smartclip, the ad tech platform of RTL Group, adds Clubbing TV, the world’s first lifestyle TV channel dedicated to clubbing, DJs and dance music culture, to its connected TV portfolio. Clubbing TV is available in over 60 countries with a global monthly reach of more than 100 million households. The partnership will be rolled out in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Nordic countries first. Italy, Spain, France, and the UK will follow during the course of 2021.

With live events, DJ sets, lifestyle programs, music videos, party reports from the hottest dance floors, interviews with DJs and producers and exclusive shows, festivals and concerts, Clubbing TV shines a light on the international dance music scene. The content is available via most connected TV applications as well as via mobile applications and desktop. The smartclip adtech stack will power the Clubbing TV programme with ad breaks similar to linear TV advertising, while offering advanced digital targeting standards. Clubbing TV users will experience pre- and mid-roll ads tailored to their own preferences.

“Clubbing TV is an established global player in connected TV”, said Stephen Byrne, executive director, new partnerships Europe at smartclip Europe. “We are particularly proud to add such a relevant channel for younger audiences to our CTV lineup across several European markets. To effectively establish CTV advertising on the continent, we need to scale inventory across local markets. With Clubbing TV’s highly engaging content and our monetisation expertise we are able to offer CTV ad inventory at scale across Europe.”

The monetisation will be rolled out as part of the smartclip CTV inventory in the Nordic countries and within the Ad Alliance portfolio in Germany first, with all other markets as well as mobile and online roll-outs following in the coming months. The partnership delivers a highly relevant CTV experience for a dedicated usership and allows advertisers to reach younger audiences within a trusted and brand safe environment.

“Advertising-funded streaming experienced a major growth spurt in Europe during 2020 and continues to grow at a rapid pace”, added Clubbing TV’s founder, chairman and CEO Stéphane Schweizer.  “The challenge for us as content providers is to make CTV advertising as convenient as possible for advertisers and exciting for our fans. smartclip and the Ad Alliance are deeply rooted in the European video advertising market and understand the needs of streaming services and broadcasters on the intersection of TV and digital advertising, making them the perfect partner for us to scale our product across Europe.”