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Equativ completes Sharethrough integration to create global media platform

Equativ finalizes year-long merger process with Sharethrough, creating unified end-to-end advertising platform with 750+ employees across 20 countries.

Luis Rijo

• 7 min read
Equativ's new unified brand logo following completion of Sharethrough merger in June 2025.
Equativ's new unified brand logo following completion of Sharethrough merger in June 2025.

Equativ announced the completion of its integration with Sharethrough on June 9, 2025, marking the final step in a year-long consolidation process that began with the acquisition in June 2024. The unified company now operates under the Equativ brand, forming what the company describes as one of the largest global independent media platforms and marketplaces.

According to the announcement, the combined entity has tripled in size over three years while expanding its global reach and accelerating growth in North America. The integration brings together 750 professionals across 20 countries, positioning Equativ as a significant player in the independent advertising technology sector.

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Summary

Who: Equativ, an end-to-end media platform company, and Sharethrough, a programmatic advertising technology provider, along with their combined workforce of 750+ professionals across 20 countries.

What: Complete integration and unification of Sharethrough into Equativ's operations and brand, creating a consolidated global independent media platform offering planning, curation, activation, ad enhancement and optimization through the Maestro platform.

When: Integration completed on June 9, 2025, following a year-long process that began with the acquisition announcement in June 2024.

Where: Global operations spanning 20 countries, with particular strength in Europe and expanded presence in North America following the combination.

Why: To address market fragmentation in advertising technology, achieve greater scale for competing with major platforms, provide unified solutions for advertisers and publishers, and create operational efficiencies through consolidated capabilities across connected television, video, native, display, and retail media channels.

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The newly unified platform consolidates planning, curation, activation, ad enhancement and optimization capabilities within Maestro by Equativ. This single entry point provides brands and agencies with multiple solutions designed for what the company calls today's attention economy. The platform offers omnichannel capabilities spanning connected television, video, native, display, and retail media channels.

Ben Skinazi, Chief Marketing Officer at Equativ, characterized the milestone as more than a rebrand. "This is more than a rebrand—it's the culmination of a common vision to build a more dynamic, innovative, and more outcomes-driven alternative to today's fragmented ad tech landscape," Skinazi stated. "Together, we've built a global platform that's designed for interoperability, intelligence, and results across the entire media journey."

The timing coincides with broader consolidation trends across the advertising technology sector. The integration follows significant mergers in gaming ad tech, telecommunications companies expanding their advertising portfolios through acquisitions, and major holding companies exploring combinations to achieve greater scale.

Strategic partnerships drive growth trajectory

Over the past year, the combined organization established strategic partnerships with Deutsche Telekom and Titan OS, demonstrating its commitment to innovation and global expansion. The company also completed the acquisition of Kamino Retail, further expanding its retail media capabilities.

These developments position Equativ as what executives describe as a preferred partner for results-driven marketers. The company reports serving thousands of global brands and maintaining relationships with all Big Six advertising agencies, indicating substantial market penetration among major advertisers and their agencies.

Alex Stone, SVP of Agency Partnerships & Advanced Video at Horizon Media, highlighted the partnership's value for performance-driven clients. "In a moment where innovation and performance are paramount, the unification of Sharethrough and Equativ represents a powerful leap forward. By combining their complementary strengths, we're advancing sustainability, transparency, and creativity—enabling Horizon to deliver bold, breakthrough results for our most ambitious, performance-driven clients," Stone expressed.

Technology consolidation addresses market fragmentation

The integration addresses what industry observers identify as increasing fragmentation within the advertising technology landscape. Publishers and advertisers have expressed growing concerns about managing multiple platforms and achieving consistent performance across diverse media channels.

Brian O'Kelley, Co-Founder and CEO at Scope3, emphasized the companies' track record in advancing industry standards. "I'm truly excited about what the future holds for Equativ, as Sharethrough and Equativ come together under one name. From pioneering green media products to being early adopters of Scope3's agentic technology, both companies have consistently pushed the industry forward. With the strength of their combined teams and platforms, I believe this unified company will have an even greater impact on the future of programmatic media," O'Kelley declared.

The platform's focus on interoperability reflects broader industry trends toward unified solutions. Similar patterns have emerged across the sector, with content teams merging at ad tech publications to provide more comprehensive coverage, and platforms like Amazon consolidating first-party ad inventory across multiple properties.

