Cornerstone Media Group

What Cornerstone Media Group does

Cornerstone Media Group (CMG) is a privately held, founder-controlled direct-response advertising company founded in 1995 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with an estimated 11–50 employees. The company operates a two-sided model: it serves advertisers seeking measurable, outcome-based media exposure (from 10-second spots to 60-minute long-form advertising) and media partners—broadcast television stations, broadcast groups, cable systems, and satellite providers—seeking to monetize remnant, unsold, or undersold advertising inventory. CMG represents over 800 media outlets and reaches television households in every Designated Market Area (DMA) across the United States.

The company builds its technology in-house. Its core assets include proprietary SDI SD/HD Cornerstone Server equipment—over 300 video servers deployed at media-partner stations at no cost—that manage content, traffic, scheduling, airings, affidavits, billing, collections, and payments; customized analytical software that mines response, market, genre, demographic, daypart, and performance data to optimize placement; and the TEEM (Targeted, Effective, Efficient Media) Unwired Network platform, which aggregates local cable, satellite, syndication, broadcast, and national cable inventory for demographically targeted buys. Its product portfolio spans Performance Advertising, Media Buying, the TEEM/Unwired Network, and Managed Media Solutions.

CMG monetizes through three primary streams. Performance Advertising operates on a cost-per-outcome basis, where CMG earns revenue only when advertisers achieve measurable results such as phone calls, text/promo codes, or web traffic, aligning its compensation with advertiser success. Media Buying generates professional-services fees for non-performance placements within advertiser budgets, while Managed Media Solutions produces managed-services revenue from operating long-form paid business on behalf of broadcast partners. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is direct sales-led, run through managing directors for Short Form, Long Form, and Finance & Operations, and a Director of Strategic Partnerships.

Name

Cornerstone Media Group

Legal name

Cornerstone Media Group

Website

https://cornerstonemediagroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cornerstone Media Group is a Minneapolis-based direct-response advertising firm founded in 1995, connecting advertisers seeking cost-per-outcome media with 800+ broadcast, cable, and satellite partners monetizing remnant inventory via proprietary servers and analytical software.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performance Television Media Advertising

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (541830), Media Buying Agencies (54183)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Media Planning & Buying (MPAAABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Media Planning, Buying & Optimization (BPAFAAAC)

Keywords

• Direct response advertising
• Performance media buying
• Television advertising services
• Remnant inventory management
• Managed media solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Performance Advertising: Cost per outcome based advertising where Cornerstone earns revenue only when advertisers achieve measurable results. Spans from 10-second spots to 60-minute long-form advertising, with revenue tied directly to customer outcomes such as phone calls, text/promo codes, and web traffic.
2. Managed Media Solutions: Services provided to media partners including content management, traffic, scheduling, airings, affidavits, billing, collections, and payments. Revenue generated from managing long-form paid business for broadcast stations.
3. Media Buying Services: Customized analytical software paired with service to analyze daily response information and effectively place media schedules within advertiser budgets. Revenue from media buying fees for non-performance-based advertising opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Cornerstone Media Group places outcome-based direct response advertising on television on a cost-per-outcome basis for advertisers, ranging from 10-second spots to 60-minute long-form inventory. The company operates proprietary video server equipment and analytical software deployed at media partner stations to manage traffic, scheduling, airings, billing, and collections, while monetizing remnant and unsold television inventory through its 800+ media outlet network reaching every U.S. DMA.

Product overview

Cornerstone Media Group operates as a unified media performance platform offering integrated advertising services. The core portfolio consists of Performance Advertising and Media Buying for advertiser partners, alongside Managed Media Solutions powered by proprietary Cornerstone Server Technology for media partners. The TEEM Platform (Unwired Network) serves as an alternative for advertisers with limited call center hours or strict budget goals. The company has developed all systems in-house since 1995 and represents over 800 media outlets with deployed proprietary video servers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TEEM (Targeted, Effective, Efficient Media): Cornerstone's Unwired Network platform for advertisers who may not benefit from cost per outcome model. Allows use of vanity numbers/URLs and targeted daypart buying.

