ITV’s Zoo 55 Gives Pixability Reserved YouTube Ad Sales in N. America
Zoo 55, the digital label of “Love Island” and “Hell’s Kitchen” producer ITV Studios, has chosen ad technology company Pixability to sell guaranteed ad placements on its YouTube channels to advertisers in the U.S. and Canada. The companies announced the deal on November 10, and it is the first time Zoo 55 has handed that inventory to a third party, according to the announcement as reported by the source outlet.
What advertisers can buy
Pixability will sell the inventory in curated packages. An Entertainment package covers reality, celebrity and franchise programming, including “The Graham Norton Show” and “Love Island.” A Factual and Documentary package spans history, nature, crime and human interest series. A Run of Network option buys across the full Zoo 55 YouTube portfolio, and advertisers can also book takeovers of specific channels and show brands. The companies said the channels in the deal have drawn more than 1.5 billion views in North America so far in 2026.
Reserved inventory is bought in advance at a guaranteed price and delivery, unlike the auction where most YouTube ads are bought. Pixability will work with Zoo 55 and Studio 55, the global brand partnerships business ITV Studios launched in 2026.
Graham Haigh, Zoo 55’s COO, said the deal gives North American advertisers a new way to include ITV Studios brands in their YouTube and wider media strategies. Pixability CEO David George said advertisers increasingly see YouTube as offering everything from targeted creator audiences to well-known entertainment programming.
Zoo 55’s growth push
ITV Studios launched Zoo 55 in January 2025 to bring its YouTube, social, FAST and games distribution under one label. In its 2024 annual results, ITV said the business delivered around £60 million in digital revenue and expected to double that by the end of 2027. ITV’s 2025 full-year results showed more than 47 billion global views across 200-plus owned and operated channels, up more than 30% year over year.
The label has added other partners along the way. In October 2025 it signed a multi-year deal with Merzigo to optimize channels including “The Voice” and “Come Dine With Me”, and in July it hired Diane Glynn, formerly of Channel 4, as SVP Social Video. In the U.K., ITV sells ads around its YouTube content through a dedicated team inside ITV Commercial.
Pixability moves into selling
Pixability has focused on helping agencies decide where YouTube ads run and describes itself as one of four companies in Google’s YouTube Activation Partners program. In May it launched Pixability360, combining YouTube ads, organic channel management and creator data. The Zoo 55 agreement adds inventory the company sells directly.
The company’s research points to agency interest in TV-style content on YouTube. In a survey of 117 U.K. agency professionals, 64% of agencies that put YouTube in CTV campaigns said they include TV broadcast content, and a U.S. study found 43% of agencies expected to raise YouTube spending in 2026.
Others are packaging YouTube inventory similarly. Arcade and Viewture launched Creator Access in January to sell reserved ad delivery on creator channels in EMEA. Alphabet reported on October 28 that YouTube ad revenue rose 9% to $11.2 billion in the third quarter, its slowest growth of the year.
The companies did not disclose the length of the agreement, pricing, or how revenue will be split.
Source: netinfluencer.com
Image: netinfluencer.com