Mykim Chikli, former CEO of Publicis Group in EMEA and Asia and current Strategic Advisor to Equativ, provided perspective from the agency side. "As someone who has spent decades on the agency side working with global brands, I've seen firsthand how the industry has evolved—and how fragmented and complex it has become. What Equativ has achieved through this unification is not just scale but clarity: a platform that simplifies execution, respects the user experience, and delivers real and sustainable outcomes. It's exactly the kind of partner agencies and advertisers need in today's market," Chikli testified.

Publisher partnerships validate platform capabilities

Vincent Salini, Digital Sales Director at France TV Advertising, described the technical advantages of the unified platform. "The Equativ platform is robust, flexible, and well-suited to our application environment. Equativ's teams are responsive, attentive, and always ready to optimize the setup. It's a truly trusted partnership that allows us to combine advertising performance and technological expertise," Salini stated.

The publisher endorsement comes amid increasing pressure on content creators to maximize advertising revenue while maintaining quality user experiences. Recent developments in the sector include enhanced tools for addressability and ad performance and privacy-first advertising solutions that enable collaboration without exposing sensitive customer data.

The integration process required substantial technical coordination to merge two distinct technology stacks while maintaining service continuity for existing clients. Industry experts note that successful platform consolidations typically require 12-18 months to complete fully, making Equativ's year-long timeline consistent with sector benchmarks.

Market positioning amid industry transformation

The unified company enters a market characterized by rapid technological change and evolving privacy requirements. Connected television advertising continues expanding, while traditional digital formats face increasing complexity due to third-party cookie deprecation and enhanced privacy regulations.

Equativ's emphasis on sustainability aligns with growing industry focus on environmental responsibility. The company's previous commitment to green media products positions it to capitalize on advertiser demand for environmentally conscious solutions. This approach parallels broader trends where platforms integrate sustainability metrics into core offering strategies.

The retail media component of Equativ's platform addresses one of the fastest-growing segments within digital advertising. Major retailers and e-commerce platforms continue expanding their advertising offerings, creating opportunities for technology providers that can facilitate these capabilities at scale.

Technical infrastructure supports omnichannel delivery

The Maestro platform represents the technical foundation for Equativ's unified approach. By consolidating multiple functions within a single interface, the system aims to reduce operational complexity while improving campaign performance across various media channels.

Connected television capabilities have become increasingly important as streaming consumption continues growing. The platform's video advertising tools position Equativ to compete in premium inventory markets where traditional display advertising faces limitations.

Native advertising components address publisher preferences for formats that integrate seamlessly with editorial content. This approach helps maintain user experience quality while providing effective advertising opportunities for brands.

Display advertising remains fundamental to digital marketing strategies, particularly for awareness and retargeting campaigns. Equativ's display capabilities complement its other offerings to provide comprehensive campaign support.

The retail media functionality enables brands to advertise within e-commerce environments where purchase intent is typically higher. This positioning allows for more direct attribution between advertising exposure and sales outcomes.

Integration timeline reflects strategic planning

The June 2024 acquisition announcement initiated a 12-month integration process designed to minimize disruption to existing clients while maximizing operational efficiencies. The June 9, 2025 completion date demonstrates adherence to the original timeline.

Technical integration challenges typically include data migration, platform compatibility, and user interface consolidation. Equativ's successful completion suggests effective project management and adequate resource allocation throughout the process.

The unified branding represents more than cosmetic changes, encompassing operational procedures, client management systems, and technology platform interfaces. This comprehensive approach indicates commitment to creating a genuinely integrated organization rather than simply combining separate entities.

Industry implications and future outlook

The Equativ-Sharethrough unification contributes to ongoing consolidation within the independent advertising technology sector. This trend reflects pressure to achieve scale necessary for competing with major platform providers while maintaining operational independence.

Independent platforms face particular challenges in developing comprehensive capabilities across multiple advertising channels. Consolidation enables resource pooling that individual companies might struggle to achieve independently.

The success of this integration may influence other independent platforms to pursue similar strategies. Market observers anticipate additional consolidation activity as companies seek to enhance their competitive positioning.

Geographic expansion opportunities emerge from combining Equativ's European strength with Sharethrough's North American presence. This global reach provides advantages when serving multinational advertisers requiring consistent service across markets.

The unified platform's emphasis on transparency and user-first technology addresses ongoing industry concerns about data privacy and measurement accuracy. These capabilities become increasingly important as regulatory requirements continue evolving globally.

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