The takeaway

Auto Match links streamed TV exposure to real car-buyer actions. Its viewers are 181% more likely to visit the advertiser’s site and 50% more likely to engage with the advertised model.

In this insightHow Auto Match worksWhat 12 months of campaigns showRapid adoption by car advertisersSee what your TV advertising changes

A record number of car brands have signed up for Auto Match, the smart attribution partnership between ITV, Carwow and Sophus3. More than 10 leading manufacturers, including both established and challenger brands, have run Auto Match campaigns so far, and several have already booked repeat campaigns.

How Auto Match works

At its core, Auto Match is a privacy-safe targeting and measurement methodology. It combines Carwow’s unique audience of in-market car buyers with Sophus3 website analytics, and associates those buyers with registered ITVX streaming users.

The result is the first scalable solution for automotive that directly links streamed TV advertising exposure to real consumer actions, bridging the long-standing gap between brand advertising and performance measurement.

Diagram: Carwow in-market car buyers and Sophus3 website analytics feed a privacy-safe match with registered ITVX streaming users, which enables smart targeting on ITVX and measurement of real consumer actions: site visits, model engagement and digital market share
How Auto Match connects streamed TV advertising with what car buyers do next. Source: Sophus3, ITV and Carwow.

What 12 months of campaigns show

Auto Match now has more than 12 months of successful campaign analysis behind it, revealing how ITVX delivers car buyers who go on to take measurable, high-intent actions.

Compared with the average visitor, Auto Match viewers are:

  • 181% more likely to visit the advertiser’s site.
  • 50% more likely to engage with the advertised model.
  • Associated with an 18% uplift in digital market share.
Bar chart: compared with an average visitor indexed at 100, Auto Match viewers are 181% more likely to visit the advertiser’s site and 50% more likely to engage with the advertised model; Auto Match campaigns are associated with an 18% uplift in digital market share
Auto Match viewers compared with the average visitor. Source: Sophus3 Auto Match campaign analysis.

Rapid adoption by car advertisers

Major automotive advertisers have adopted the platform quickly, with five more campaigns live as this story was published.

“Auto Match is succeeding because it gives car brands a deep-dive into the effect of streamed TV advertising on buyers. Our unbeatable combination of Carwow data, ITV smart targeting and Sophus3 attribution gives auto advertisers an unprecedented level of transparency.”

Steve Machin, Partnerships Director, Sophus3

See what your TV advertising changes

Auto Match measures what streamed TV viewers do next, not only how many saw the ad. Read how it works in the ITV × Carwow case study, or explore independent automotive attribution.

Interested in understanding how your TV advertising influences the car buyer journey? Talk to Sophus3.

Adapted from Sophus3’s LinkedIn announcement of October 2026. Figures compare Auto Match viewers with the average visitor across more than 12 months of campaign analysis.