Uber Advertising debuts JourneyTV Presents with premium content partners

Uber Advertising announced on September 30, 2025, the launch of JourneyTV Presents, an enhanced in-ride entertainment platform that brings editorial content from premium publishers directly to riders through the existing JourneyTV tablet system. Content partners include Time Out, Matador Network, Minute Media, The Weather Channel digital, Gallery Media Group, and Cars.com, with additional publishers expected to join the initiative.

The launch marks a departure from Uber Advertising's traditional approach to in-ride content. JourneyTV Presents delivers editorial programming rather than branded content or traditional advertising, according to materials shared with media outlets. Riders will receive curated content spanning entertainment, lifestyle, travel, sports, weather, and culture alongside the existing JourneyTV features including trip maps, driver information, and personalized recommendations powered by Uber's first-party data.

"With JourneyTV Presents, we're transforming riders' perception of the possibilities of what in-ride entertainment can be," said Kristi Argyilan, Global Head of Uber Advertising. "Riders get engaging content from leading publishers, while brands join us in turning everyday travel into moments of connection, discovery, and cultural impact."

The platform introduces what Uber characterizes as a distribution environment distinct from over-the-top streaming and social feeds. Publishers gain access to an audience during moments when traditional content consumption patterns differ from standard digital media behavior. The company positions this as delivering incremental impressions rather than competing directly with existing publisher distribution channels.

Time Out brings location-specific recommendations to the platform through the partnership. "JourneyTV Presents is opening up a whole new way to experience Time Out: curated recommendations on what to eat, drink, and see, delivered to people on the move," said Anjali Virmani, Global Head, Creative Solutions, Time Out. "It's national storytelling, spanning many areas, built for discovery, giving us a fresh way to connect audiences with the best dining, nightlife, culture, and experiences—right at the moment they're most open to it."

Cars.com represents a unique case within the launch partners as the first advertising brand to deliver original programming through JourneyTV Presents. The automotive marketplace leverages the platform to reach potential car shoppers during rides. "Cars.com is synonymous with car shopping. For more than 25 years, we have helped car shoppers make informed decisions about one of life's biggest purchases," said Jennifer Vianello, Chief Marketing Officer at Cars.com Inc. "With JourneyTV Presents, we're literally in the car with them — meeting shoppers where they are to deliver expert advice, hot takes on the best cars on the road and other meaningful content that inspires action."

Matador Network founder and CEO Ross Borden emphasized the contextual relevance of the distribution channel. "Our partnership with Journey TV allows us to inspire millions of travelers with video storytelling about exploring the globe at moments when it's most likely to resonate: on the way to the airport or out exploring a city's food, nightlife and culture," Borden said. "We see this medium as a very hot space. Many of the brands we work with plan to build content with Matador and Uber for JourneyTV in 2026."

Gallery Media Group's participation brings lifestyle content from properties including PureWow, Coveteur, and @cocktails to the platform. "We're excited to partner with Uber to bring Gallery Media Group's premium lifestyle content—including PureWow, Coveteur, and @cocktails—directly to riders, elevating everyday trips into engaging, on-the-go experiences," said Mary Kate McGrath, Chief Brand Officer, Gallery Media Group. "Our team of dedicated content creators know that it only takes a few minutes to delight an audience with inspiration, discovery, and entertainment."

The Weather Company extends its digital presence through the partnership. "We strive to inform and delight people wherever they need weather information, whether in planning mode or on the go. JourneyTV Presents helps us extend our content and brand to riders looking for compelling digital videos from the award-winning editorial team behind The Weather Channel app and weather.com," said Sheri Bachstein, President of The Weather Company.

JourneyTV began rolling out across the United States in 2024, with New York City deployment occurring in June 2025. The tablet-based system differs from static content loops by tailoring material to individual riders through algorithmic curation based on trip details and user preferences. Advertisements on the platform achieve a 98 percent completion rate with average view times approaching 120 seconds per ride, according to company data.

The platform's advertising effectiveness stems from what Uber describes as an attention-rich environment. Riders interact with content during periods when competing distractions remain limited compared to home or mobile viewing contexts. This captive audience dynamic has attracted advertiser interest since the product's initial market introduction.

