TV Ad Tracking Firm wywy Concludes SecondScreen Buy

German TV ad tracking specialist wywy has completed its acquisition of New York-based ad technology and analytics specialist SecondScreen Networks, as it looks to expand its own operations into the US market. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Since its launch in 2012, wywy has been developing automated content recognition (ACR) technology, which enables it to detect a TV commercial at the moment it is aired, and then serve the corresponding ad in real-time to mobile and tablet users while they are still watching the ad on TV. In addition, the firm offers real-time TV campaign tracking, helping advertisers to measure the impact of every commercial. In December, wywy secured a $7m series B round of funding to expand its second screen ad technology analytics offerings to the European and US markets.

The SecondScreen buy gives wywy access to similar technology that uses advanced video fingerprinting tools to identify commercials airing in real-time, and then serve ads from its network of TV companion app and web site publishers which match them. Tobias Schmidt (pictured), co-founder & CEO of wywy, explained that the deal has also kick-started his company's US market entry, as it launches its services across more than 200 US channels.

Schmidt adds: 'Opening a US office is the natural progression of wywy's continued growth and commitment to bringing our ad solutions technology to western markets. We look forward to expanding wywy's client base by building on the momentum that we have already gained internationally among advertisers, brands and TV broadcasters.'

Web sites: www.wywy.com and www.secondscreen.com .