smartclip Europe and XITE partner on Connected TV monetisation

Hamburg, 18. February 2021 – smartclip, Europe’s largest open adtech development unit for broadcasters and streaming services, adds the Connected TV channel of Dutch music TV provider XITE to its CTV lineup. XITE, offering the ultimate music video experience on TV and OTT-platforms, recently launched in the German market with a new music TV channel curated for a German speaking audience. The channel is available for free within TV+ offerings of leading TV devices and directly on the XITE TV app.

The XITE channel is a blend of old-school and new; curated in the style of original music television from the 90s while delivering on the 21st century’s digital entertainment standards. Powered by  the smartclip adtech stack, ad breaks will appear similar to linear TV advertising, while offering advanced targeting standards of digital advertising. Advertising breaks will therefore be filled with highly relevant ads tailored to the user.

“Advertising supported video streaming is growing in popularity as the digital streaming landscape diversifies”, said Stephen Byrne, Executive Director, New Partnerships Europe at smartclip Europe. “Many viewers are not willing to pay for more than a handful of streaming subscriptions and are on the look-out for free-to-use alternatives. There is no doubt that XITE offers a throwback music TV experience adapted to today’s consumer habits. This makes XITE a great addition to the high-profile Connected TV portfolio under the Ad Alliance umbrella in Germany.”

The monetisation will be rolled out as part of the Ad Alliance portfolio for all XITE offerings in Germany. Ad Alliance gives advertisers extended opportunities to advertise across a high-profile media-portfolio of TV, print, online, mobile, ATV, CTV and audio. The new partnership delivers a highly differentiated CTV experience for users allowing brands to stand out on a quality music video platform, ensuring user engagement and a safe advertising environment. Music streaming is on the rise, and it has become an important component of brands’ multi-touchpoint advertising strategy, especially to reach younger audiences.

“In today’s media world, we are seeing industry-wide shifts toward streaming viewership as people spend more time at home, and we need innovative partners who can solve complex challenges quickly and efficiently. Ad Alliance and smartclip are specialists in the streaming and broadcasting landscape, allowing us to unlock and monetise our inventory”, added Ingmar Rood, Director of Sales & Partnerships at XITE. 

“At XITE we believe that music videos continue to dominate music streaming. Partnering with smartclip allows us to offer a beautifully designed, lean-back music video experience to a new segment of German consumers. Their local market expertise and a deep rooted foundation in the European video landscape have been deciding factors for us to trust in smartclip.”

Additional roll-outs of XITE offerings in other smartclip markets in Europe will follow and this partnership opens up expanded CTV campaign opportunities for advertisers across Europe.

In the Netherlands, XITE has a long and successful cooperation with RTL Nederland as part of the portfolio of the independent Dutch Ad Alliance.

About smartclip

At smartclip, we are shaping the future of video advertising — delivering advanced online video and addressable TV advertising solutions. Our proprietary technology empowers brands with true cross-screen storytelling on all devices, and enables broadcasters and publishers to monetise their content in the most efficient and effective way possible. The smartclip portfolio encompasses best-in-class broadcasters, publishers, and brands that seek to traverse the boundaries of traditional advertising by delivering innovative, premium video ad experiences. 

As a subsidiary of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, smartclip is part of RTL Group — Europe’s leading free-to-air broadcaster group. Headquartered in Hamburg, smartclip has offices in Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf, Gütersloh, Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki, Amsterdam, Milan and Rome. 

For more information, please visit www.smartclip.tv and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About XITE

XITE aims to offer the best music video experience in the world. Founded in the Netherlands, XITE now reaches 100 million households across Europe and North America through linear networks, interactive TV apps, and on-demand streaming services. The company revolutionized the way audiences experience music videos by allowing viewers to search, like, and skip through its entire catalogue, enjoy channels curated by its team of music experts and create their own channel based on a genre, decade style and mood using its unique Mixer feature. XITE has a full music video catalog through agreements with all major and top independent music labels and distributors.