Warner Bros. Discovery has launched a new ad data platform ahead of the upfront season to attract advertisers with the promise of a solution to the problem of reaching relevant viewers. 

Olli, a first-party platform, combines data and audience insights to help advertisers better identify when and what their core audiences are watching. The ultimate goal is to help them reach their actual target demo (whether it’s on linear or digital) and move away from simply dumping their ads in front of linear TV viewers who consume a lot of content, but don’t necessarily care about what they’re seeing.

Olli pulls insights from WBD’s active users in the US across more than 100 million households and 700 million devices. It covers the mediaco’s entire portfolio of content and brands, and is meant to enable more cost-effective ad buys and relevant measurement data. WBD is already working with OMG, RPTA and Wayfair to test the tool, and marketing firm IPG Mediabrands will also try it out in Q3. 

WBD is introducing this new tool to attract advertisers ahead of its May 15 upfront, where it will be promoting the ad inventory it has to sell across streaming, linear and digital platforms. Providing advertisers with value, at a time when many companies are looking to tighten their belts, is going to be a major challenge for the big platforms this year. In 2023, WBD’s advertising revenue was up 51% in the DTC segment to US$186 million compared to 2022, but down in its networks segment by 12% to US$1.9 billion. 

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