Ventura Gets Real: TTD’s Matthew Henick On The DirecTV Deal
“Ventura’s mission from the start has been to improve how money flows through the CTV ecosystem,” says Matthew Henick,SVP at The Trade Desk. “With DirecTV, we saw a chance to extend their highly regarded user experience while giving OEMs and hospitality partners a turnkey OS backed by a sustainable ad business. It’s a win-win that shows the flexibility Ventura was built for.”
TVREV sat down with Henick to discuss the newly announced DirecTV deal and what it means for Ventura and for the industry at large.
ALAN WOLK (AW): You just announced a deal with DirecTV. What excites you most about this partnership?
MATTHEW HENICK (MH): Ventura’s mission has always been to improve how money flows through the CTV ecosystem. We’ve spent a lot of time journeying through the space, understanding each participant’s incentives—OEMs, retailers, programmers, advertisers, users. With DirecTV, we saw an opportunity to build a customized version of Ventura that expands the reach of their UI, which is unique and well-loved. At the same time, we’ve found OEMs and hospitality partners looking for a turnkey OS with a sustainable, recurring business model powered by advertising. Pairing those needs together felt like a genuine win-win. It also shows off one of Ventura’s core strengths—flexibility. We’re not pushing our brand; we’re enabling our partners’ brands and business models.
AW: DirecTV already has contracts in place with airlines and hotel chains. Is hospitality one of the bigger plays here?
MH: Hospitality and airlines are a natural fit because they need a solution that can scale and deliver a great experience out of the box. But it’s not just about planes and hotels. There are also OEMs that are purely TV manufacturers—not looking to spin up an ad sales team or a content division. Why shouldn’t they be able to partner with DirecTV, which has those capabilities? The deal allows us to serve both traditional OEMs and these adjacent markets with a compelling solution.
AW: Who are those OEMs? Smaller brands, in-house labels, or a mix?
MH: It’s a little of both. Some are smaller brands that have been around for a while but may have changed ownership and now need a full-stack solution. Others are retailer house brands—companies considering what their long-term strategy should be. For them, a Ventura-DirecTV OS can be an attractive option that balances brand control with proven monetization.
AW: DirecTV has been creative with how it packages programming—sports bundles, genre bundles, “My Free,” and so on. How does Ventura fit into that?
MH: DirecTV has been a Trade Desk partner on the advertising side for some time, so we’re already aligned on many fronts. They’ve done a strong job making their programming more accessible with those bundles. For Ventura, the approach is to build off their core programming offerings and make them even more accessible, but not to create a separate programming layer of our own.
AW: Is this the first major partner you’ve announced since Ventura launched?
MH: We’ve had partnerships before—like with Anoki on the FAST side—but in terms of working with a company that’s truly emblematic of the television industry, yes. DirecTV is the first. This is also the first time Ventura will appear directly on television sets as the operating system, which is a big milestone for us.
AW: If you had to distill the pitch for why an OEM should embrace this version of DirecTV powered by Ventura, what would it be?
MH: DirecTV has a user experience that subscribers genuinely love. Reviews consistently highlight it as one of the best, most content-first interfaces out there. It unifies programming and apps in a user-centric way. By combining that UX with Ventura’s back-end, you amplify those strengths: more relevant advertising, better search, improved catalog discovery. We’re essentially adding incremental value on top of what’s already a great experience.
AW: That matters, because clunky search and irrelevant ads are still the biggest consumer pain points in TV.
MH: Exactly. For users, it’s the sprinkles on top—a more personalized, relevant experience. For partners, it’s the assurance that their business models and brand strategies can be built into the OS itself. That level of customization is rare. Most OS providers insist on a rigid full-stack model. We can actually peel back part of Ventura and integrate a partner’s UX, their loyalty program, or even their connected-home strategy. That flexibility is something other platforms just don’t offer.
AW: So your message to OEMs is basically: if you have something in your existing OS that you like or need, Ventura can work around it and make it better.
MH: That’s right. Whether you’re a retailer looking to integrate your loyalty system, an OEM wanting your own brand look and feel, or a player like DirecTV with a UX that consumers already love, Ventura can adapt. We can customize the platform and the commercial model to meet partners where they are. That’s the bigger story here.
