Connected TV has been growing fast. But the pipes that power it? Not always as transparent or equitable as advertisers—or publishers—would like.

Now, The Trade Desk is pushing its next move in the battle for a fairer streaming economy. The company has officially launched the Ventura Ecosystem, an industry collaboration designed to bring TV operating systems and streaming platforms together around a shared goal: more transparent, revenue-optimized programmatic advertising in connected TV (CTV).

The first partners to sign on: V (formerly VIDAA TV OS), which powers more than 50 million connected devices globally, and Nexxen, a unified ad tech platform with deep roots in advanced TV and data-driven advertising.

If that sounds like infrastructure plumbing, it is. But in today’s streaming wars, infrastructure is strategy.

Why Ventura Ecosystem Matters Now

Streaming may dominate headlines with subscriber growth and content consolidation, but behind the scenes, TV operating systems increasingly control monetization, data, and ad access. Many of those OS environments are vertically integrated—owned by companies with competing content or media interests.

The Trade Desk’s Ventura platform positions itself as an alternative: an independent OS and monetization framework that aims to level the playing field between buyers and sellers.

“Streaming’s future depends on a healthy ecosystem with fair platforms and advertising that works,” said Matthew Henick, SVP of Consumer Products at The Trade Desk, in announcing the initiative.

The Ventura Ecosystem expands that vision beyond a single platform. Instead of operating as a closed environment, it invites TV OS providers and streaming platforms to plug into Ventura’s monetization toolset while maintaining control of their brand and user experience.

The pitch is straightforward: more demand, better economics, and greater transparency—without ceding control.

V and Nexxen Join as Founding Collaborators

The first two collaborators bring meaningful scale and infrastructure to the table.

V, previously known as VIDAA, is an independent TV operating system used by OEMs including Hisense and Toshiba. With more than 50 million connected devices globally, it already sits at the center of significant CTV inventory.

Nexxen, meanwhile, has been expanding its role in the CTV OEM marketplace. Last year, it introduced programmatic activation capabilities tied to V’s OS across multiple OEM partnerships. Now, that inventory will also connect to Ventura’s ecosystem, with plans for deeper monetization alignment.

The move builds on Nexxen’s push to standardize and modernize a CTV landscape often criticized for fragmentation, inconsistent measurement, and opaque supply paths.

In practical terms, this means advertisers buying through Nexxen will gain programmatic access to premium smart TV inventory powered by V, with Ventura’s infrastructure helping optimize monetization and demand flow.

What Ventura Ecosystem Actually Delivers

Beyond the rhetoric around “fairness,” Ventura’s value proposition centers on monetization tools and direct programmatic connectivity.

Integration is designed to be lightweight. Participating operating systems can activate Ventura’s monetization engine with minimal engineering lift, allowing them to unlock revenue quickly while retaining control over:

• Brand identity

• System-level UI and experience

• User data governance

From there, contributors gain access to The Trade Desk’s broader ad tech stack, including:

• OpenPath – A direct connection between ad buyers and sellers, aimed at reducing supply chain complexity.

• Unified ID 2.0 / EUID – Identity frameworks designed to support targeting and measurement in a privacy-conscious way.

• OpenAds – Focused on improving supply chain transparency and trust.

• OpenPass – A single sign-on solution that personalizes user and advertising experiences.

For OS providers, the upside is increased programmatic demand, potentially stronger CPMs, and improved fill rates. For buyers, it’s cleaner supply paths and more standardized access to premium CTV inventory.

In an ecosystem where hidden fees, opaque reselling, and inventory duplication have been recurring industry pain points, that positioning is deliberate.

The Bigger CTV Power Shift

This launch lands at a moment when CTV is becoming the most contested layer of the advertising stack.

Major platforms—including smart TV manufacturers, streaming services, and walled gardens—have increasingly tightened control over inventory access and data. That consolidation has raised concerns among independent publishers and advertisers about neutrality and fair access.

Ventura’s expansion suggests The Trade Desk is betting that independence will resonate with OEMs and OS providers seeking monetization without surrendering ecosystem control to larger vertically integrated players.

It also reflects a broader industry trend: CTV is no longer just about content distribution. It’s about operating systems, identity frameworks, and direct programmatic pipes.

In that context, Ventura Ecosystem is less a product launch and more an attempt to redraw the CTV supply chain map.

What Comes Next

The Trade Desk says more partners are expected to join the Ventura Ecosystem soon. If additional global OS providers and streaming platforms sign on, Ventura could evolve into a meaningful alternative layer of infrastructure across the CTV market.

Success will depend on adoption scale. In CTV, fragmentation is the norm, and alignment across stakeholders—OEMs, ad tech vendors, publishers, and buyers—is notoriously hard to achieve.

But if Ventura can attract enough contributors, it may shift leverage toward a more standardized and transparent programmatic marketplace.

For now, with V and Nexxen onboard, The Trade Desk has signaled that its ambitions extend beyond demand-side dominance. It wants a say in how connected TV itself is monetized—and who benefits from that value flow.

In an industry obsessed with streaming subscriber counts, Ventura is a reminder that the real power may sit in the operating system layer.

Get in touch with our MarTech Experts.