Resources For TV Channel Developers

European TV has never been an easy market for buying or selling advertising.

Much like the US TV market, national broadcasters still dominate in Europe, but their content is spread across different languages, currencies and regulations. Also much like the US, Europe is undergoing a transition from linear TV to streaming and CTV. But reliable targeting signals are harder to come by in Europe, where audiences are opted out of data sharing by default under GDPR.

RTL AdAlliance operates at the center of this challenging video and TV ad marketplace. As the international sales arm of Luxembourg-based media conglomerate RTL Group, it represents premium video inventory across Europe, partnering with broadcasters, streamers and online video publishers to aggregate supply across the region. It works alongside Smartclip, RTL’s ad tech platform, which powers the media network’s ad-serving and SSP capabilities.

Stephen Byrne, VP of Global Supply at RTL AdAlliance, leads those media partnerships, as well as Smartclip’s commercial relationships. He told AdExchanger the network is now focused on “total video,” which combines linear, CTV, streaming and premium online inventory. The goal is to package that media mix in a way that makes a fragmented European market feel more buyable to global advertisers.

AdExchanger: How does RTL AdAlliance simplify media fragmentation for advertisers and publishers?

STEPHEN BYRNE: The fragmentation is a reflection of Europe itself. Unlike the US, where advertisers can reach scale within a single market, Europe requires navigating many distinct ecosystems. That becomes especially challenging for international advertisers accustomed to more centralized buying environments.

In many cases, broadcasters grant us international exclusivity. We don’t replace their domestic sales efforts, but we help bring in demand from global advertisers who may not have the resources or expertise to operate market by market.

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