NEW YORK—July 7, 2020—Viamedia, the television industry’s largest independent local ad management company, today announced it has renewed and expanded its advertising sales representation with MetroNet, a cutting-edge fiber-optic communication services provider. Viamedia will continue managing five key MetroNet markets – Terre Haute, IN; Louisville, KY; Lafayette, IN; Ft. Wayne, IN; Indianapolis, IN – while adding representation in Lexington, KY.

"MetroNet’s customer-first approach and commitment to delivering superior services have been the cornerstone of its success. Importantly, we share these same values,” said David Solomon, Chief Revenue Officer, Viamedia. “Expanding our partnership reinforces the commitment our two organizations have to providing greater value and new opportunities to the communities MetroNet serves.”

MetroNet is a leading provider of fiber-optic telecommunication services, including high-speed Fiber Internet, full-featured Fiber Phone, Fiber IPTV with a wide variety of programming and products. Since its start in 2005, MetroNet has expanded into nearly 80 communities throughout Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio.

MetroNet is currently in the final stages of building out its 100% fiber optic network across Lexington, KY, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2020. Once completed, Lexington will become the largest ‘gigabit city’ in the country with more than 4.4 million feet of fiber-optic cable.

“Viamedia truly understands the needs and challenges of local business and advertisers. Their profound insight into markets nationwide makes them the ideal partner,” said Darrick Zucco, Vice President of Product Management, MetroNet. “We strive to provide the most advanced solutions to our customers, and Viamedia delivers on this promise. Together, we will continue to provide the critical tools local businesses need to effectively reach their target audiences.”

The expanded partnership continues to strengthen Viamedia’s growing national footprint. The company currently manages sales and operations for more than 60 cable companies across 76 designated market areas (DMAs) in 34 states, bringing invaluable opportunities for advertisers to reach local audiences in markets across the country.

About Viamedia

Headquartered in New York City with operational headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, Viamedia provides a comprehensive audience and impression-based local video cross media advertising platform. As part of the platform, Viamedia has exclusive cable TV ad inventory from more than 60 Cable TV Distributors in 34 states across 76 DMAs, offering advertising on cable TV networks to more than 6,000 local, regional and national advertisers. Viamedia also offers those advertisers a complimentary suite of impression-based digital products including Viamedia's proprietary QTT^® as well as OTT, mobile, display, email, search, and social, in those DMAs and beyond. Viamedia's success is built on its proprietary software, people and processes. In June 2020, Viamedia launched #ChangeStartsRightHere, a grassroots campaign to foster positive conversations to help end racism. As part of the initiative, Viamedia has invited local business, minority leaders and law enforcement to submit spots about how they are working together to create positive change and a more inclusive future, which Viamedia will run free of charge across its nationwide footprint. For more information, please visit https://viamediatv.com and http://www.changestartsrighthere.com/.

About MetroNet

MetroNet Holdings is the parent company of MetroNet, a 100% fiber optic company headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. The, customer-focused company provides cutting-edge fiber optic communication services including high-speed Fiber Internet, full-featured Fiber Phone, and Fiber IPTV with a wide variety of programming. MetroNet started in 2005 with one fiber optic network in Greencastle, Indiana, and have since grown to serving and constructing networks in nearly 80 communities across Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio and Florida. MetroNet is committed to bringing state-of-the-art telecommunication services to communities — services that are comparable or superior to those offered in large metropolitan areas. MetroNet has been named in the top 50 small and medium companies on Glassdoor and has been honored with a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award recognizing MetroNet among the Best Places to Work in 2020. For more information, visit www.MetroNetinc.com.

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Published on businesswire.com June 2, 2020

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Viamedia, the television industry’s largest independent local ad management company, today named John Piccone to the newly created position of President of QTT, Viamedia’s newly formed business division launching a cloud-based television advertising solution bridging the gap between linear TV and digital advertising. Piccone is responsible for QTT’s overall business, product, communications and marketing strategy.

Viamedia is excited to announce @johnpiccone as its QTT president. His dynamic leadership, extensive experience and insight will be invaluable as we continue to expand our QTT offering.

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“Having been an advisor to QTT for several months now, John has demonstrated that he is a dynamic leader whose extensive experience and insight will be invaluable as we continue to expand our QTT offering,” said Viamedia President and CEO Mark Lieberman. “The technical results from our initial market trials and integrations with our MVPD partners have been stellar. QTT is bringing us one step closer to the full convergence of TV and digital advertising, and John is the right man to help us get there.”

QTT is a first-of-its-kind solution that requests and receives ads programmatically from digital ad exchanges to enable real-time linear cable television ad insertion utilizing existing cable TV infrastructure. With this patent-pending technology, Viamedia can significantly increase cable ad dollars and advertisers’ marketing options by tapping into the surging programmatic digital advertising marketplace. Without needing any headend installation or changes to set top boxes, Viamedia was able to deploy QTT in over 650,000 households, 25 markets and 13 partner MVPDs in only 5 days in May. The balance of Viamedia’s footprint will be rolled out as well as with non-Viamedia MVPDs later this year.

“I am very excited at the opportunity of helping bring the digital and linear television advertising worlds together,” Piccone said. “QTT is a complete gamechanger. For years, the marketplace has been waiting for a simple solution to allow digital advertising platforms to buy linear TV advertising while respecting the existing business rules that have made television advertising so powerful. With QTT, the wait is over. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

Piccone is a seasoned ad tech executive with more than 20 years’ experience in sales and business development. In his most recent post, he was president & chief revenue officer of Simulmedia, the largest independent seller of linear television advertising. Before that, he led commercial development, product introduction and marketing for leading advertising technology companies such as Innovid, HealthiNation, BlackArrow (later acquired by Cadent) and 24/7 Real Media (acquired by WPP and later merged with Xaxis).

Viamedia has also tapped Brendan Condon, a programmatic TV innovator and former chief revenue officer for Comcast-owned Effectv (previously Comcast Spotlight), as a strategic advisor to help with third party network and operator deployment nationwide. With more than 30 years’ experience specializing in multi-platform sales, including linear, digital video, mobile and addressable advertising, Condon will be working with cable operators and agency heads to help drive adoption of QTT.

About Viamedia

Headquartered in New York City, Viamedia provides a comprehensive audience and impression-based local video and digital advertising platform. As part of the platform, Viamedia has exclusive cable TV ad inventory from more than 60 Cable TV Distributors in 34 states across 76 DMAs, offering advertising on cable TV networks to more than 6,000 local, regional and national advertisers. Viamedia also offers those advertisers a complimentary suite of impression-based digital products including Viamedia’s proprietary QTT as well as OTT, mobile, display, email, search, and social, in those DMAs and beyond. Viamedia’s success is built on its proprietary software, people and processes. For more information, please visit https://viamediatv.com.

To schedule a demo of QTT, contact us at info@viamediatv.com.