Xandr

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Xandr, Inc.
FormerlyAT&T Advertising and Analytics (2018)
Company typeDivision
IndustryAdvertising
Analytics
PredecessorsAT&T AdWorks
Turner Advertising
FoundedSeptember 25, 2018; 5 years ago (September 25, 2018)
Headquarters
New York City, New York
,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Mike Welch (EVP & GM)
Ben John (CTO)[1]
ProductsCommunity
Xandr Invest
Xandr Monetize
Revenue$2,022 million (2019)[2]
ParentAT&T[3]
DivisionsXandr Media
Xandr Data
SubsidiariesAppNexus
Clypd
Websitewww.xandr.com

Xandr, Inc. (pronounced "Xander") is the advertising and analytics division of AT&T, which operates an online platform, called Community, for buying and selling consumer-centric digital advertising.[4]

History

Following its June 2018 acquisition of AppNexus,[5] Xandr was formed by AT&T to construct a national TV advertising marketplace.

Xandr was launched, on September 25, 2018, at its inaugural AT&T Relevance Conference, in Santa Barbara, California, and was named after its parent company founder, Alexander Graham Bell.[6][7]

In June 2019, Xandr rebranded its AppNexus DSP, launching Xandr Invest, to serve as its central ad-buying hub.[8][9]

On October 18, 2019, Xandr acquired Massachusetts-based Clypd, an audience-based sales platform for television advertising.[10][11]

On April 30, 2020, it was folded into WarnerMedia.[12]

Rumors and speculation spread in 2020 that AT&T was seeking to sell and offload Xandr, along with DirecTV and Crunchyroll. The reasoning is twofold: first, AT&T took on immense debt to purchase WarnerMedia, and any non-core asset sales would help pay off that debt burden. Secondly, Xandr was inherently compromised by its association with AT&T and HBO MAX, as many would-be advertisers were reluctant to use what is essentially a competitor for their ad buys, and as such it might be more lucrative on its own.[13]

On May 17, 2021, it was announced that WarnerMedia would be merged with Discovery, Inc. to form a new publicly traded company known as Warner Bros. Discovery, but that the Xandr business would not be included in the transaction and would remain a division of AT&T.[3]

Leadership

Xandr is led by Mike Welch,[1] after the departure in March 2020 by former GroupM North America CEO Brian Lesser, who was appointed chief executive officer of AT&T advertising and analytics in 2017.[14] Kirk McDonald, who served as interim CEO following Lesser's departure,[15] moved to GroupM, a subsidiary of WPP, in August 2020.[16]

Operations

In May 2019, Xandr launched Community, its new video marketplace[17] that connects advertisers, publishers, and consumer media brands,[18] including AT&T's WarnerMedia platforms: CNN, TNT, TruTV, B/R Live, and Otter Media. Other media on the Community platform includes Vice Media, Hearst Communications, Newsy, Philo, Tubi, and Xumo,[19][20] Vudu, and Bloomberg.[21]

The fee-transparent,[22] consumer-centric Xandr advertising model combines data, AT&T’s newly acquired WarnerMedia content, AppNexus, and other proprietary advertising technology, to integrate with AT&T’s consumer network,[6][7] creating the first personalized advertising of its kind, with different commercials being delivered to different viewers simultaneously.[23]

During its first year, Xandr’s revenue was mainly derived from DirecTV sales. The company has approximately 1800 employees,[24] including 60 in Europe.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b "Xandr Leadership Team". xandr.com. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "2019 AT&T EARNINGS Xandr Segment" (PDF). AT&T. p. 25.
  3. ^ a b Rifilato, Tony. "AT&T Will Hold On To Xandr As It Relinquishes WarnerMedia". adexchanger.com. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  4. ^ "AT&T Putting All Programmatic Digital Ad Spending with Xandr Move adds scale to AppNexus platform" by Jon Lafayette; Broadcasting Cable; February 11, 2019. Accessed May 21, 2019.
  5. ^ "AT&T’s Xandr Officially Combines Its TV Ad Biz With The AppNexus Digital Ad Platform" by Rae Paoletta; Ad Exchanger; November 29, 2018. Accessed May 21, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "AT&T Ad Unit Now Called ‘Xandr’ in Nod to Alexander Graham Bell" by Scott Moritz and Lucas Shaw; Bloomberg; September 25, 2018. Accessed May 21, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "AT&T Launches New Advertising Company, Xandr"; AT&T; September 25, 2018. Accessed May 21, 2019.
  8. ^ Mariel Soto Reyes (June 12, 2019). "The Relevance Conference Santa Barbara, a leadership series presented by Xandr, an AT&T unit". Business insider. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  9. ^ Dang, Sheila (June 10, 2019). "The AT&T's Xandr launches ad-buying platform for premium content". Reuters. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  10. ^ "XANDR ACQUIRES CLYPD IN MOVE TO BUILD CONNECTED TV EMPIRE Ad Age; October 18, 2019. Accessed October 21, 2019.]
  11. ^ Dang, Sheila (October 17, 2019). "AT&T's Xandr purchases TV advertising company clypd: source". Reuters. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  12. ^ https://www.xandr.com/news/warnermedia-and-xandr-combine-to-create-a-stronger-value-proposition-for-agencies-advertisers-and-publishers/
  13. ^ https://www.mediaplaynews.com/att-ups-effort-to-sell-directv-xandr-and-crunchyroll/
  14. ^ "GroupM North America CEO Brian Lesser to Depart for AT&T Role" by Alexandra Bruell; The Wall Street Journal; August 4, 2017. Accessed May 21, 2019.
  15. ^ [1]
  16. ^ Steinberg, Brian (August 18, 2020). "Kirk McDonald Will Become North American CEO of GroupM". variety.com. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  17. ^ "Xandr To Launch 'Community' Marketplace, Enhanced Addressable TV Offerings" by Alex Weprin; Digital News Daily; May 14, 2019. Accessed May 21, 2019.
  18. ^ a b Joseph, Seb (July 1, 2019). "AT&T's Xandr has ambitious European expansion plans". DIGIDAY. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  19. ^ "AT&T’s Xandr Unveils Community, Its Long-Awaited Video Marketplace" by Patrick Kulp; Ad Week; May 14, 2019. Accessed May 21, 2019.
  20. ^ "Xandr introduces ad marketplace, dubbed Community, during upfronts" by Jeanine Poggi; May 14, 2019. Accessed May 21, 2019.
  21. ^ Lafayette, Jon (September 23, 2019). "One Year In, Xandr Still Pushing for Relevant Ads". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  22. ^ "AppNexus Reworks Publisher Contracts To Enable Fee Transparency For Buyers" by Sarah Sluis; Ad Exchanger; December 11, 2018. Accessed May 21, 2019.
  23. ^ "AT&T Pushes Xandr Ad Products in Viacom Carriage Talks" by Alexandra Bruell; The Wall Street Journal; March 25, 2019. Accessed May 21, 2019. On March 11, 2020 CEO Brian Lesser resigned. On April 30, 2020 AT&T announced that Warner Media and Xandr would be merged.
  24. ^ Steinberg, Brian (December 10, 2019). "AT&T's Xandr Works for Closer Ties With WarnerMedia". Variety. Retrieved December 13, 2019.

External link

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Xandr&oldid=1037215134"