Programmatic Ad Buying Comes to 1,350 U.S. Cinemas via NCM and Vistar Partnership

July 3, 2025 by guest author, Antonia Hamberger

Cinema Advertising in the U.S. Goes Programmatic for Global Buyers. National Cinemedia (NCM), the largest cinema advertising platformin the United States, has partnered with Vistar Media to make its inventory available on their DooH supply-side platform. Through Vistar’s SSP, advertisers can now book placements across 17,500 screens in 1,350 cinemas nationwide.

Although NCM only launched programmatic advertising in 2024, the company has reported strong growth in programmatic revenue during the first quarter of this year. The automated buying was made possible by the introduction of NCM’s new data solutions – NCMx Boost, Boomerang, and Bullseye – which enable things like personalized and locally targeted campaigns, real-time behavioral analysis, audience activation in cinemas, and post-visit retargeting.

“As programmatic ad spend continues to grow, we are focused on making cinema media buying as intuitive, data-driven, and effective as possible,” said Manu Singh, Chief Data and Innovation Officer at NCM. “Partnering with Vistar is a strategic action that will allow advertisers streamlined access to our premium inventory.”

“It’s been a long time in the making, but we’re super excited to finally offer NCM inventory to Vistar’s buyer community,” said Ian Brecher, Senior Director, Supply Partnerships at Vistar Media. “The ability for brands to show their creatives on the big screen in America’s most visited movie theaters creates a unique opportunity to reach a very attentive audience out in the physical world.”