Samba TV Raises $30M for Smart TV Measurement

Samba TV, which creates audience measurement and analytics from smart TV data, said it raised $30 million in series B financing lead by Union Grove Venture Partners.

Other investors include  Interpublic Group, MDC Ventures, Time Warner, A+E Networks, TGM, Draper Associates and Ambition.VC.

Samba TV will use the proceeds to expand operations international and launch new products.

"Samba is bringing unparalleled transparency into TV audiences through trusted insights and precise targeting across platforms,” said Ashwin Navin, CEO and cofounder of Samba TV. “That innovation has been a catalyst for our profitability and enabled us to realize 5,000% revenue growth over the last 3 years. We raised this growth round with a specific strategy to further expand the Samba TV Audience Platform to major media markets across the world and continue our trajectory of growth and rapid innovation."

Samba TV’s proprietary household device map totals more than 66 million devices for 1:1 mapping and more than 1 billion digital devices for programmatic reach including smart TVs, set-top boxes, smartphones and other connected devices.

Greg Bohlen, partner at Union Grove Venture Partners, said: "Team Samba has what it takes: ground breaking technology, strategic vision and a track record of relentless execution. We are excited to join the team to bring our depth of experience and relationships to the board and provide the fuel for the next wave of growth for the business."

Note: Disney was incorrectly listed as an investor in an early version of Samba TV's funding announcement.

(Photo via FamZoo Staff's Flickr. Image taken on May 25, 2016 and used per Creative Commons 2.0 license. The photo was cropped to fit 16x9 aspect ratio.)

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.