The European Programmatic TV Initiative (EPTVI) has announced the launch of Stage Two of its industry-led collaboration, moving from industry discussion and alignment into action as the industry works to make programmatic TV easier to use at scale across Europe.

Europe’s TV advertising market is at a critical moment. As broadcasters and streamers expand programmatic access to premium inventory, demand is no longer the key constraint. Buyers and sellers have to navigate different definitions, measurement approaches and workflows, often relying on market- and platform-specific setups that increase cost, limit confidence and slow adoption.

Stage Two is overseen by a Joint Industry Steering Committee (JISC) which sets strategic direction and oversees delivery. This includes leading technology companies that play a critical role in enabling programmatic TV, including Google Ad Manager, Equativ, Adform, LiveRamp, The Trade Desk, FreeWheel and Cape.io, alongside major broadcasters, streamers, agency groups and trade bodies.* Additional partners are welcome to join.

This phase focuses on turning earlier alignment into practical action, producing clear, shared guidance on how programmatic TV should work day to day and helping businesses apply it consistently rather than rebuilding approaches across multiple markets and platforms.

Stage Two Focus and Deliverables

Structured around a federated model that balances European-level alignment with local market flexibility. The work programme is focused on three core deliverables:

1. North Star Principles – common reference points for how programmatic TV should operate across European markets, covering interoperability, measurement, transparency, workflow and local adaptation.
2. Reusable Core Components – shared guidance and documentation, including metadata templates, measurement and reporting conventions, workflow and interoperability guides.
3. The Premium Programmatic Partner (3Ps) Programme – an industry framework to support clearer and more accountable trading of premium programmatic TV inventory.

Together, these deliverables are intended to support a programmatic TV marketplace that scales more effectively while preserving the value, quality and integrity of premium TV inventory.

The work will be delivered through three cross-industry Working Groups, focused on Definitions and Measurement; Technical and Operational Foundations and The 3Ps Programme.

The Initiative will also host a series of virtual industry Town Halls from February 25th to share progress and invite broader industry input.

Industry perspectives

“Programmatic TV can best scale in Europe through co-ordinated action and shared innovation,” said Oliver Friedrich, Head of Sellside Video, DACH at Google. “The challenges we face, around interoperability, measurement, transparency and workflows, are systemic and cross-border by nature. Stage Two reflects a shared recognition that progress depends on sustained, pan-industry collaboration, grounded in practical deliverables that work across markets while respecting national differences.”

“Premium TV is opening up to programmatic demand faster than traditional trading models are transitioning. This initiative is critical in shaping a scalable, broadcaster-led European approach and aligns closely with Equativ’s focus on enabling and delivering direct access to premium inventory,” said James Grant, VP Advanced TV & Video at Equativ.

Will Jones, Global Head of Advanced TV at Adform, commented: “Buyers today are navigating different rules, formats, signals and metrics across broadcasters and streamers. This initiative is critical in bringing more coherence to programmatic TV, and maps directly to how Adform helps advertisers plan, compare and optimise TV investment across sellers and trading models.”

Luke Fenney, SVP, Publishers & Platforms International at LiveRamp, commented: “Programmatic TV will only scale efficiently if identity and measurement work consistently, rather than being rebuilt market by market or platform by platform. This initiative brings clarity to that challenge and speaks directly to LiveRamp’s role in delivering data collaboration, including interoperable identity and measurement infrastructure across the TV ecosystem.”

“Advertisers are ready to accelerate their investment in premium TV through programmatic, however fragmented market structures continue to hinder scale,” said Sven Hagemeier, GM Inventory Development EMEA, The Trade Desk. “We’re delighted to partner with the European Programmatic TV Initiative which will be critical in unlocking the confidence needed to drive sustained, scalable investment.”

“Broadcasters are modernising how TV advertising is delivered, but are doing so carefully, with a strong focus on preserving value and how television trades,” said Nicolas Mignot, VP & Head of Publisher Sales and Strategy at FreeWheel. “We see this initiative as an important forum for driving alignment across stakeholders, markets and platforms in a way that respects established TV trading models.”

“Cape.io is proud to join the Project X Initiative. Working with advertisers, agencies, broadcasters and publishers throughout Europe, we’ve seen firsthand how operational gaps between media and creative cause friction. Streamlining these workflows will remove barriers to scale and generate value across the industry”, added Joe Hollywood, Head of Product, Cape io.

Participation in the Initiative is voluntary and non-binding, does not imply endorsement of any outputs and confers no preferential status or commercial advantage. All discussions operate under strict competition law compliance.

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Tags: advertising, EPTVI, europe, The Trade Desk