Products and services

• Performance Advertising Industry-leading performance division offering advertisers an efficient way to increase exposure on a cost per outcome basis, ranging from 10-second spots to 60-minute long-form advertising with targeted inventory. Designed for companies seeking performance-based direct response advertising with measurable outcomes tied to phone calls, text/promo codes, and web traffic.
• Media Buying Media buying division utilizing customized analytical software paired with trusted service to analyze daily response information, effectively placing media schedules within budgets and targeting dayparts and audiences to increase response and conversion percentages. For advertisers seeking non-performance-based media buying opportunities.
• TEEM Platform (Unwired Network) Cornerstone's Targeted, Effective, Efficient Media (Unwired Network) platform that reaches targeted audiences based on demographic profiles and dayparts, aggregated using Local Cable, Satellite, Syndication, Broadcast, and/or National Cable networks. Designed for advertisers with limited call center hours, strict budget goals, or those wanting to use vanity numbers and URLs.
• Managed Media Solutions Partnership model providing broadcast stations with proprietary SDI SD or HD Cornerstone Server Equipment and managed services covering content, traffic, scheduling, airings, affidavits, billing, collections, and payments for long-form paid business. Designed for media partners seeking to eliminate workload, drive stronger Average Unit Rates, and maximize revenues.
• Cornerstone Server Technology Proprietary SDI SD or HD server equipment deployed at media partner locations to help eliminate workload, drive stronger Average Unit Rates, and maximize revenues for television stations, broadcast groups, cable companies, and satellite providers. Deployed at no cost to stations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cornerstone has been a leader in outcome-based performance media since 1995 with extensive experience navigating changes in media distribution
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Innovid: Independent ad tech platform for TV and CTV serving brands, agencies and publishers with ad serving, creative personalization and measurement. Adjacent infrastructure player operating at a much larger scale than Cornerstone.
• The Trade Desk: Global demand-side ad platform with a major CTV buying business. Represents the well-capitalized programmatic competitor whose growth could siphon advertiser budgets from Cornerstone's remnant-based direct response model.
• MNI Targeted Media: Targeted media services company offering multi-channel media planning, buying and audience targeting. A broader incumbent with adjacent (but not identical) capabilities to Cornerstone's direct response TV specialization.

Emerging players

• Tatari: Performance TV advertising platform focused on measurable outcomes across linear and CTV. Represents the digital-native evolution of Cornerstone's outcome-based TV model and a likely long-term competitor for the same advertiser budgets.
• Simulmedia: TV ad targeting and analytics company using data-driven planning for linear TV advertisers. Overlaps with Cornerstone's analytical software and audience/daypart targeting capabilities within the broader TV media buying space.

Direct peers

• Smith & Jones Direct Response: Direct response agency focused on DRTV infomercials and short-form response advertising for consumer advertisers. Comparable long-form/short-form performance media offering and advertiser profile.
• USIM (US International Media): Performance-based media planning and buying agency specializing in measurable direct response campaigns across TV, radio and digital. Comparable business model and customer base to Cornerstone, focused on outcome-driven media investments.
• Marketing Architects: Performance TV advertising agency that plans, buys and optimizes DRTV campaigns for direct-to-consumer advertisers using analytics-driven media placement. Closest comparable to Cornerstone's Performance Advertising and Media Buying offering, with a similar cost-per-response orientation.
• Response Media Inc. Direct response advertising agency managing DRTV, digital and print campaigns for performance advertisers. Operates with a similar media buying + analytics stack approach serving advertisers that demand measurable response.
• DRMM Group: Direct response media agency providing planning, buying and analytics for performance advertisers across traditional and digital media. Comparable DR-focused business model serving advertisers that demand measurable ROI.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Cornerstone Media Group