Google Firms Up Streaming Ad Ties With Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery And Paramount

Google is strengthening advertising ties with major media companies amid a broader push into ad-supported streaming.

In a presentation kicking off the NewFronts in New York, Google execs gave Hollywood a significant spotlight. The tech giant announced a number of partnerships with companies using its Display & Video 360 tools, including Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global.

More from Deadline

• YouTube Q1 Ad Sales Top $8 Billion As Parent Alphabet Declares First Ever Dividend, Shares Pop

• Netflix Co-CEO Greg Peters Says Password-Sharing Crackdown Has Not Hurt Viewership, Citing Internal Data That "Cuts Through The Noise" About The Policy Shift

• 'Fallout' Renewed For Season 2 At Amazon

Google also announced that it is one of the first partners to directly integrate into Disney’s Real-time Ad Exchange, or DRAX. ” Kristen O’Hara, VP, Agency, Platforms & Client Solutions at Google, emceed the NewFront and recapped the day’s announcements in a blog post. The DRAX integration, she said, will help advertisers target consumers directly via Disney’s streaming portfolio, “at more meaningful moments, with more speed and flexibility,” she said.

Marketers using Google’s DV360 have seen a 120% higher return on ad spend compared to third-party video bought directly and an 18% higher return on ad spend than they get on linear TV.

Pete Chelala, VP, Programmatic Advertising Sales at Paramount and Jill Steinhauser, SVP, Ad Sales Revenue and Planning at WBD, joined O’Hara onstage for a conversation about how they work with Google. The tech company’s offerings let advertisers “seamlessly” access Paramount inventory, Chelala said, while Steinhauser said they let Max advertisers “programmatically reach audiences at scale, unifying their media in one place.”

NBCUniversal also got into the mix at the Google NewFront. John Lee, Chief Data Officer at NBCU, made an appearance to tout the company’s “pretty significant transformation” as it pushes into streaming. Since Peacock’s launch in 2020, he said, we have invested “a lot in our first-party data.”

While the event was branded for Google, YouTube got plenty of attention. The video giant has shifted its main pitch to advertisers out of NewFronts week and into the main upfront week in mid-May. Statistics about the potency of YouTube were doled out throughout the morning (e.g., YouTube Shorts viewing on connected TVs rose 73% from January to September 2023), as were cake pops made in a live cooking demonstration by two YouTube creators.

Best of Deadline

• TV Cancellations Photo Gallery: Series Ending In 2024 & Beyond

• Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2024: Photo Gallery & Obituaries

• 2024 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.