AI Agents from Olyzon and Swivel Partner to Automate CTV Ad Buys
AI ad tech companies Olyzon and Swivel have partnered to facilitate 'agent-to-agent' media buying, with connected TV (CTV) as the initial focus. The system connects Olyzon's buyer agents with Swivel's seller agents, using the Ad Context Protocol (AdCP) to automate the process of finding and negotiating ad placements, bypassing traditional programmatic workflows. French pharmaceutical company Pierre Fabre Group is an early adopter, testing the technology for a US-based CTV campaign for its Eau Thermale Avène skincare line.
Key Takeaways
- The partnership connects Olyzon's buyer-side agents with Swivel's publisher-side seller agents to negotiate ad deals directly.
- A primary goal is bypassing the programmatic "ad tech tax," which EMARKETER forecasts will claim 41.6% of US RTB digital display ad spending in 2026.
- French pharmaceutical firm Pierre Fabre Group is the first advertiser to test the system for its Avène skincare line on US CTV.
- The agent-to-agent workflow is designed to give advertisers access to more complex or obscure ad formats, like pause and interactive ads, at scale.
- Humans remain in the loop on both buyer and seller sides to provide final approval on deals negotiated by the agents.
Why It Matters
This partnership creates a tangible test case for agent-to-agent media buying, a model aiming to replace manual IOs and inefficient programmatic chains. For advertisers like Pierre Fabre Group, it presents a path to potentially lower overhead on CTV spend. By explicitly targeting the programmatic "ad tech tax"—forecasted at 41.6% of 2026 RTB spending—this model directly challenges the existing SSP/DSP ecosystem. Success could incentivize more publishers to provide the rich metadata needed for AI agent discovery. Watch for performance metrics from the Avène pilot, especially cost efficiencies versus programmatic benchmarks and the ability to access non-standard CTV inventory.
Read full article at emarketer.com