Uber's broader advertising business has expanded significantly through programmatic integrations. In June 2024, the company opened Journey Ads to programmatic buying through partnerships with Google's Display & Video 360, The Trade Desk, and Yahoo DSP. This shift from direct-only sales enabled advertisers to purchase inventory through preferred demand-side platforms using Programmatic Guaranteed deals.

The European expansion of programmatic capabilities followed in June 2025, covering 10 markets including the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, Poland, Switzerland, and Portugal. Journey Ads has delivered average click-through rates exceeding 3 percent and average global view times surpassing 100 seconds since launching in late 2022.

Research conducted by Uber Advertising and Lumen Research found that advertisements on the Uber platform generate nearly seven times higher attentive seconds compared to online video, social in-feed, and mobile display formats. This engagement differential reflects audience behavior during ride experiences when users face limited competing attention demands.

The JourneyTV Presents launch arrives amid broader transformation in the digital advertising landscape. Connected TV and streaming environments have captured increasing advertiser budgets, with CTV's share of media budgets projected to double from 14 percent in 2023 to 28 percent in 2025 according to industry projections. Attention metrics have become central to advertiser evaluation of inventory quality as traditional impression-based measurement faces scrutiny.

In-ride advertising represents an emerging category within the broader mobility advertising sector. The captive nature of transportation environments creates unique opportunities for content delivery distinct from home-based streaming or mobile browsing contexts. However, these formats also face questions about user receptivity to commercial content during functional activities like commuting.

Uber's first-party data capabilities enable targeting based on factors including trip purpose, destination patterns, and user demographics. This data advantage positions the company competitively within the programmatic advertising ecosystem as third-party cookie deprecation accelerates across the open web. The company has emphasized brand safety and contextual relevance as key differentiators for its advertising products.

The advertising business contributes to Uber's broader monetization strategy beyond core mobility and delivery services. The company has targeted substantial revenue growth from advertising operations as it seeks to maximize value from its extensive user base across Uber Rides and Uber Eats platforms. Advertising revenue diversification reduces dependence on per-transaction commission structures while leveraging existing customer relationships.

Publisher participation in JourneyTV Presents reflects industry interest in alternative distribution channels beyond traditional digital platforms. Publishers face ongoing challenges monetizing content through conventional display advertising as ad blocking adoption increases and attention spans fragment across multiple devices and platforms. Premium content partnerships with platforms like Uber offer potential access to engaged audiences without direct competition from user-generated content that dominates social media environments.

The launch excludes broadcast content from traditional media operations. Uber maintains that JourneyTV delivers a differentiated experience compared to linear television or streaming services by contextualizing content to rider circumstances including location, time of day, and trip purpose. This contextual personalization distinguishes the offering from static playlists or generic programming common in other out-of-home media environments.

Cars.com's dual role as both advertiser and content provider establishes a precedent for brand-driven programming within the JourneyTV ecosystem. This approach mirrors trends in streaming television where advertisers increasingly invest in content creation rather than solely purchasing impression-based placements. Brand-funded content allows companies to align messaging with relevant editorial themes while potentially achieving longer viewer engagement compared to standard advertisement formats.

The platform architecture separates editorial content delivery from the traditional advertisement serving infrastructure. This separation allows publishers to maintain editorial independence while benefiting from Uber's distribution capabilities and first-party audience data. Riders encounter publisher content within the natural flow of the JourneyTV experience rather than as distinct advertising interruptions.

Uber operates its advertising business through a network of technology partnerships beyond the core mobility platform. These relationships enable programmatic connectivity, brand safety verification, and measurement capabilities expected by major advertisers and agencies. The company works with industry-standard measurement providers to validate advertising performance and audience delivery metrics.

The JourneyTV tablet rollout required substantial infrastructure investment across Uber's vehicle network. Installation and maintenance of hardware represents ongoing operational costs balanced against advertising revenue potential. The company has not disclosed detailed economics regarding tablet deployment expenses or revenue sharing arrangements with drivers who host the hardware in their vehicles.

