Viant buys AI video ad maker Waymark for $20 million

Viant Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: DSP), the programmatic advertising platform, said on its November 9 earnings call that it acquired Waymark, a generative-AI video creative platform built for connected TV, for $20 million in base cash consideration subject to customary adjustments and holdbacks.

Viant listed the deal among recent business highlights without a price; the figure comes from the call. Waymark keeps operating as Waymark, with the same team, product and login, and customer contracts and pricing stay as they are, according to Waymark's post on the deal, written by its chief executive, Alex Persky-Stern. Its roadmap stays on track, including Waymark Cinematic.

Tim Vanderhook, Viant's co-founder and chief executive, said in a statement that "Together, we believe Viant and Waymark will usher in the era of generative ad creative optimization for CTV." Persky-Stern wrote that "Together, we'll make it simpler for any advertiser to go from idea to finished video to a campaign running on the big screen."

Waymark, founded in 2017 and based in Detroit, turns an advertiser's inputs into a finished video ad in minutes. Local media sellers including Spectrum Reach, Comcast, NBCU and Fox use it to produce linear and CTV spots, AdExchanger reported.

Viant reported revenue of $110.4 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, up 29% from a year earlier, with CTV advertiser spend up nearly 40% and more than half of all spend on its platform.

The $20 million is half what Viant paid for TVision Insights, a deal announced April 15 at $40.0 million in total consideration and closed May 5.

Management said Waymark's contribution to fourth-quarter 2026 results would be immaterial and its standalone revenue in 2027 "modest." AdExchanger reported that Viant expects costs to rise about 25% next quarter and that the stock fell about 7% after hours.

The deal puts generative creative inside a media-buying platform. Vanderhook said on the call that smaller customers would get Waymark bundled with Viant's platform while larger enterprise customers could buy it as an add-on, according to Yahoo Finance's account.

Viant guides to fourth-quarter 2026 revenue of $130.5 million to $133.5 million and expects Waymark's contribution to stay immaterial, with modest standalone revenue in 2027.