Viant buys Waymark for $20M to feed CTV ad boom
What's the deal? Viant has acquired Waymark, a generative AI video creative production platform built for connected TV (CTV), for $20 million in cash. The company announced the close alongside its third-quarter results on November 9, 2026. Waymark's software turns a brand's inputs into a finished video ad — script, visuals, and voiceover — in minutes.
What's the endgame? Viant plans to pair Waymark's creative tools with its audience, content, and attention data to tailor ads to specific viewers and whatever is on screen. Chief executive officer Tim Vanderhook said the pairing would usher in the "era of generative ad creative optimization for CTV."
Why now? CTV is Viant's growth engine. The company's CTV advertiser spend rose nearly 40% year over year in Q3 and now tops half of all spend on its platform. By contrast, the open internet is "10% or less" of its business, Vanderhook said.
The numbers: Viant reported Q3 revenue of $110.4 million, up 29% year over year. But net income fell 49% to $2.6 million, and the stock dropped around 7% in after-hours trading. Viant expects costs to rise about 25% next quarter, partly from acquisitions like Waymark that aren't yet generating meaningful revenue.
What changes for customers? Nothing immediate. Waymark will keep operating under its own name, with the same team, pricing, and roadmap, as part of Viant. Local media sellers including Comcast, NBCUDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and FoxDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → already use its tools for linear and CTV spots.
The signal: The deal is a targeted bet on a market still expanding — the Interactive Advertising Bureau projects US CTV ad spending to rise 11% in 2026, with smaller advertisers entering through easier-to-use tools. By cutting the cost of making TV-ready ads, Viant is wagering that every dollar leaving the open web lands in CTV.
Read more: adexchanger.com
Image credit: Waymark
