What DIRECTV Advertising does

DIRECTV Advertising is the dedicated advertising sales division of DIRECTV, a privately held U.S. satellite and streaming TV provider owned by AT&T. Established around 2022 under Chief Advertising Sales Officer Amy Leifer, the unit sells addressable, programmatic, contextual, and digital out-of-home (DOOH) TV advertising to enterprise brands, agencies, demand- and supply-side platforms, small and medium businesses, and political advertisers across the United States. Its product portfolio spans core offerings (Addressable, Sports, Pause Ads, Contextual Targeting, DIRECTV Remote) built on two underlying platforms: DIRECTV Axis, an Emmy-winning ad tech stack with 100+ platform integrations and a proprietary AI-powered forecasting tool called Prevail; and DIRECTV Advantage, a deterministic first-party data platform integrated with 30+ data vendors and 10+ clean rooms. DIRECTV also operates D2 Media Sales, a joint venture with DISH reaching 20+ million households across 210 DMAs, and DIRECTV Elect, an AI-driven political advertising platform.

The company monetizes through four primary revenue streams: advertising inventory sales (direct IO, programmatic guaranteed, private marketplace, and real-time bidding across linear, CTV, and DOOH); programmatic technology and API access fees; data and measurement services via DIRECTV Advantage; and managed services including creative support. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with multi-year enterprise contracts, pay-as-you-go programmatic, and monthly self-service SMB tiers. Distribution spans enterprise direct sales, DSP/SSP integrations (Magnite, The Trade Desk, Basis, FreeWheel, TripleLift, PubMatic, Index Exchange, OpenX, Equativ), a self-service SMB platform, and the DIRECTV Remote programmatic DOOH marketplace via Place Exchange. Distribution channels, partnerships, and content rights are anchored to DIRECTV's parent-owned satellite infrastructure and premium content portfolio including NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, PGA, and 150+ entertainment networks.

Recent strategic activity through 2025 and 2026 has concentrated on three vectors: programmatic enablement of inventory (linear satellite and DOOH), AI and agentic infrastructure (Magnite Orchestration beta, LiveRamp CAPI Hub integration, Genius Sports Moment Engine), and retail media network commercialization (Target Roundel pilot on DIRECTV Remote). The headcount of 5,001-10,000 listed in firmographics appears to reflect the broader DIRECTV entity; the advertising division itself operates as a focused unit with executive leadership spanning sales, product, data, ad technology, and revenue operations. The company is privately held with no venture or private equity ownership specific to the advertising division.

Name

DIRECTV Advertising

Legal name

DIRECTV, LLC

Website

https://directvadvertising.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

DIRECTV Advertising is the ad sales division of DIRECTV, offering addressable, programmatic, and data-driven TV and DOOH advertising across linear, streaming, and out-of-home inventory for brands, agencies, platforms, SMBs, and political advertisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Connected TV Advertising Technology

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (541830), Advertising Agencies (54181), Media Representatives (541840), Other Services Related to Advertising (541890)

SIC

Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Pay-TV Advertising Sales & Monetization (Addressable/Local Avails) (MPABAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Connected TV (CTV) & OTT Performance Advertising (BPAFACAG), Video/CTV/OTT Media Buying (MPAAABAE), Digital & Programmatic Media Buying (Display, Video, CTV, Audio) (BPAFABAB), Live Sports Pay-Per-View (PPV) & Event Streaming (MPAKAOAE), Aggregator/Platform Channels & Marketplace Bundles (Channel Stores, Super-Aggregators) (MPABAHAM)

Keywords

• Addressable TV advertising
• Connected TV advertising
• Programmatic TV buying
• Ad tech platform
• Digital out-of-home advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Inventory Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling premium video advertising inventory across linear TV, connected TV (CTV), and digital out-of-home (DOOH). Revenue generated through direct IO, programmatic guaranteed (PG), private marketplace (PMP), and real-time bidding across sports, entertainment, and contextual inventory.
2. Programmatic Technology Fees: Revenue from programmatic technology integrations, APIs, and platform access fees charged to DSPs, SSPs, and data platforms for access to premium TV inventory through DIRECTV Axis.
3. Data and Measurement Services: Revenue from data activation, audience insights, and measurement services through DIRECTV Advantage, including clean room integrations and third-party data partnerships.
4. Managed Services: Revenue from white-glove creative managed services including custom QR code creation, creative design assistance, and transparent measurement and reporting for advertisers requiring hands-on support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DIRECTV Advertising sells premium omnichannel TV advertising inventory across linear TV, connected TV (CTV), and digital out-of-home (DOOH) platforms, supported by its proprietary DIRECTV Axis ad tech platform and DIRECTV Advantage data platform. The company delivers addressable advertising, live sports advertising, pause ads, contextual targeting, and out-of-home advertising to brands, agencies, programmatic platforms, and political advertisers with deterministic audience targeting and closed-loop measurement.

