UM and Roku Partner to Increase Equity For Minority-Owned Networks Ahead of TV Upfronts

Exclusive access to new measurement data from Roku will
grow media spend for previously unmeasured channels

NEW YORK, April 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, UM, a global media agency network of IPG Mediabrands, announced an industry-first partnership with Roku, Inc., the #1 TV streaming platform in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico*, that will provide the agency and its sister agencies exclusive solutions to measure unrated, minority-owned networks for the first time. The deal provides planning and investment teams with access to critical linear TV data ahead of the 2023 TV Upfronts, giving smaller, minority-owned networks opportunity alongside larger, rated networks.

Today, many of the 35+ smaller, minority-owned networks do not show up in traditional TV measurement. Panels may lack the scale to capture emerging media properties, and setup costs may be prohibitive. This ratings gap leaves marketers guessing about the audience and inhibits advertising spend.

"We continuously work to identify the challenges and gaps in the marketplace as part of our ongoing commitment to drive equitable and inclusive business practices," said Deidre Small-Landau, Head of Business Equity, IPG Mediabrands. "Lack of linear ratings information is a significant impediment to why brands are not investing in minority-owned networks, and we look forward to creating more growth opportunities for clients and minority-owned networks alike across the Mediabrands family of brands."

Roku is leveraging its proprietary Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology to generate two sets of comprehensive monthly reports for UM and IPG Mediabrands. The first provides average viewership by network by daypart and reach per channel, designed to be used for planning purposes. The second set shows actual viewership by program by day, validating how many viewers are exposed to advertising content, providing insight into how specific campaigns are performing.

Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) is a technology that, when enabled, allows Roku to recognize the programs and commercials viewed over antenna, cable, and satellite on Roku TVs. As the #1 selling smart TV OS in the U.S. as of Q4 2022, Roku brings broad reach and a direct consumer relationship that offers accurate, scaled insights.

Roku found that, between December 2022 and February 2023, previously unmeasured minority-owned TV networks reached an estimated 16.8 million U.S. households on traditional TV and delivered more than 400 million advertising impressions. Roku's reporting clarifies the opportunity for brands to partner with minority-owned channels.

"You can't invest in what you can't measure," said Kristina Shepard, Co-Head of U.S. Brand Sales, Roku. "Our goal is TV made better for everyone. We're thrilled to bring unique scale, data, and technology forward to solve industry challenges and improve media equity together." 

This partnership is the latest in UM's efforts to generate more equity in the marketplace for minority-owned media. Last fall, the agency released its groundbreaking Future Impact study, which proved for the first time that brands that support equity values in the workplace and in media will see double the impact in purchase intent. UM also helped spearhead the launch of the Equity Upfronts with MAGNA, the intelligence and investment arm of IPG Mediabrands, a now-annual event that introduced minority-owned media to the Upfronts schedule for the first time ever. 

"Roku has been consistently open to partnering with us in new and different ways, and their technology is uniquely capable of measuring the viewership of unrated networks," says Marcy Greenberger, EVP, Managing Partner, Integrated Investment, UM. "Our clients will benefit from the data-backed insights that are typically unavailable, creating rationale and incentive to expand their network consideration sets and meet equity investment objectives while still maintaining confidence in their spend and reach. It's a win-win for everyone, especially minority-owned networks that want to show advertisers the value they bring to the table."    

*based on hours streamed, Dec 2022, Hypothesis Group

About UM 
UM is a global media agency committed to Futureproofing our clients' businesses for the now and the next. We leverage the transformational power of rich business analytics and real-time intelligence to maximize growth and activate the full consumer journey across content and connections. Our consultative approach and agile model, rooted in diversity, equity and belonging, drive better business outcomes for brands. As the leading global media network in IPG Mediabrands, UM operates in over 100 countries, with more than 3,000 people innovating on a roster of global clients including Accenture, American Express, GoPro, Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strauss & Co, Mattel, Sony and Spotify. For more information, please visit https://www.umww.com/. 

About Roku
Roku pioneered streaming on TV. We connect users to the content they love, enable content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and provide advertisers with unique capabilities to engage consumers. Roku TV™ models, Roku streaming players and TV- related audio devices, are available in various countries around the world through direct retail sales and/or licensing arrangements with TV OEM brands. Roku-branded TVs and Roku Smart Home products are sold exclusively in the United States. Roku also operates The Roku Channel, the home of free and premium entertainment with exclusive access to Roku Originals. The Roku Channel is available in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Roku is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., U.S.A.   

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements that are based on our beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to us on the date of this press release.  Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements include but are not limited to those related to the features, benefits and capabilities of Roku's ACR technology; the features, benefits, growth and reach of the Roku platform; trends related to advertising; and the parties' entry into a partnership. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially are detailed from time to time in the reports Roku, Inc. files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on Roku's website and are available from Roku without charge.

Roku is a registered trademark, and Roku TV is a trademark of Roku, Inc. in the U.S. and in other countries. Trade names, trademarks, and service marks of other companies appearing in this press release are the property of their respective holders.

SOURCE UM