When people first hear about Addressable TV, it can sound like a magic black box: you press a button and somehow each household gets its own ad. In reality, there is a whole ecosystem of players working together behind the scenes. Understanding who they are makes the concept much clearer – and shows where value is created.
At the centre are the publishers and broadcasters. These are the TV channels, OTT platforms, and CTV apps that own the content and the ad breaks: national broadcasters, sports platforms, super apps, and niche streaming services. Without their inventory and their decision to adopt Addressable TV, nothing else happens. They control the viewer relationship and the stream.
Next come the ad-serving and monetization platforms. This includes ad servers (where campaigns are trafficked and targeted), supply-side platforms (SSPs) that connect publisher inventory to programmatic buyers, and in some cases dedicated DAI / CSAI platforms that handle the ad stitching. These systems take the cue signals from the video stream, evaluate the available campaigns, and decide which ad should be shown to which device at that exact moment.
On the demand side are the advertisers and agencies. Advertisers set business goals – brand awareness, store visits, app installs, sales – and allocate budgets. Agencies translate those goals into media plans and campaign setups. In Addressable TV, agencies are often the ones pushing for smarter targeting, geo-location splits, and audience segments. They need confidence that the publisher and tech stack can deliver those capabilities reliably.
Around this core trading loop sit the data and identity partners. In some markets, telecom operators or platform owners provide privacy-safe IDs that help define audiences: for example, frequent shoppers, pay-TV subscribers, or heavy streaming users. Other times, publishers build their own first-party segments using login systems, app behaviour, or loyalty programmes. These segments are not shared as raw personal data; instead, they are turned into anonymous “buckets” that the ad server can target (e.g., “sports fans in Malaysia who watched more than 3 matches this month”).
Another set of important players are the measurement and verification companies. Advertisers want to know: Were my ads actually shown? Were they viewable? How many households did I reach, and how often? Independent measurement vendors help answer these questions through tags, device-level data, or panel-based measurement. In advanced setups, they can even link ad exposure to outcomes such as website visits, app installs or sales lift.
We should not forget the platform and device owners: smart TV makers, connected-device platforms, and OS providers. They provide the environment in which the OTT apps run, and sometimes they also offer their own advertising surfaces or data. Publishers need to ensure their Addressable TV stack behaves consistently across this fragmented device landscape.
The key point is that Addressable TV is an ecosystem, not a single product. Publishers, tech vendors, data providers, measurement companies, agencies, and advertisers all have roles to play. When they are aligned – with clear responsibilities, transparent reporting, and strong privacy practices – Addressable TV can deliver impressive results. When the chain is weak at any point, campaigns may underperform or operations become painful.
For anyone entering this space, mapping out “who does what” is a powerful first exercise. Once you know the players, you can design partnerships and workflows that keep the engine running smoothly – and that is where real competitive advantage appears.