Warner Bros. Discovery Jumps Into Data-Driven Advertising Business With New Tool Olli

With linear TV in flux and streaming on the rise, Warner Bros. Discovery is the latest media company to launch a first-party data platform to try and change how TV and video advertising is bought, sold, and measured.

The company on Thursday announced “Olli,” its first-party data solution for marketers, giving them a single touchpoint to plan, activate and measure against advanced audience segments, including linear TV, streaming platforms like Max and Discovery+, and other digital platforms.

“With the introduction of Olli and Data-Driven Video, Warner Bros. Discovery offers a transformative approach to how media strategies are crafted and executed. Our goal is to ensure that every connection between brand and audience is reached in the most efficient and effective way across our vast expanse of digital and traditional platforms,” said Ryan Gould, head of digital ad sales for Warner Bros. Discovery, in a statement. “We’ve already seen early success with this offering, and we look forward to bringing it to the wider marketplace to work with marketers looking to activate advanced audience segments to achieve their advertising, sales and marketing objectives.”  

Olli also reallocates inventory in the planning phase, moving some away from heavy linear TV viewers and toward digital and streaming to help balance reach and frequency.

The product includes three pieces: Data and identity, powered by an audience graph of 100 million households and 700 million devices; Activation and automation, to help with targeting and execution; and insights and measurement, to prove efficacy and attribution.

The company says that IPG/Media Brands will begin testing in Q3. The announcement of Olli also comes just a few weeks ahead of the upfronts, with WBD set to present May 15 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.