Astral Launches New Programmatic Offering

MONTRÉAL (December 7, 2017) – Bell Media’s out-of-home advertising division, Astral, announced today the launch of its new and unique programmatic solution for large format digital inventory. Using an exclusive self-serve platform, powered by Hivestack and fueled with real-time mobile location data, clients will be able to use audience targeting previously only attainable online.  The platform includes inventory across all major Canadian cities, real-time reporting, and attribution measurement capabilities. “We’re excited to be the first to roll out this innovative platform to advertisers, allowing them to seamlessly extend online capabilities into digital out-of-home,” said Karine Moses, President, Astral. “This new platform is a major step towards truly integrated, audience-centric advertising that generates measurable results for brands. Combined with the launch of our new logo and brand identity, it reinforces Astral’s leadership in out-of-home, and affirms Bell Media’s commitment to innovation.” Astral’s programmatic solution is being released in three phases, at the completion of which premium digital inventory will be accessible via programmatic guaranteed, preferred deals, or closed auction. Through the self-serve platform clients can monitor budget allocation across the network in real time, and update creative assets at their discretion. Since out-of-home media is intended for one-to-many exposure, the targeting parameters have to reflect this appropriately.  Astral relies on mobile device concentration to define an audience index so the ads are served at the optimal time and location, to reach the desired audience. This data is collected using precise polygon mapping, filtered rigorously, and connected to the platform through a real-time feed.