Cadent, the predictive advertising company, has wrapped its annual Upfront with a 26% year-over-year surge, signaling that advertisers are increasingly betting on predictive intelligence to navigate a fractured video landscape. The company’s pitch—unifying audiences across linear and digital while delivering digital-style accountability—appears to be resonating in a market that’s demanding both scale and measurable outcomes.

Predictive Advertising Gets Its Moment

At the core of Cadent’s growth is its Predictive Intelligence engine, honed over 15 years and powered by more than 22,000 custom machine learning models. Instead of waiting until after impressions are bought to optimize, Cadent scores them in advance, continuously adjusting campaigns in real time. The result: video can now be transacted and measured with the precision of digital, while still benefiting from the reach and certainty of traditional Upfront deals.

The 2025 Upfront cycle brought 22 new advertisers into Cadent’s fold, alongside a 12% boost in linear commitments—outpacing the broader TV marketplace, which continues to wrestle with declining viewership and splintered audiences.

“Advertisers are saying it loud and clear—they want more flexibility, proof of performance, and ways to bring digital accountability to all media,” said Doug Rozen, President of Cadent. “Our Upfront results demonstrate the market’s confidence in our ability to deliver any audience across a fully optimized media supply path.”

Convergence Is the New Battleground

The ad industry has been steadily moving toward converged media—where linear TV and digital channels are planned and measured in one system. Cadent’s growth underscores just how central that convergence has become. In the first half of 2025 alone, Cadent saw nearly 50% growth in digital campaigns and a whopping 137% increase in connected TV (CTV) spend, as advertisers reallocate budgets toward formats that bridge TV-style storytelling with digital accountability.

Cadent’s reach is bolstered by partnerships with more than 200 publishers, enabling advertisers to activate campaigns across premium inventory with the same predictive modeling used in digital performance channels. Today, over 1,500 advertisers and agencies lean on Cadent’s platform—including 70+ self-service agencies representing 850+ brands.

Why It Matters

The results reflect a broader shift in advertiser expectations. Economic uncertainty, fragmented audiences, and mounting pressure for ROI have forced marketers to demand more than just reach. The big win for Cadent is positioning itself as both a bridge and a filter: unifying audiences across channels while ensuring every impression is scored for its potential to drive outcomes.

For rivals in the converged TV space—from The Trade Desk to Comcast’s FreeWheel—the takeaway is clear: advertisers don’t just want scale, they want predictive precision. And Cadent’s Upfront haul shows that if you can offer both, the budgets will follow.

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