If you’ve ever launched a game on your smart TV or streamed an AVOD channel, chances are you’ve seen PlayWorks in action. With more than 400 AVOD gaming apps and 24/7 linear channels across platforms like Roku, Samsung, LG, Comcast, Vizio, and SKY, PlayWorks delivers fun, interactive experiences to millions of living rooms worldwide.
As a pioneer in connected TV (CTV) with a global footprint, PlayWorks has tremendous reach, but that scale also makes monetization tricky. How can they boost revenue without adding operational headaches or disrupting the player experience?
The challenge: growing revenue without increasing complexity
CTV monetization is inherently complex. Every endpoint, device, and ad format adds another variable, and ads themselves come from multiple partners and platforms, each with their own set of rules. For PlayWorks, manual optimization simply wasn’t realistic. Because of its large network, adjusting each placement and demand path by hand would have been prohibitively time-consuming.
At the same time, user experience couldn’t be compromised. PlayWorks’ audience expects gameplay and streaming to run without a hitch, and any adjustments to ads that disrupted that flow risked frustrating players and lowering engagement.
In short, PlayWorks needed a solution that could increase revenue intelligently, scale automatically, and operate seamlessly in the background.
Unlocking CTV revenue with EX.CO’s ML-driven yield engine
That’s where EX.CO came in. Our purpose-built, ML-driven yield engine was designed to handle the scale and complexity of CTV—making it an ideal fit for a global player like PlayWorks. And with no need to rework their app infrastructure, PlayWorks was able to get EX.CO’s yield server up and running quickly and smoothly.
Immediately after implementation, EX.CO’s yield engine began optimizing ad placements and demand paths in real time. By leveraging large language models (LLMs) and live performance data, it continuously refined operations across PlayWorks’ entire network. Instead of static rules or manual adjustments, the system learned and improved every millisecond—delivering smarter monetization with immediate results.
Within just one month of activating EX.CO’s yield engine, PlayWorks saw a 33% increase in CTV ad revenue. This boost didn’t require launching new apps, building additional features, or adding staff—it came entirely from automated monetization technology working quietly behind the scenes.
For PlayWorks, the outcome proved that efficiency and growth don’t have to be at odds: it’s possible to deliver a seamless, engaging experience for players while boosting revenue at the same time.
Why smarter monetization matters
CTV is one of the fastest-growing advertising environments in the world, but its strength—hundreds of devices, apps, and content experiences—makes automated (and efficient) monetization highly challenging. Media owners stand to lose significant revenue if ad strategies aren’t optimized, and poorly executed placements can frustrate viewers or interrupt their experience.
EX.CO’s ML-driven yield engine addresses both challenges simultaneously. By automatically deciding where ads go and constantly adjusting to what’s performing best, it drives more earnings without adding operational overhead or interfering with the gameplay experience. For media owners like PlayWorks, that means scaling globally while keeping gamers happy—turning smarter monetization into a win-win for both revenue and the audience.
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