Xumo, the streaming joint venture between Comcast and Charter Communications, has integrated its premium CTV inventory with The Trade Desk’s OpenPath direct supply path through FreeWheel, its primary ad serving platform. As the first publisher to connect OpenPath via FreeWheel, Xumo enables advertisers and agencies to access its ecosystem more efficiently, reducing ad tech stack layers and supporting identity-aware buying across connected TV.
Quick Intel
Xumo’s ecosystem delivers high-quality streaming inventory, yet traditional supply chains often introduce friction, reduced transparency, and inefficiencies. By adopting OpenPath through FreeWheel, Xumo provides advertisers with a clearer, more direct route to its viewers—eliminating unnecessary intermediaries and enabling better performance across programmatic CTV campaigns.
The integration supports identity-aware buying by leveraging Unified ID 2.0 (UID2), an open-source framework originally developed by The Trade Desk. UID2 uses hashed and salted identifiers to create consistent targeting across devices and media environments, strengthening deterministic reach and helping advertisers deliver relevant experiences without relying solely on cookies or probabilistic methods.
“Direct paths to supply matter more than ever as buyers seek efficiency, transparency and certainty,” said Jerrold Son, VP, Advertising Revenue Operations, Xumo. “By integrating OpenPath and UID2, we’re reducing the friction that can weigh down performance from the ad stack and giving advertisers a clearer, more efficient route to viewers across Xumo’s fast-growing ecosystem.”
“Connected TV represents some of the best digital media inventory available, yet the majority of the media buys remain locked in transactional and linear methods,” said Will Doherty, SVP of Inventory Partnerships, The Trade Desk. “Xumo’s use of OpenPath demonstrates that programmatic opportunity in CTV will continue to grow, and by connecting through FreeWheel, we expect the tide to rise for everyone in CTV – advertisers, publishers, and consumers.”
This development reinforces Xumo’s commitment to simplifying supply paths and enhancing accountability in CTV advertising. As the marketplace evolves toward more efficient, transparent buying, Xumo positions itself as a leader in premium inventory access—supporting advertisers in reaching streaming audiences at scale while fostering a healthy, high-value ecosystem.
About Xumo
Xumo, a joint venture between Comcast and Charter, was formed to develop and offer a next-generation streaming platform for the entire entertainment industry. The company consists of three primary lines of business: Xumo devices, Xumo Play, and Xumo Enterprise. Powered by Comcast’s global entertainment platform, Xumo devices feature a world-class user interface that includes universal voice search capabilities, making it easy for consumers to find and enjoy their favorite streaming content. Xumo Play is a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service with hundreds of ad-supported linear channels and on-demand options that anchors the free content offering on Xumo devices and is also available as an app on other major streaming platforms. Xumo Enterprise is the business-to-business arm of the joint venture, providing content makers, distributors and advertisers with tools and services to make FAST content more accessible.
About The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk™ is a technology company that empowers buyers of advertising. Through its self-service, cloud-based platform, ad buyers can create, manage, and optimize digital advertising campaigns across ad formats and devices. Integrations with major data, inventory, and publisher partners ensure maximum reach and decisioning capabilities, and enterprise APIs enable custom development on top of the platform. Headquartered in Ventura, CA, The Trade Desk has offices across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
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