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Perion expands AI ad tech footprint in Africa
Perion Network Ltd. has entered an exclusive partnership with McSorely Media and joint venture partner Mediamark to deploy its AI-powered execution agent, Outmax, across African markets. The agreement extends Perion’s commercial presence in the region while introducing a recurring revenue stream tied to AI-driven campaign execution.
The partnership brings a unified offering to agencies, combining Outmax’s optimisation capabilities with Perion’s programmatic digital out-of-home solutions. The companies aim to address gaps in execution infrastructure as digital advertising investment accelerates across the continent.
Growing demand highlights infrastructure gap
Africa’s programmatic advertising market continues to expand, with digital ad spend projected to grow significantly by the end of the decade. However, the ability to translate this growth into measurable outcomes remains limited, creating an opportunity for AI-led execution tools.
Outmax applies algorithmic optimisation to campaign performance, focusing on business outcomes defined by advertisers rather than standard platform metrics. Through McSorely Media and Mediamark’s combined agency footprint, the solution will be rolled out across multiple markets to improve efficiency and performance.
Tal Jacobson, chief executive officer, Perion Network Ltd.: "This partnership gives us a scalable channel into one of the fastest-growing digital advertising markets in the world — and does so through partners with unmatched agency reach across the continent. As African advertisers increasingly demand outcome-driven execution, Outmax is built to deliver exactly that."
Early results support regional rollout
Initial deployments in South Africa indicate performance gains. A campaign for Wepner, executed through Mediamark and powered by Outmax, achieved a 96 percent video completion rate on YouTube, surpassing benchmarks while reducing carbon intensity and improving engagement rates.
The campaign also drove significant traffic to Instagram, demonstrating the platform’s ability to combine performance outcomes with efficiency improvements. These results are expected to support broader adoption across additional African markets.
Terry Paterson, chief executive officer, McSorely Media: "African brands and agencies now have access to Perion One, a platform-agnostic, AI-driven execution layer across programmatic and Digital-out-of-home. Through our joint venture with Mediamark, we’re bringing a more orchestrated and accountable approach to performance in the African market."
Expanding AI-driven execution capabilities
The collaboration reflects a wider shift toward AI-native infrastructure in digital advertising, particularly in emerging markets where execution capabilities are still developing. By integrating Outmax into existing agency networks, the partners aim to accelerate adoption of data-driven campaign optimisation.
Wayne Bischoff, chief executive officer, Mediamark: "Perion’s Outmax introduces a differentiated capability not currently available in Africa. Being first to market through our partnership with McSorely Media gives us a clear competitive advantage - and we intend to move quickly."
