Luke Spano.
Native content network Avid Collective has unveiled an operating system for Direct IO media partnerships, which will roll out in Australia and the UK from March next year.
Direct IO partnerships, or negotiated agreements between an advertiser and a publisher, and sometimes an agency, for advertising space, are commonplace.
The operating system will include all non-programmatic partnerships between advertisers and media owners, spanning branded content, display, sponsorships, print, video, audio, talent-led executions and editorial integrations.
Out-of-home and linear TV, BVOD and CTV will follow later next year.
Avid Collective CEO Luke Spano said direct IO media was rich with opportunity, but the way it operates is stuck in the past.
The campaign lifecycle remains fragmented, manual and inefficient, creating a workflow crisis slowing down creativity and holding back investment.
In a recent Avid survey, 90% of agency professionals said a single platform to manage media partnerships would significantly reduce friction, signalling an urgent need for a better way of working together.
"It's clear that the industry is ready for a better way of working together," Spano said.
"Direct IO partnerships should be where the most meaningful and impactful work for brands happens, but the ways of working surrounding these partnerships have become fragmented and overly complex.
“We're building this ground-breaking operating system for the direct IO ecosystem, infrastructure connecting agencies and publishers in one shared workflow, removing the barriers that slow work down, and empowering teams to collaborate with clarity and confidence."
Agencies will be able to use one platform to explore audiences, opportunities and ways to activate instantly, brief once clearly and consistently without email chaos, deliver collaboratively with shared visibility and real-time workflows, and measure impact with automated, aggregated results across every partner.
The advertiser-focused platform is currently in beta with early access and design partner opportunities offered across both agencies and media owners, with plans for global expansion.
Every tool is being designed with and for the industry, informed by clear jobs-to-be-done, ensuring intuitive adoption rather than another complex system to learn.
Avid is inviting agencies and publishers to join the movement, to help shape the product roadmap with feedback and real-world experience.
"Early feedback from those involved in shaping the platform has been really positive and very constructive and has only further highlighted the need for agencies and media owners to change how they work together for the better," Spano said.
Avid's Industry Survey on Media Partnerships was conducted nationally in October 2025, distributed to media agency professionals across Australia and receiving 260 responses.
Participants included specialists and leaders across strategy, planning, investment and partnerships functions.
Avid Collective is a media and technology business working with publishers, agencies and brands to support the growth of premium, direct IO media partnerships.
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