Product overview

DIRECTV Advertising operates as a comprehensive omnichannel TV advertising platform with a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offerings include Addressable (pioneering household-level targeting across linear TV and streaming), Sports (premium live sports inventory with guaranteed in-game impressions), Pause Ads (dynamic ad units during viewer-initiated pauses), Contextual Targeting (content-aligned advertising across 150+ networks), and DIRECTV Remote (out-of-home TV in-flight, in hotels, and in businesses). The data and technology foundation consists of DIRECTV Advantage (audience data, measurement, and clean room integrations) and DIRECTV Axis (Emmy-winning ad tech platform with 100+ integrations, proprietary AI forecasting, and 14 patents). For political advertising, DIRECTV offers D2 Media Sales (joint venture with DISH reaching 20M+ households) and DIRECTV Elect (AI-powered digital platform). The platform supports flexible activation through direct IO, programmatic (PG/PMP), and APIs, with integrations across FreeWheel, Salesforce, Magnite, LiveRamp, and 30+ data vendors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DIRECTV Advantage: Data platform that brings together data, technology, and expertise to help understand audiences, measure cross-platform impact, and unlock new value for brands.
• DIRECTV Axis
• DIRECTV Remote
• DIRECTV Elect
• D2 Media Sales

Products and services

• Addressable

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 30% incremental reach when pairing Addressable RFO with national TV
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration16 records

