Smart video advertiser Ash TV has struck a mobile video advert placement deal with Immediate Media, whose portfolio of publications includes BBC Top Gear and Radio Times.

The Hull-based tech start-up provides an auto-playing video advertising platform for mobile, where advertisers can target audiences by selecting their age, gender, location, interests and occupation.

The deal means Hull-based Ash TV will now be able to serve adverts from its clients, on all Immediate Media’s websites.

“This is big for us,” said Ash TV chief executive Ash Lewis.

“Not only is it a very, very good opportunity for our advertisers and has already brought in new business, it is a template for us to work with other publishers across their mobile digital platforms.

“A lot of millennials are now unreachable through TV commercials, so more and more companies are looking to online adverts to connect with their customers, which means our technology is being sought after by advertisers and publishers alike.”

Ash TV’s technology is supported by artificial intelligence (AI) software to target adverts using location and social media data. It provides real-time feedback to clients on the effectiveness and targeting of their advertising campaigns.

The business was last year named among ten of the fastest-growing companies in the North to win Northern Stars, a Tech North award for tech and digital start-ups.

In the last few months it has secured a round of investment finance from Mercia Technologies through Enterprise Ventures Equity Finance’s Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

The company, which launched in 2016, opened new offices at Hull’s Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI) earlier in 2017, has an office in Amsterdam and London and growing development teams in France and Germany.