TikTok Box Office Lift product extend Samba's capabilities into specific verticals. The consumer-facing samba.tv website surfaces the Weekly Wrap editorial product and the Consumer Privacy Center, while the business-facing samba.com hosts Samba Intelligence solutions for brands, agencies, and data owners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Project Gravity: Independent data onboarding and activation platform for the agentic era of advertising, launched by Samba TV in May 2026; integrates with more than 40 advertising platforms.
• Samba AI
• Hotlist
• Spotlight
• Launchpad
• Flingo
• Bestever AI

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.5 billion opted-in user profiles globally
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability12 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Bestever AIflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Acquired by Samba TV (deal closed June 22, 2026) to accelerate agentic advertising roadmap. Bestever's founder Apoorva Govind joined as Director of Product. Combines Bestever's autonomous brand research and creative generation with Samba's deterministic data on 1.5B opted-in users.
• TiVo Ads (Xperi)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Strategic partnership integrating Samba TV's analytics and audience targeting with TiVo's connected TV platform in the UK. TiVo operates as a preferred managed service advertising partner, enabling detailed audience targeting and campaign measurement for brands and agencies. Also signed a multi-year partnership post Q1 2026 to enhance TiVo One connected TV advertising capabilities.
• TikTokflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 March 2026Co-developed the "Box Office Lift" measurement badge program (with LiveRamp) linking TikTok ad exposure to verified movie ticket sales; analyzed 38 campaigns showing 172% median lift in ticket purchase rates. Also integrated as a destination platform within Project Gravity.
• DisruptelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 November 2022Acquired by Samba TV to enhance its Samba AI suite. Disruptel specializes in AI and ML for connected TV content recognition, with the integration aimed at improving content recognition, targeted advertising, and viewer engagement across TV platforms.
• LiveRampcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-partner with TikTok and Samba TV on the "Box Office Lift" measurement badge program for movie studios to quantify how paid TikTok advertising drives ticket sales.
• Google Display & Video 360 (DV360)coreTechnology or IntegrationProject Gravity integrates with Google DV360 as one of 40+ leading advertising platforms, enabling identity resolution at vector-database speed and AI-driven audience modeling.
• The Trade DeskcoreTechnology or IntegrationProject Gravity integrates with The Trade Desk; Samba TV also shares personal data with The Trade Desk under controller-to-controller agreements (per Privacy Policy).
• MetacoreTechnology or IntegrationProject Gravity integrates with Meta as one of 40+ leading advertising platforms for identity resolution and AI-driven audience modeling.
• AmazoncoreTechnology or IntegrationProject Gravity integrates with Amazon as one of 40+ leading advertising platforms for first-party data activation.
• MagnitecoreTechnology or IntegrationProject Gravity integrates with Magnite as one of 40+ leading advertising platforms for identity resolution and audience activation.
• Comscore, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party data controller that receives personal data from Samba TV under controller-to-controller agreements for purposes consistent with the Privacy Policy.
• MiQ Digital Ltd. / MiQ Digital Australia Pty Ltd.coreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party data controller that receives personal data from Samba TV under controller-to-controller agreements in both US/UK and Australia.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Comscore: Comscore provides cross-platform audience measurement, including CTV, and is listed in Samba's privacy disclosures as a third-party data controller — making it both a competitor in audience intelligence and a counterpart in audience-data flows.
• Nielsen: Nielsen is the largest audience-measurement incumbent with Nielsen One and CTV ratings; it competes directly with Samba's cross-platform measurement and audience-intelligence offerings while also serving TV OEMs, agencies, and advertisers.
• DoubleVerify: DoubleVerify provides ad verification, viewability, and brand-safety measurement across CTV and digital — overlapping with Samba's measurement offerings as both compete for ad-attribution and verification budgets.
• Oracle Advertising: Oracle Advertising (formerly Moat/Grapeshot) provides cross-platform ad measurement, verification, and audience solutions that compete with Samba's measurement and analytics offerings for enterprise advertising budgets.
• The Trade Desk: The Trade Desk is a major independent DSP and one of Project Gravity's 40+ integrations; while Samba is integrated into its platform, TTD's Solimar and CTV identity ambitions make it a strategic counterpart in the agentic-era data-activation stack.

Direct peers

• iSpot.tv: iSpot.tv is a CTV cross-platform measurement and attribution company that, like Samba TV, monetizes TV viewership data to quantify ad-driven outcomes for brands and agencies, with comparable TV-attribution products such as iSpot's outcome measurement.
• Innovid: Innovid is a CTV ad serving and measurement company listed as a third-party data controller in Samba's privacy disclosures; both companies sell CTV delivery, measurement, and outcome attribution to brands and agencies.
• LiveRamp: LiveRamp is a data connectivity and identity-resolution platform that is also a Project Gravity co-partner (Box Office Lift with TikTok) and serves overlapping data onboarding, identity, and audience-activation use cases.
• MiQ: MiQ is a programmatic media company operating across CTV and digital, listed in Samba's privacy disclosures as a third-party data controller in US/UK and Australia; both sell CTV-driven audience activation and measurement services to advertisers.
• VideoAmp: VideoAmp is a CTV measurement and currency provider focused on deterministic, audience-based cross-platform measurement, directly overlapping Samba's audience intelligence and cross-platform measurement products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/samba_tv
• Facebookfacebook.com/sambatelevision
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sambatv

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds10 records

Investors20 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A8 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Samba TV