AI capability6 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Target (Roundel)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026First retail media network on DirecTV Remote's out-of-home network. Partnership uniquely links ad views to in-store Target sales, enabling brands to track whether viewers who saw their ads later purchased products at Target. Grants access to sports programming inventory from MLB, WNBA, and PGA.
• MagnitecoreTechnology or Integration · 12 June 2026Beta testing partner for Magnite Orchestration, a coordination layer enabling AI buyer agents to connect with Magnite's seller agent for premium omnichannel inventory access. DIRECTV Advertising is integrating audience data and testing agent-to-agent transaction capabilities across CTV, audio, and other formats.
• DentsucoreTechnology or Integration · 12 June 2026Beta testing partner for Magnite Orchestration, integrating proprietary dentsu.Audiences segments into the platform for AI-driven programmatic advertising.
• TBWA\Chiat\Day LAmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 11 May 2026Creative agency partner for multi-channel marketing campaign during Upfront Week, including digital-out-of-home placements and experiential activations.
• Starcom USmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 11 May 2026Media agency partner for multi-channel marketing campaign during Upfront Week.
• LiveRampcoreTechnology or Integration · 16 April 2026Integration of LiveRamp's Conversions API (CAPI) Hub, making DIRECTV the first multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) to offer this CAPI connector for privacy-conscious, closed-loop measurement across TV and digital channels.
• Genius SportscoreTechnology or Integration · 27 March 2026Partnership to offer Genius Sports' Moment Engine technology for programmatic sports advertising. The Moment Engine combines official sports data, AI models, and fan data to enable real-time targeted advertising linked to in-game sports moments.
• FreeWheelmajorTechnology or Integration · 27 March 2026Partner for Moment Engine real-time sports advertising integration, enabling programmatic activation of sports inventory.
• Index ExchangemajorTechnology or Integration · 27 March 2026Partner for Moment Engine real-time sports advertising integration.
• OpenXmajorTechnology or Integration · 27 March 2026Partner for Moment Engine real-time sports advertising integration.
• PubMaticmajorTechnology or Integration · 27 March 2026Partner for Moment Engine real-time sports advertising integration.
• EquativmajorTechnology or Integration · 27 March 2026Partner for Moment Engine real-time sports advertising integration.
• The Weather CompanymajorTechnology or Integration · 27 March 2026Partner for Moment Engine real-time sports advertising integration.
• Place Exchange by BroadsigncoreTechnology or Integration · 7 January 2026Leading SSP for programmatic DOOH media, enabling programmatic access to DIRECTV Remote inventory across commercial locations using the same workflows as other programmatic channels.
• The Trade DeskcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 January 2026DSP partner for programmatic access to DIRECTV Remote DOOH inventory, enabling brands to reach TV audiences on the go.
• Basis (Perion)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 January 2026DSP partner for programmatic access to DIRECTV Remote DOOH inventory.
• TripleLiftmajorTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2025Launch of programmatic Pause Ads in partnership with TripleLift, allowing buyers access to DIRECTV's Pause Ad product via programmatic through major DSP partners.
• MagnitecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2025Collaboration to optimize live streaming advertising by matching programmatic demand with real-time traffic surges during live sports and events.
• Publicis SportsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024First agency partner combining Genius Sports data with Epsilon insights to identify sports fans and flag opportunities for relevant ad targeting.
• FreeWheelmajorTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated into DIRECTV Axis unified ad ecosystem for precision ads across direct-sold and programmatic formats.
• INVIDImajorTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated into DIRECTV Axis unified ad ecosystem for addressable advertising capabilities.
• SpringServemajorTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated into DIRECTV Axis unified ad ecosystem for ad serving and optimization.
• SalesforcemajorTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated into DIRECTV Axis ad suite for campaign management and customer relationship management.
• OperativemajorTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated into DIRECTV Axis ad suite for ad management and workflow automation.
• Clean Room Partners (30+ vendors)majorTechnology or IntegrationRobust integrations with 30+ data vendors and 10+ clean rooms and safe havens for secure, scalable data activation.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Roku: Operates the Roku platform and Roku Ads Manager, a leading CTV ad-buying interface. Competes for CTV, streaming, and SMB TV ad spend and is one of the most established independent CTV ad-tech players alongside DIRECTV Advertising.
• Spectrum Reach: Ad sales division of Charter Communications, the second-largest U.S. cable operator. Sells addressable TV, programmatic CTV, and political advertising across Spectrum's cable footprint, directly competing with DIRECTV Advertising for the same brand, agency, and political budgets.
• Fox Advertising Sales: Sells advertising across Fox Broadcasting, Fox Sports (NFL, MLB, college football), Fox News, and Tubi. Competes directly in live sports ad inventory and free ad-supported streaming (Tubi AVOD) — both key DIRECTV Advertising territories.
• Comcast Advertising: Advertising sales arm of Comcast Cable, the largest U.S. pay-TV operator. Operates the FreeWheel ad-tech platform and offers addressable, programmatic, and cross-screen TV advertising across NBCUniversal content — the most direct analog to DIRECTV Advertising's combined pay-TV + content + ad-tech offering.
• Disney Advertising Sales: Sells advertising across Disney's linear networks (ABC, ESPN, FX, National Geographic) and streaming platforms (Disney+, Hulu). Competes directly for sports, entertainment, and streaming ad budgets and is a fellow leader in the converged TV advertising category.
• Paramount Advertising: Sells advertising across CBS, Paramount+, Pluto TV, Nickelodeon, MTV, and BET. Offers addressable, programmatic, and political advertising, competing with DIRECTV Advertising for sports (NFL on CBS), entertainment, and CTV budgets.
• Warner Bros. Discovery Ad Sales: Ad sales arm for Warner Bros. Discovery's portfolio including HBO, Max, CNN, TNT, and Discovery. Competes in premium entertainment, sports (NBA on TNT/TBS), and streaming CTV with both direct and programmatic offerings.
• NBCUniversal Advertising: Sells advertising across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, Telemundo, and Universal properties. Operates One Platform for cross-channel buying and is a direct competitor in premium entertainment and live sports (including NBC Sports/Peacock NFL inventory).

Broad incumbents

• Magnite: Largest independent SSP for CTV and video, providing programmatic infrastructure across many of the same publishers DIRECTV Advertising sells. Functions as both a partner (DIRECTV sells through Magnite) and a competitor (Magnite's omnichannel CTV offering overlaps with DIRECTV's converged TV pitch).
• The Trade Desk: Leading independent demand-side platform for programmatic advertising across CTV, video, display, and audio. Both a channel partner for DIRECTV Advertising's programmatic deals and an indirect competitor for omnichannel advertiser budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/directv-advertising

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 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 DIRECTV Advertising