Connected TV is expanding rapidly, providing media owners with new opportunities and new challenges as audiences and content expand across multiple platforms.
In a recent interview with Beet.TV, Ruth Manielevitch, Head of Strategic Partnerships at EX.CO, explained that media owners need to take stock of their ad inventory across these channels and leverage AI-powered insights to deliver smarter, personalized ads that maximize engagement and yield.
AI-driven optimization has become essential in light of the industry’s rapid evolution. “According to the IAB, around 85% of U.S. CTV ad buys in 2025 were programmatic — sooner than many expected,” Manielevitch said. “Publishers need the right tech and the right monetization strategy in place to capitalize on this massive opportunity.”
From fragmentation to connected monetization
Even as CTV continues to grow, the ecosystem is highly fragmented. With audiences scattered across multiple screens, platforms, and formats, media owners face increasing difficulties in driving performance and maintaining consistent results.
Manielevitch emphasized that media owners first need a unified data layer across all inventory to understand where value lies and make smarter decisions in real time. Next, adaptive automation plays a key role.
“We use machine learning to predict performance, adjust to demand patterns, and make sure that you're making the most out of every impression automatically,” she said. Finally, media owners must maintain full control over their technology and monetization strategy, ensuring transparency and the ability to manage operations end to end.“When you combine unified data, AI-driven optimization, and full control over your tech stack, that’s when publishers can unlock the full potential of CTV,” she said.
Pioneering AI in CTV
As CTV and digital out-of home accelerate, more media owners are turning to AI to solve fragmentation and maximize yield. But many companies are only now beginning to bolt machine learning onto existing systems. For EX.CO, AI has been central to the platform from the start.
“What really sets EX.CO apart is that our tech was built on AI long before it became the buzzword everyone is using,” Manielevitch said. The company’s ad server relies on machine learning models that make billions of predictions per day, continually optimizing yield for every ad request, while giving media owners the insight and control they need.
Unlike others still learning how to implement AI and use it effectively, “EX.CO has been doing it from day one,” Manielevitch said. “And that’s what makes us uniquely ready for this next wave of CTV growth.”
Strong market response — and measurable revenue impact
Media owners are gravitating toward EX.CO’s long-standing leadership in AI, especially as they look to bring web-level sophistication into their CTV monetization strategies. In many cases, the results are immediate.
One example is PlayWorks, a media owner with more than 400 AVOD and gaming apps, plus FAST channels distributed across platforms like Roku, Samsung, and LG. “They needed a monetization solution that could keep up with how fast they were scaling,” Manielevitch noted. “Using our AI-powered yield engine, they saw a 33% revenue increase in the first month — well beyond expectations.”
Beyond the gains, she said media owners value the transparency EX.CO provides: visibility into programmatic pipes, comparative performance across demand partners, and measurable lift from AI-based decisioning. EX.CO is also in active conversations with several major broadcasters and platform owners who view the company’s technology as a way to future-proof their CTV infrastructure.
Smarter storytelling across screens
Looking ahead, Manielevitch is energized by how AI is transforming CTV from reactive to predictive monetization. Media owners will increasingly be able to anticipate when, where, and how to serve the right ad at the right time across every screen.
“I also believe CTV will become more interactive and measurable, closing the loop between content, commerce, and engagement,” she added.
For Manielevitch, the most important change is how the medium is evolving to connect with viewers. “The future of CTV isn’t just about bigger screens. It’s about smarter, data-driven storytelling.”
Want to learn more about EX.CO’s machine learning-driven yield engine for CTV? Drop us a line below.