Sony Pictures Entertainment has selected PubMatic as its preferred programmatic advertising partner for the LIVE TV on PS5 service. The partnership enables advertisers to access premium in-stream video inventory and authenticated audience insights through PubMatic’s unified platform.
This Sony PubMatic programmatic partnership signals a shift in how console-based streaming inventory is monetized, moving away from walled-garden limitations toward open programmatic standards. By integrating with PubMatic’s unified platform, Sony is lowering the barrier for performance-focused agencies to buy into the PlayStation ecosystem at scale. This move connects high-value, authenticated gaming data with automated buying tools, potentially forcing other console manufacturers to open their CTV inventory to third-party ad tech providers to remain competitive. As the streaming landscape fragments, the ability to target logged-in users within a gaming environment provides a critical alternative to traditional cookie-based tracking. Watch for the volume of private marketplace deals to serve as a bellwether for advertiser appetite for console-native video ads.
PubMatic has been building its connected TV business through a series of supply-side partnerships that predate the Sony deal. In September 2026, PubMatic announced a programmatic partnership with Samsung Ads to distribute Samsung TV Plus inventory across 30 countries, giving buyers access to the FAST service's authenticated audience data through the same unified platform and Activate interface that Sony is now adopting. That deal positioned PubMatic as one of the few independent sell-side platforms with both smart-TV and console-based CTV supply, a distinction that becomes more relevant as Sony brings LIVE TV on PS5 into open programmatic channels.
On the business side, PubMatic has been investing in AI-driven automation to differentiate its platform from competitors like Magnite and The Trade Desk's Kokai stack. The company launched AgenticOS in early 2026, describing it as an operating system of more than 20 specialized AI agents that handle audience discovery, inventory curation, and campaign optimization. The Sony partnership represents one of the first marquee publisher integrations of AgenticOS in a CTV context, giving advertisers a concrete example of how the agent-based workflows function when applied to authenticated, logged-in console audiences rather than open-web display.
The competitive landscape for console-based CTV monetization remains thin. Microsoft's Xbox advertising has historically been managed through internal sales teams and limited programmatic access, while Nintendo has not opened its platform to third-party ad tech at all. Sony's decision to launch LIVE TV on PS5 as a FAST service with over 100 live channels in August 2026 marked the first time a major console manufacturer offered ad-supported streaming video at scale on its hardware, and the PubMatic partnership is the first formal programmatic integration for that inventory. For buyers evaluating console CTV, the absence of comparable open-marketplace options from competing platforms means Sony's authenticated PlayStation audience currently has no direct programmatic substitute.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has partnered with PubMatic to manage programmatic advertising for its LIVE TV on PS5 service. By utilizing PubMatic’s unified platform and AI-driven AgenticOS, Sony is opening its console-based inventory to performance-focused brands, providing a scalable alternative to traditional linear TV and cookie-based tracking for reaching authenticated gaming audiences.
The partnership designates PubMatic as the preferred programmatic advertising partner for Sony Pictures Entertainment's LIVE TV on PS5 service, allowing brands to access premium in-stream video inventory.
AgenticOS is a system of over 20 specialized AI agents that manage inventory curation, audience discovery, and campaign optimization to streamline ad delivery on the PS5 platform.
The PS5 inventory offers access to logged-in console users, which are traditionally difficult to reach via linear TV, providing high-value, authenticated audience data in a gaming environment.
Sony is the first major console manufacturer to offer ad-supported streaming at scale with a formal programmatic integration. Microsoft's Xbox has limited programmatic access, and Nintendo has not opened its platform to third-party ad tech.
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