Commercial Break

In this episode we chat with Smadex CRO Phil Gontier about how a DSP born in mobile app marketing is now using CTV as a high‑impact performance channel.  Phil explains how Smadex connects the “big screen” and the “small screen,” attributes installs via IP and mobile measurement partners, and optimises to D1/D3/D7 ROAS rather than CPMs.  The discussion also covers the CTV supply pyramid, “net new” app‑install dollars flowing into broadcasters, and how CTV events like CTV Live and the RetailX CTV Summit are helping both sides understand the opportunity.

Ian introduces Phil as CRO at Smadex (described in the conversation as SmartX), with a background in mobile advertising, app user acquisition and programmatic.  He frames the episode as an exploration of how that performance mindset translates into the changing world of CTV ahead of the RetailX CTV event.

Phil describes Smadex as a global demand‑side platform (DSP), founded in Barcelona, that plugs into exchanges and supply‑side platforms to buy inventory on mobile and increasingly CTV.  Their advertiser customers are app and game developers who want to drive installs and re‑engagement; Smadex buys media to deliver those outcomes.

Phil walks through the core use case: a viewer sits in front of a large TV while also holding a mobile phone, and Smadex serves a high‑impact CTV ad for an app or game such as Candy Crush or Duolingo.  Using shared home IP addresses plus mobile measurement partners (AppsFlyer, Adjust, Singular, Kochava, etc.), Smadex attributes installs that occur within a post‑view window back to the CTV impression.

Ian notes the messy reality of different CTV environments (Samsung TV, broadcaster apps, Sky, etc.) and varying measurement models from deep subscriber data to device fingerprints.  Phil acknowledges the complexity and explains that programmatic’s power comes from aggregating many behavioural data points, layered on top of more traditional household data, to drive algorithmic decision‑making.

Phil explains that Smadex uses deep neural networks, analogous to large language models, to ingest vast amounts of interaction data (what people watch, how they watch, pausing, etc.).  Those models learn which combinations of signals are most likely to lead to the desired action—installing or re‑engaging with an app—and then serve the “right ad to the right person at the right time” on CTV.

Ian contrasts the romantic idea of a family leaning back, fully focused on the big screen, with the reality that everyone is second‑screening.  For traditional buyers this raises questions about attention and intent, but Phil positions Smadex’s CTV strategy as a 100% performance proposition measured on installs and post‑install value, not on proxy metrics.

Phil emphasises that Smadex operates firmly in performance territory: advertisers judge them on return on ad spend (ROAS) or ROI, not CPMs.  He notes that the app‑install ecosystem is roughly a 100‑billion‑dollar market annually, dominated by Google, Meta, TikTok, Amazon and others, with Smadex as one of several growing platforms outside those giants.

Phil explains how sophisticated app and game advertisers use prediction algorithms and day‑based ROAS metrics (D1, D3, D7, D30) to estimate payback and profitability.  If Smadex can deliver, for example, a 15% D7 ROAS that maps to a 2–3 month payback period, advertisers are willing to scale their CTV investment.

Ian pushes on household complexity: who actually deserves the credit when one family member sees an ad and another uses the app.  Phil responds that programmatic attribution is device‑to‑device and fundamentally binary; an install is only credited when there is a direct connection between the CTV impression and a specific mobile device, even though many human‑level nuances sit behind that.

Phil distinguishes CTV from mobile: instead of hundreds of thousands of apps, CTV inventory is structured like a pyramid with premium content houses (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN, Paramount, NBCU/Peacock, Warner Bros. Discovery), scaled linear distributors (DirecTV, Sling, etc.), and free ad‑supported streaming TV (FAST) platforms like Samsung TV Plus, LG, Roku, Tubi, Pluto and Rakuten.  Smadex buys via SSPs in real‑time bidding auctions and focuses on the vast pool of non‑sold inventory outside major event moments like the Super Bowl.

Phil describes how Smadex historically accessed unsold inventory programmatically, but is now moving closer to the source.  They have obtained certification with Disney to run private marketplace (PMP) deals, and are integrating directly with SSPs owned by players such as Comcast/NBCU/Peacock to secure more controlled, direct access to high‑quality inventory.

Responding to Ian’s question about cannibalisation, Phil explains that premium publishers currently monetise brand budgets via big agencies and are protective of that model.  Smadex brings “net new dollars” from app and game marketers who historically never spent on TV, expanding total CTV revenue without disturbing existing agency–brand relationships.

Phil is clear that CTV is not positioned as a replacement for mobile but as an addition: the two channels form a performance flywheel.  Ads on the big screen drive installs and in‑app events on the small screen; the resulting mobile data then feeds back into the models to improve CTV targeting and creative decisions.

Ian notes that by tracking subscription, in‑app purchase and subsequent upgrades, Smadex is effectively bundling loyalty, CRM and CLV modelling into its performance stack.  Phil agrees that, within privacy constraints and anonymisation, the granularity of digital data lets them serve ads that genuinely resonate rather than “blasting and hoping for the best.”

Phil outlines the biggest app spenders historically and today.  Gaming giants such as King, Zynga, Dream Games and Scopely (e.g. Monopoly GO) still dominate, but non‑gaming verticals like learning (Duolingo), crypto trading (Crypto.com, Coinbase), fintech (Revolut, N26) and social (Pinterest, others) are now major investors too, with some individual advertisers spending several million dollars per day.

Phil points out that the app economy’s ~$100 billion annual spend is still growing at around 10–15% per year according to various analysts, creating a rising tide for both mobile and CTV.  He argues that CTV is well‑placed to capture a significant share of that growth because of its impact, creative potential and link to measurable outcomes via mobile.

Phil shares that Smadex has launched “CTV Live,” a roadshow‑style series of educational events to bring publishers and app advertisers together.  They have run editions in London and New York/Hollywood, with another New York event on 26 March featuring platforms like Tubi and Paramount, followed by a London event around May.

Ian notes that RetailX expects to gain access to some of Smadex’s data to help quantify the “flywheel and financial effects” for the CTV Summit on 14 May in London.  He promises that the associated CTV report, available free ahead of the event, will give listeners the hard numbers they’re asking for.

Phil closes by saying his executive focus is on embedding Smadex as a key partner across the CTV supply pyramid, via direct relationships and PMPs.  He sees the main job as educating app and game advertisers about CTV’s opportunity while exciting publishers about the incremental budgets available from this ecosystem.