Uber's total user base exceeds 150 million monthly active platform consumers globally across rides and food delivery services. This audience scale provides publishers with potential reach comparable to major digital platforms. However, the addressable inventory remains constrained by tablet deployment scope and rider trip frequency patterns that vary significantly by market and season.

The announcement positions Uber within the broader retail media and commerce media sectors where companies leverage existing customer relationships for advertising revenue. Platforms including Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, and ride-sharing competitors have developed advertising capabilities as extensions of their core transaction businesses. These environments offer advertisers access to high-intent audiences during shopping or service consumption activities.

Competition in mobility advertising includes Lyft, which has developed its own in-app advertising products with video capabilities and enhanced targeting tools. The programmatic availability and premium content partnerships potentially strengthen Uber's competitive positioning by reducing friction for media buyers already utilizing major demand-side platforms for inventory acquisition across multiple channels.

JourneyTV Presents expansion plans remain unspecified beyond the initial partner roster. The company indicated additional publishers will join the platform without providing specific timelines or category priorities for future partnerships. International expansion potential exists given Uber's global operational footprint, though regulatory considerations around data usage and content standards vary significantly across jurisdictions.

Timeline

• Late 2022: Uber Advertising launches Journey Ads in-app advertising platform
• 2024: JourneyTV tablets begin rolling out across the United States with video ad format capabilities added
• June 2024: Uber opens Journey Ads to programmatic buying through partnerships with Google DV360, The Trade Desk, and Yahoo DSP
• June 2025: JourneyTV arrives in New York City; programmatic expansion covers 10 European markets
• September 30, 2025: Uber Advertising announces JourneyTV Presents with Time Out, Matador Network, Minute Media, The Weather Channel digital, Gallery Media Group, and Cars.com as launch partners

Related Coverage

• Uber opens Journey Ads to programmatic buying through major DSPs
• Uber expands programmatic Journey Ads across 10 European markets
• UK broadcasters plan unified self-service TV advertising marketplace
• Magnite acquires streamr.ai to simplify CTV advertising for small businesses

Summary

Who: Uber Advertising launched the initiative on September 30, 2025, in partnership with Time Out, Matador Network, Minute Media, The Weather Channel digital, Gallery Media Group, and Cars.com. Kristi Argyilan serves as Global Head of Uber Advertising. The platform targets riders during transit periods while providing publishers with a new distribution channel and advertisers with access to captive audiences.

What: JourneyTV Presents delivers editorial content from premium publishers through Uber's existing JourneyTV tablet system installed in vehicles. The platform provides curated programming spanning entertainment, lifestyle, travel, sports, weather, and culture alongside existing features including trip maps and personalized recommendations. Cars.com participates as the first brand partner delivering original programming rather than traditional publisher editorial content. The initiative separates editorial content from standard advertising inventory while maintaining the platform's 98 percent advertisement completion rate and 120-second average view times.

When: Uber announced JourneyTV Presents on September 30, 2025. The broader JourneyTV platform began rolling out across the United States in 2024, with New York City deployment occurring in June 2025. The company did not specify exact availability dates for the editorial content programming or expansion timelines beyond the initial launch partners.

Where: The platform operates across Uber's United States vehicle network where JourneyTV tablets are installed. New York City received tablet deployment in June 2025. The company's programmatic advertising capabilities separately expanded to 10 European markets in June 2025, though JourneyTV Presents availability outside the United States remains unconfirmed. Content reaches riders during trips through in-vehicle tablet displays rather than mobile applications or external channels.

Why: The launch addresses publisher needs for alternative distribution channels beyond traditional digital platforms while providing advertisers access to high-intent audiences during transportation activities. Research shows the platform generates nearly seven times higher attentive seconds compared to online video, social feeds, and mobile display formats due to limited competing distractions during rides. Publishers benefit from incremental impressions in an environment distinct from over-the-top streaming and social platforms. The initiative supports Uber's broader advertising revenue growth objectives while enhancing the rider experience through professionally produced content that differs from standard commercial advertising formats. The company positions contextual relevance as a key differentiator, with content personalized to rider circumstances including destination, time of day, and trip purpose.