DoubleVerify to acquire OpenSlate
November 10, 2021
DoubleVerify (DV), a software platform for digital media measurement, data and analytics, has entered into an agreement to acquire OpenSlate, a pre-campaign contextual targeting platform that enables brands to align advertising with suitable or contextually relevant content across social video and CTV.
The acquisition of OpenSlate is a cash and stock transaction valued at $150 million (€129.5m) and is expected to close this quarter.
“DV’s mission is to make digital advertising stronger, safer and more secure, giving global brands clarity and confidence in their digital investments,” said Mark Zagorski, DoubleVerify CEO. “Our strategy in support of this mission is to verify everywhere – across channels, formats, platforms and geographies. The combination with OpenSlate fully supports this approach. OpenSlate’s pre-campaign solutions perfectly complement DV’s post-campaign measurement capabilities across CTV and social environments. Integrating the two provides advertisers with unparalleled end-to-end brand safety, suitability and contextual optimisation. No other company will be able to deliver a fully-owned, integrated solution across the leading social and CTV walled gardens.”
OpenSlate’s solutions provide insight into the nature and quality of ad-supported content on large, video-driven social platforms, such as Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. Founded in 2012, OpenSlate evaluates video for brand safety, suitability and context, and offers customers proven ‘pre-activation’ controls to ensure advertisers can effectively target the most appropriate and impactful content.
OpenSlate operates across 37 international markets and supports leading agency holding companies and 200+ large global brands, including Coca-Cola, Facebook, Kimberly-Clark, Pfizer and Unilever.
“The OpenSlate team is thrilled to join forces with DoubleVerify – an industry-leading, rapidly expanding, global organisation with best-in-class media quality and performance capabilities,” said Mike Henry, OpenSlate CEO. “Integrating with DV will be a natural evolution for our technology and will accelerate our ability to provide advertisers with comprehensive brand safety, suitability, and contextual solutions across social video and CTV.”
“We believe that maintaining our independence across the digital advertising ecosystem gives our customers and partners assurance that we are objective, unbiased and independent – with no potential conflicts of interest,” said Zagorski. “As a result, we have built a foundation of trust, transparency and interoperability that is unmatched in the market. The addition of OpenSlate strengthens that reputation and commitment.”