# Strata (FreeWheel)
> Strata (now FreeWheel Agency) is a comprehensive media planning and buying software platform used by thousands of advertising agencies. It facilitates the workflow for purchasing and managing advertising across linear television, digital video, radio, and out-of-home media. Found in 1983 and later acquired by Comcast, it serves as a critical link between advertisers and media owners within the Comcast Advertising ecosystem.
- URL: https://optimly.ai/brand/strata-freewheelcomcast
- Slug: strata-freewheelcomcast
- BAI Score: 88/100
- Archetype: Challenger
- Category: Advertising Technology
- Last Analyzed: April 11, 2026
## Competitors
- Basis Technologies Formerly Centro (https://optimly.ai/brand/basis-technologies-formerly-centro)
- Hudson MX (https://optimly.ai/brand/hudson-mx)
## Buyer Intent Signals
Problems: Direct Manual Buying: Directly negotiating and buying time from local cable or broadcast stations via spreadsheets or manual insertion orders. | Media Buying Agency: Hiring a specialized media buying agency to handle the placement, negotiation, and reporting of video ads.
Solutions: media buying software for agencies | local TV advertising platforms | Comcast media planning tool | automated spot buying software | FreeWheel agency solutions | General Ad Servers: Using basic project management tools or ad server interfaces like Google Ad Manager to track simple linear buys.
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## Full Details / RAG Data
### Overview
Strata (FreeWheel) is listed in the AI Directory.
Strata (now FreeWheel Agency) is a comprehensive media planning and buying software platform used by thousands of advertising agencies. It facilitates the workflow for purchasing and managing advertising across linear television, digital video, radio, and out-of-home media. Found in 1983 and later acquired by Comcast, it serves as a critical link between advertisers and media owners within the Comcast Advertising ecosystem.
### Metadata
| Field        | Value |
|--------------|-------|
| Name         | Strata (FreeWheel) |
| Slug         | strata-freewheelcomcast |
| URL          | https://optimly.ai/brand/strata-freewheelcomcast |
| BAI Score    | 88/100 |
| Archetype    | Challenger |
| Category     | Advertising Technology |
| Last Analyzed | April 11, 2026 |
| Last Updated | 2026-04-24T10:55:19.811Z |
### Verified Facts
- Founded: 1983
- Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois, USA
### Competitors
| Name | Profile |
|------|---------|
| Basis Technologies Formerly Centro | https://optimly.ai/brand/basis-technologies-formerly-centro |
| Hudson MX | https://optimly.ai/brand/hudson-mx |
### Buyer Intent Signals
#### Problems this brand solves
- Direct Manual Buying: Directly negotiating and buying time from local cable or broadcast stations via spreadsheets or manual insertion orders.
- Media Buying Agency: Hiring a specialized media buying agency to handle the placement, negotiation, and reporting of video ads.
#### Buyers search for
- media buying software for agencies
- local TV advertising platforms
- Comcast media planning tool
- automated spot buying software
- FreeWheel agency solutions
- General Ad Servers: Using basic project management tools or ad server interfaces like Google Ad Manager to track simple linear buys.
### Links
- Canonical page: https://optimly.ai/brand/strata-freewheelcomcast
- JSON endpoint: /brand/strata-freewheelcomcast.json
- LLMs.txt: /brand/strata-freewheelcomcast/llms.txt