DirecTV and Dish Network, which usually compete for customers, announced on Monday that they have joined forces to sell customized ads in a bid to gain a slice of $3.4 billion political-ad market dominated by local broadcasters.
Both companies have been in a push to sell so-called addressable ads, which are targeted to their subscribers, based on data about their households.
Technology to deliver customized ads is widely used online by companies such as Google and Facebook, but is only now starting to be offered by TV operators.
The technology allows for the companies to send one commercial to a 50-year-old swing voter in Florida, while a neighbor would be beamed a different commercial at the same time, even if both people were watching the same program.
Dish Chief Commercial Officer Dave Shull said the companies could start selling spots as soon as February in the lead-up to the midterm elections in November.