TV advertising is starting to look a lot more like digital, and Harmonic wants to make sure broadcasters aren’t left behind. The company today rolled out a set of enhancements to its VOS360 Ad SaaS solution, introducing AI-powered contextual ad triggers, new programmatic ad workflows for linear TV, and fresh SDKs that expand compatibility with widely used video players.

The pitch is clear: a smoother ad workflow, more revenue potential, and fewer headaches for streamers, content providers, and broadcasters trying to navigate the hybrid world of TV and digital advertising.

AI in the Ad Break: Smarter, Contextual Triggers

Live sports has always been the crown jewel of ad inventory, but it’s also tricky territory—breaks are limited, timing is unpredictable, and a badly timed ad can ruin the viewing experience. Harmonic’s upgrade takes a page from the digital playbook, using AI-driven video analysis to pull scene-level metadata in real time.

That means broadcasters can drop contextually relevant ads—think overlays, L-shapes, or double boxes—precisely when engagement peaks. The result: more premium ad slots without cutting away from the action. For brands, that’s a way to connect with fans mid-game, not just during halftime. For publishers, it’s the promise of higher yields from inventory that was once difficult to monetize.

Bringing Programmatic to Linear TV

If contextual AI is about timing, programmatic is about scale. Harmonic is extending the efficiency of digital ad transactions to traditional linear broadcasting, a sector that’s long been locked into legacy sales processes.

With VOS360 Ad’s new programmatic workflows, broadcasters can now:

• Automate ad buying and selling with DSP and SSP integrations.

• Run unified campaigns across CTV and linear TV from a single system.

• Tap into new demand sources via platforms like Google Ad Manager and Magnite SpringServe.

This shift could be a big deal for broadcasters who’ve been struggling to keep pace with CTV’s flexibility. By marrying broadcast reach with programmatic efficiency, Harmonic is positioning linear TV as a viable player in the digital ad economy.

The TV ad market is in flux. CTV ad spend is climbing rapidly, but broadcasters still hold sway over live events, sports, and news—categories that command premium dollars. The challenge has always been bridging the gap between old-school broadcast workflows and the fast-moving, data-driven world of programmatic digital.

Harmonic’s VOS360 Ad SaaS upgrades suggest that gap is closing. If the execution lives up to the promise, broadcasters could unlock entirely new revenue streams without ripping out their infrastructure. And for advertisers, that means the elusive promise of unified, cross-platform campaigns gets one step closer to reality.

As Gil Rudge, SVP at Harmonic, put it: “From smarter, real-time ad placement to unified programmatic campaigns across CTV and broadcast, we’re giving customers the innovations they need to thrive.”

Get in touch with our MarTech Experts.