Finecast

Pioneer addressable TV trading desk within the GroupM/WPP network; capabilities now absorbed into WPP Media (via GroupM Nexus)

Finecast was launched in 2017 by GroupM as a dedicated addressable TV trading desk, designed to help advertisers reach specific audiences across linear TV, video-on-demand, and connected TV (CTV) environments from a single unified buying point. Operating across the UK and later expanding internationally, Finecast aggregated inventory from major broadcasters and pay-TV operators, enabling advertisers to move beyond broad demographic targeting and deliver household-level addressable advertising at scale. It represented one of the first serious attempts by a major agency holding group to industrialise addressable TV buying across fragmented publisher ecosystems. At its peak, Finecast worked with a wide range of blue-chip advertisers and agency partners within the WPP and GroupM network, offering cross-platform campaign planning, activation, and measurement for TV advertising in an increasingly fragmented viewing landscape. Its technology and partnerships allowed campaigns to span traditional broadcast addressable slots, BVOD (broadcaster video on demand), and streaming/CTV platforms, positioning it as a significant player in the evolution from mass-reach TV to precision audience-based TV buying. In September 2023, GroupM announced the sunset of Finecast as a distinct brand — alongside Xaxis and Sightline — as part of a broader reorganisation of its digital and advanced TV capabilities under GroupM Nexus. The Finecast brand was formally retired in January 2024, with its capabilities, technology, and team absorbed into GroupM Nexus, which subsequently became part of WPP Media following WPP's 2025 rebrand of GroupM. Finecast's legacy endures in the addressable TV infrastructure and expertise now embedded within WPP Media's advanced TV offering.