Discovery buys minority stake in Open AP in bid to gain say in audience measurement

After making a successful bid to grow its heft in the media business with the looming acquisition of WarnerMedia, Discovery wants to extend its influence in the world of audience measurement and data.

Discovery will become a minority owner of Open AP, a company that is working to define segments of video audiences and help advertisers buy commercial inventory in new ways that are more precise than methods utilized in the era when watching TV wasn’t rooted in digital technology. Discovery, which is expected to take over management of WarnerMedia from AT&T in months to come, joins Fox Corp., ViacomCBS and NBCUniversal as owners in the joint venture.

“We’ve been working with OpenAP for a number of years and as we double down on our advanced advertising capabilities, we feel that now is the perfect time to increase our commitment to the work that they are doing,” says Jim Keller, executive vice president of digital ad sales and advanced advertising at Discovery. “OpenAP is driving the advanced advertising market further and faster towards cross-platform targeting, measurement and audience reach. This investment puts Discovery in a position to be a part of this much-needed innovation.” Variety