RhythmOne First to Achieve IAB's OpenRTB Certification

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM and SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - May 16, 2017) - RhythmOne plc (LSE AIM: RTHM) ("1R" or "the Company") today announces that it is the first organization to receive the Internet Advertising Bureau's (IAB) Tech Lab Compliance Seal and OpenRTB Certification for its unified programmatic platform, RhythmMax. Obtaining IAB's OpenRTB certification is part of RhythmOne's commitment to working internally and with external standard-setting partners to create transparency within the advertising ecosystem and across the industry. Having met the criteria for certification, RhythmOne and its customers can enjoy a common framework which is established, verified and validated -- reducing friction in the supply chain and enabling easier onboarding.

The mission of the OpenRTB project is to spur greater growth in the programmatic marketplace by providing industry standards for communication between buyers of advertising and sellers of publisher inventory. These standards include the real-time bidding protocol, data classifications and other configurations. To obtain certification, it was necessary for RhythmOne to provide: documentation of its partner onboarding process and integration guides and samples of banner, video and native ads requests and responses from the RhythmMax programmatic platform. In addition, the IAB had to verify that RhythmMax implemented the OpenRTB standard accurately.

The IAB Technology Laboratory launched the IAB Technology Compliance Program designed for auditing and officially validating companies' use of critical industry standards in 2016. RhythmOne was certified for IAB's OpenRTB Version 2.3, which is currently the most widely adopted release among the largest demand-side platforms. With the IAB's Tech Lab Compliance Seal, RhythmOne has been recognized as the first company to uphold these global standards.

"We expect that companies from across the ecosystem will follow RhythmOne's lead in earning this vital 'seal of approval' for OpenRTB," said Alanna Gombert, Senior Vice President, Technology and Ad Operations, IAB, and General Manager, IAB Tech Lab. "The IAB Technology Compliance Program is designed to help the entire industry uphold global standards that promote transparency and compatibility for integration, and this is just the beginning in delivering on that mission with regard to OpenRTB."

"RhythmOne is proud to be the first organization certified by the IAB for OpenRTB 2.3 standard," stated James Murphy, VP of Programmatic, RhythmOne. "We believe it is an industry imperative to agree to such standards, fostering a sustainable ecosystem for high-quality advertising at scale. Having a complete, end-to-end technology stack that facilitates turnkey execution and optimization of advertising campaigns in a safe and efficient environment is paramount. It enables advertisers and publishers to remain focused on what matters most -- achieving ROI."

About RhythmOne
RhythmOne is a technology-enabled digital media company that connects online audiences with brands through premium content across devices. Founded in 2004 in the UK, the Company pioneered Internet video search and works with digital advertisers, publishers and content providers to offer fully integrated, cross-screen solutions that span desktop and mobile video, rich media, display, social and native advertising, and content formats. Through its fully integrated programmatic platform, RhythmMax, the Company represents digital advertising inventory across owned, controlled and extended supply sources. The RhythmMax platform includes unique brand safety technology, RhythmGuard, which combines leading third-party verification and proprietary filtering technologies to ensure inventory quality in brand safe environments. RhythmOne's goal is to maximize the return on advertising spend and provide the most efficient and effective marketplace for digital advertising. The Company is headquartered in San Francisco, United States with offices in the US, UK and Canada. For more information, please visit www.rhythmone.com.