GroupM’s advanced TV unit MODI Media will use Innovid as its preferred ad server for all connected TV campaigns, the companies announced today. Seth Walters, senior partner at MODI, who oversees its connected TV business, told me that Innovid addresses a key pain point of delivering video adds into the highly fragmented connected TV space, while also offering real-time analytics on campaign performance across devices.

Connected TVs have surged in popularity over the past couple of years, particularly for long-form viewing. According to FreeWheel’s most recent Video Monetization Report, for Q4, ’15, connected TVs accounted for 22% of ad views (up 76% year-over-year), and are now second only to desktop views, which account for 40% of views. In addition, 64% of ad views in long-form content were on connected TVs, making CTV by far the most popular OTT device for watching sports, TV shows and movies.

All of this connected TV viewing means that advertisers will continue increasing their CTV spending and agencies like MODI need to figure out how to plan, deliver and optimize their spending. Tal Chalozin, Innovid’s CTO and co-founder, explained that the company has been watching CTV’s growth, and mindful of the fragmentation, saw a need for a “plumbing service” that would provide seamless delivery and analytics across devices.

Innovid can serve video ads into Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google Nexus Player, PlayStation, PS Vita, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, Sony Smart TVs, TiVo, Xbox 360, Xbox One and others.

The MODI partnership is another validation of Innovid’s strategic shift from its roots as an interactive video ad provider to the leading video ad server/management platform for agencies and advertisers. Walters said he believes “only a few players are now innovating in this space” and that test campaigns MODI ran with Innovid clearly demonstrated the platform’s capabilities.

While enabling interactivity is still a core Innovid capability, Walters said the partnership was primarily about extending MODI’s reach across devices. MODI will evaluate clients’ specific goals and determine whether interactivity would help achieve them.