The takeaway

Auto Match gives car brands behavioural evidence for streamed TV: who saw the ad, and what they did next on brand websites and Carwow.

181% more likely to visit

Auto Match viewers compared with the average visitor, across more than 12 months of campaign analysis (October 2026).

In this insightThe question advertisers could not answerHow Auto Match worksWhat Sophus3 measuresLaunch results, October 2025Twelve months on: more than ten manufacturersWhat advertisers do with the resultsHow to read the numbersPlan a comparable study

The question advertisers could not answer

Streamed TV reaches car buyers at scale, but delivery reports stop at impressions. A brand could see how many people saw its ad, not whether those people went on to research the model, configure it or book a test drive. Click-based attribution makes the gap worse: it credits the last digital touchpoint and undervalues the brand and model advertising that creates future demand.

How Auto Match works

Auto Match is ITV’s addressable automotive advertising solution, created with Carwow. Sophus3 is its exclusive insights and measurement partner. It brings together three sources:

  • Carwow: a unique audience of people actively shopping for a car.
  • ITVX: registered streaming users who can be reached with addressable advertising.
  • Sophus3: behaviour on car brand websites, from visits to model research, using the matching methodology behind eDataXchange benchmarking, which Sophus3 has run since 2003.

In-market buyers are associated with registered ITVX users through privacy-safe matching. Campaigns then reach viewers who are already in the market, and Sophus3 measures what they do next.

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 Sophus3 measures

Exposed viewers are compared with a baseline across the actions that move a buyer closer to purchase:

  • Visits to the advertiser’s website and to Carwow.
  • Engagement with the advertised model, including configurations.
  • Test drive enquiries and other mid-funnel actions.
  • How many competitor brands exposed Carwow users go on to consider.
  • The brand’s digital market share: its share of visits within the competitor set.

Launch results, October 2025

The first published comparison with a standard ITVX campaign showed:

  • 129% more visits across the car brand site and Carwow.
  • 133% greater effectiveness at moving viewers to mid-funnel actions.
  • 27% fewer competitor brands considered by exposed Carwow users.

Early users named at launch included Range Rover, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Audi, Suzuki and Polestar.

Twelve months on: more than ten manufacturers

By October 2026, more than ten manufacturers, established and challenger brands, had run Auto Match campaigns, and several had booked repeat campaigns. Compared with the average visitor, Auto Match viewers were:

  • 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, October 2026.

“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, Sophus3

The research behind Auto Match was shortlisted for Best Research / Insight Project at the AOP Digital Publishing Awards 2026.

What advertisers do with the results

  • Judge audience quality as well as reach: did the campaign find people who then researched the car?
  • Discuss TV with finance and sales teams in terms of buyer actions, not delivery totals.
  • Plan the next flight with evidence on which actions moved and which did not.

How to read the numbers

These are campaign comparisons of measured behaviour, not vehicle sales or guaranteed outcomes. The 2025 figures compare exposed viewers with a standard ITVX campaign; the 2026 figures compare them with the average visitor across more than 12 months of campaigns. The baselines differ, so the two sets should not be combined or compared directly. Campaign-specific baselines, sample sizes and observation windows should be agreed before a comparable study.

Plan a comparable study

Agree the exposed audience, the comparison group, the observation window and the automotive actions that matter to your brand before the campaign starts. Talk to Sophus3 about attribution or explore the attribution presentation.

Sources: ITV press release and Sophus3 announcement, October 2025; Sophus3 Auto Match campaign analysis, October 2026; AOP Digital Publishing Awards 2026 shortlist.