Broadband

AT&T to sell Xandr programmatic ad affiliate to Microsoft

Dec. 21, 2021

AT&T created Xandr in 2018 by combining assets it had acquired separately. The company offers a global marketplace for premium advertising through a variety of platforms.

Stephen Hardy

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AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) says it will its Xandr Inc. global programmatic advertising affiliate to Microsoft. Terms of the deal, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory reviews, were not disclosed. The company also did not estimate when it expects to close the transaction.

AT&T created Xandr in 2018 by combining assets it had acquired separately. The company offers a global marketplace for premium advertising through such platforms as Xandr Invest (for buying), Xandr Monetize (for selling), Xandr Curate (which helps create curated inventory), and Invest TV (which enables automated audience-based selling for TV programmers). It offers audience-based ad buying at scale for digital environments and aims to optimize media investments across screens for buyers and sellers.

AT&T asserts that Xandr's assets complement Microsoft's existing advertising offerings to create a more effective way for customers to buy media. "Microsoft's shared vision of empowering a free and open web and championing an open industry alternative via a global advertising marketplace makes it a great fit for Xandr. We look forward to using our innovative platform to help accelerate Microsoft's digital advertising and retail media capabilities," said Xandr's Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Welch.

"With Xandr's talent and technology, Microsoft can accelerate the delivery of its digital advertising and retail media solutions, shaping tomorrow's digital ad marketplace into one that respects consumer privacy preferences, understands publishers' relationships with consumers, and helps advertisers meet their goals," added Mikhail Parakhin, president of web experiences at Microsoft.

AT&T will retain advertising sales operations for DirecTV.

About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director & Associate Publisher

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, DOCSIS technology, and more.