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BrightLine was founded in 2003 as an advisory firm, primarily serving brands that were keen to engage TV viewers with internet-like ad experiences. As part of that mission, it built relationships with cable platforms and broadcasters that reached some 90 million households.
In 2012, BrightLine’s strong ties with the networks led it to pivot toward them with technology. It released an SDK for satellite and cable providers, giving it the means to deliver interactive TV ads across a large swath of US living rooms. That strategy shift coincided with a nascent yet clearly perceptible upheaval in consumer viewing habits.
On the latest episode of AdExchanger Talks, Jacqueline Corbelli describes that pivot and its impact on the company.
“Five years ago was when everyone learned Roku’s name,” she says. “It’s when Xbox and PlayStation started referring to themselves as entertainment platforms instead of gaming consoles. … We decided that we were going to create an agnostic approach that would allow advertisers to enhance their ads and change the formats of their ads in any way the viewer was streaming a show.”
With its creative formats now embedded in most ad-supported broadcast and cable TV apps on Roku and other operating systems, BrightLine may have a new data opportunity.
“We’ve become what’s referred to as a vertical stack inside this OTT environment,” Corbelli says. “As an agnostic player that helps all of the networks find their audiences and sell that media onto the brands, we’re also in a position where we can measure and target across those screens.”
Also in this episode: Business results, the product road map and female leadership in tech.
