How F1 TV beat its annual install target in three months.
A programmatic rebuild across Performance Max, DV360, YouTube and CTV - powered by custom bidding algorithms - that came in 300% over target and reset what the channel was expected to deliver.
- Industry
- Motorsport streaming app
- Channels
- Google Ads · DV360 · YouTube · CTV
Who F1 TV is.
F1 TV is the subscription mobile app of the world's #1 motorsport brand - live race streaming and on-board car data for fans, sold on monthly and annual plans.
It is a direct-to-consumer subscription product in a category where fan attention is fiercely contested. Growth depends on acquiring app installs efficiently, at scale.
Programmatic was falling behind.
F1 TV's programmatic advertising was underperforming and lagging well behind paid social. It needed to be brought up to par - fast - without giving back efficiency.
The brand was eager to innovate and stay ahead of the competition, but the existing programmatic setup was not built to scale installs at a cost that could compete with social.
- Programmatic lagging well behind paid social
- Install volume capped below target
- Targeting not matched to fan segments
- Bidding not tuned to subscription value
Three moves that beat the algorithms.
Read the fan funnel first.
Ran an in-depth analysis of the existing strategy and mapped how different types of fans moved through the conversion funnel - before touching a single placement.
Rebuilt programmatic across every surface.
Deployed Performance Max for automated reach, ran DV360 with a dynamic feed for personalised messaging, and expanded into native, YouTube - including the Masthead - and premium PMP and Connected TV inventory for high-visibility, brand-safe reach.
Bid on behaviour, not Google's defaults.
Wrote custom bidding algorithms based on audience behaviour - driving 200% more installs than Google's own algorithms and beating the annual target in three months.
What changed.
+300%
Vs install target
App installs came in 300% over the targets set for the campaign.
+200%
From custom bidding
Custom bidding algorithms alone drove a 200% increase in installs.
3 months
To the annual target
The full annual install target was achieved in just three months.
The brand went on to double its programmatic budget to a seven-figure annual investment - and raised its expectations for what the channel could deliver.
More work.
