• by Tyler Loechner  @mp_tyler, March 4, 2015

A+E Networks on Wednesday announced it has joined FreeWheel’s FourFronts programmatic marketplace, a “programmatic direct” marketplace of sorts that allows advertisers and publishers to reserve digital video ad inventory using advanced targeting.

A+E joins other U.S. participants including ABC, Discovery Communications, Adap.tv, TubeMogul, Allstate, Magna Global, Starcom MediaVest Group, Optimedia, IPG Mediabrands and more. The FourFronts program expanded to the UK late in 2014 via a partnership with Channel 4.

“In addition to creating value for advertisers, A+E is using this to set a precedent for how premium digital video inventory should be transacted and reserved through programmatic channels,” stated Jason DeMarco, director of yield optimization at A+E Networks. “By placing the focus of programmatic on the use of automation while applying data, it is now possible to ensure shared value and risk to both sides.”

A FreeWheel representative explained to Real-Time Daily last year that advertisers’ data is uploaded to a “blinded data escrow” in the FourFronts marketplace, which publishers can then forecast against to determine which available inventory aligns with what the advertiser is looking for.