DirecTV, which has been testing interactive advertising on a limited scale for years, is preparing to deliver interactive ads to a much wider swath of its viewership, starting in the second half of next year.

DirecTV said it has enlisted long-time interactive advertising partner Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) to help deliver household-addressable advertising to its subscribers with DVRs.

The company expects that will cover about 10 million of its subscribers, a bit more than half its total. It estimates the capability will be available on about 25 of its top networks.

SMG will be the first agency network to provide its advertiser clients the ability to address DirecTV viewers on a national level. SMG’s clients include Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola and General Motors.

DirecTV will reportedly download ads to subscribers’ DVRs. The DVR will have instructions on which ads to insert, depending on demographic factors.

"This is a glimpse into our industry's future. Up until now, we've only been able to test the power of addressability in local markets. We proved its value beyond a shadow of doubt but hadn't yet conquered scale until now," said Laura Desmond, CEO of SMG. "As a result of this partnership with DirecTV, we can now invest our clients' dollars in addressable messaging at the national level. We believe this is the tipping point; an entirely new marketplace is being created and shaped that will increase marketing effectiveness."

SMG will be able to segment its ads on a national level to selected consumers based on factors including geography and customer segmentations, as well as third-party sources and the marketers' consumer databases.