Draft:FreeWheel
Submission declined on 11 June 2026 by CopyleftEverything (talk).
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Comment: See WP:SOLUTIONS and WP:NPOV. Rewrite article in neutral & encyclopedic for tone & content. CopyleftEverything (talk) 02:17, 11 June 2026 (UTC)
 | This is a draft article. It is a work in progress open to editing by anyone. Please ensure core content policies are met before publishing it as a live Wikipedia article. Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL Last edited by Knile (talk | contribs) 27 days ago. (Update)
Finished drafting? |
| Industry | Advertising |
|---|---|
| Founded | February 14, 2007 |
| Founders | Jonathan Heller, Doug Knopper and Diane Yu |
| Headquarters |
FreeWheel is an ad exchange platform company founded in 2007 and now owned by Comcast since 2014. The service provides a way for media sellers to publish their supply of ads and consequently provides a way for media buyers to acquire such content. The company has offices in nine countries.
History
[edit]Jonathan Heller, Doug Knopper and Diane Yu co-founded FreeWheel on February 14, 2007. All had worked previously at DoubleClick.[1] Knopper, who became CEO,[2] has stated that he was looking for a business opportunity while Heller wanted to help monetize digital TV inventory. They brought in Yu to work as the engineering lead on the project.[3] As television shows moved to streaming services, the company wanted to protect television and the associated advertising ecosystem: monetize shows, avoid the issues the music industry had for monetizing digital album streams. Investment firm Battery Ventures supported FreeWheel with $10.5 million, combined with financing from Foundation Capital for a total of $12 million.[4]
FreeWheel partnered with Nielsen so shared customers could plan ad buys based on ratings.[5] Similarly, the company partnered with AOL to sell ads through FourFronts.[6]
Comcast acquired Freewheel in 2014 for $320 million.[7][8][9]
Subsequently, FreeWheel acquired Adazzle,[10] AudienceXpress, and Visible World[11] in 2015. In 2021, FreeWheel acquired BeesWax, a demand-side platform.[12]
Products and Components
[edit]FreeWheel has expanded its capabilities through strategic acquisitions:
StickyAds: FreeWheel acquired StickyAds, a European programmatic advertising platform, strengthening its presence in international markets and enhancing its programmatic capabilities for premium video advertising. This acquisition expanded FreeWheel's footprint in Europe and added supply-side platform (SSP) technology to its portfolio.[13]
Beeswax: In 2021, FreeWheel acquired Beeswax, a customizable demand-side platform (DSP) that filled a gap in FreeWheel’s offerings. Before the acquisition, FreeWheel was solely a supply-side platform (SSP) that had the ability to connect to DSPs.[14] Integration of Beeswax into FreeWheel began in November 2021.[15]
Video Marketplace Report (VMR) FreeWheel publishes the Video Marketplace Report (VMR), a quarterly analysis of trends in premium video advertising. The VMR provides industry benchmarks and insights based on aggregated data from FreeWheel's platform, covering metrics such as advertising impressions, viewing patterns, device usage, and market dynamics across different content types and distribution methods.[16]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Freewheel Lets CBS, Warner Bros. Run Ads on Any Video Player". Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ Liyakasa, Kelly (11 February 2014). "FreeWheel Co-Founder On Growth And Video Ad Alliances With Amazon, AOL". AdExchanger. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ "Fast Talk: Freewheel CTO Diane Yu On Making Video Into Ad Revenue, Lemons Into Lemonade". Fast Company. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
- ↑ ""DoubleClick for Web Video" Start-up FreeWheel Raises $12 Million". AllThingsD. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ Frankel, Daniel (12 February 2019). "FreeWheel Partners with Nielsen for Omnichannel Marketing". Multichannel News. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
- ↑ "AOL, FreeWheel, and Mediaocean partner to connect television buyers with digital viewing". Mediaocean. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
- ↑ Johnson, Eric (1 March 2014). "Comcast To Acquire Video Ad Platform FreeWheel". Vox. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ "Comcast buys advertising startup Freewheel for $360 million". Reiters. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ Nail, Jim (3 Mar 2014). "Comcast And FreeWheel: Cementing An Addressable Future For TV Ads". Forbes. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ "Progress Partners Announces Sale of Adazzle to Comcast". Progress Partners.
- ↑ Liyakasa, Kelly (5 June 2015). "Comcast's Acquisition Of Visible World Could Bring It Closer To The Buy Side". AdExchanger. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ Joe, Ryan (17 December 2020). "FreeWheel Buys Beeswax". AdExchanger. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ Liyakasa, Kelly (9 May 2016). "In Buying StickyAds, FreeWheel Becomes A Full-Stack Solution". AdExchanger. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ↑ Joe, Ryan (17 December 2020). "FreeWheel Buys Beeswax". AdExchanger. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
- ↑ "FreeWheel Integrates Beeswax Technology Months After Acquisition | Radio & Television Business Report". 9 November 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ↑ Only, Subscription (20 November 2014). "FreeWheel Report: TV Everywhere Presents Huge Opportunity for Broadcasters". Adweek. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
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