CNN and WBD Sports partner to introduce WBD Connect for global users

CNN International Commercial (CNNIC) and WBD (Warner Bros. Discovery) Sports Europe have joined forces to offer access to premium, Programmatic Guaranteed brand solutions at huge scale.

The new offering, called WBD Connect, enables international brands and agencies to reach 350m global monthly digital unique users with dynamic display and video ad formats across multiple channels, platforms, and devices including mobile, web, apps, desktop and CTV.

Accessed through a single buying point, brands can engage with vast global audiences across news and sport via high quality digital inventory spanning CNN, Eurosport, Bleacher Report and NBA.com.

WBD Connect is partnering with Magnite, the independent sell-side advertising company who will act as WBD’s technology partner to deliver the campaign efficiency through one Magnite deal ID. WBD Connect will plan the advertising campaign, aligning objectives and relevancy to WBD’s premium digital platforms, content and inventory. Additionally, utilising data-driven insights, the campaign performance will be optimised in real time to maximise ROI for brand partners.

For the first time, WBD Sports fans can also be reached on social using WBD Launchpad, the internal social media agency at CNNIC, which utilises proprietary technology for targeting defined audiences across Facebook, Instagram, Snap and TikTok. This enables premium branded and sponsored content to reach highly engaged audiences through the social handles for Bleacher Report, CNN, Eurosport and TNT Sports (in the UK & Ireland).

Rob Bradley, SVP digital revenue, strategy and operations, CNN International Commercial, "This is another step forward for WBD in utilising the unique scale and influence we offer marketers when we combine the power of our portfolio and drive mass engagement from a single and efficient entry point. Our news and sports coverage is unrivalled on a global level and we’re enabling brands to tap into these passion points, reaching vast and active audiences plus the opportunity to elevate campaign targeting around major news events, cultural peaks and global sporting spectacles from the Olympics to the NBA championship. WBD Connect is a great example of how a company with our size and scale can combine offerings across multiple brands using smart technology in new ways.”

Mike Rich, head of international and UK ad-sales and brand partnerships at Warner Bros. Discovery, said: “The combination of News and Sports is an immensely powerful proposition and one which has a unique ability to captivate the attention of millions of engaged and passionate viewers around the world. No other media company possesses the portfolio of much-loved and trusted news and sports brands as we do, and by rolling out WBD Connect, we will super serve our brand partners with tailored marketing solutions that enables them to tell their stories at an unmatched scale to connect with the widest possible audience.”

“In unifying CNN and WBD’s digital capabilities, WBD Connect is enabling advertisers to reach audiences with greater efficiency across the numerous platforms and devices used by consumers,” said Rebecca Ackers, VP, DV+ Platform, EMEA at Magnite. “As advertisers increasingly lean into programmatic, we look forward to supporting WBD Connect with our technology and delivering streamlined programmatic access to their suite of premium inventory.”