Locality Taps Ad-Tech Vet to Lead AI-Driven Unification of Local TV

NEW YORK, NY – March 26, 2026 – Local TV advertising platform Locality has appointed veteran ad-tech executive Kouros Esfahany as its new Chief Technology Officer, a strategic move signaling an aggressive push to accelerate its data-driven, cross-platform agenda in the rapidly converging world of broadcast and streaming television.

Esfahany, a well-known innovator with leadership experience at eBay, FreeWheel, and XR Extreme Reach, joins Locality at a pivotal moment. The company is doubling down on its mission to create a single, unified marketplace for local video advertising, a goal that has become increasingly critical as viewer habits fragment across linear and digital screens. His appointment is a clear indicator of Locality's intent to lead the charge in solving the complexities that have long plagued local media buying.

A Strategic Move in a Converging Market

The line between traditional broadcast television and digital streaming is blurring, creating both immense opportunities and significant challenges for advertisers. While audiences are more reachable than ever across a multitude of devices, planning, executing, and measuring campaigns in this fragmented ecosystem remains a major hurdle. Locality, formed in 2023 from the combination of CoxReps and Gamut under the ownership of One Equity Partners, was built specifically to address this challenge.

"As broadcast and streaming continue to converge, the need for a unified, data-driven approach to local advertising has never been greater," said Michael Collins, CEO of Locality, in a statement announcing the hire. Collins emphasized the company's foundational work in building the necessary technology and data infrastructure to navigate this shift.

He added, "We've been building the technology and data foundation to support that shift, giving buyers and planners a clearer, more consistent way to plan, execute, and measure campaigns across markets and better understand the distinct value broadcast and streaming each deliver. Kouros has a proven ability to turn complex technology into real outcomes, and he'll play a key role in what comes next for us."

Esfahany’s appointment is not merely a personnel change but a strategic reinforcement of this vision. His background, which includes 14 U.S. patents focused on system optimization and unified infrastructure management, aligns directly with the core problem Locality aims to solve: integrating disparate systems into a seamless, intelligent whole.

The Technologist's Mandate: Unifying Platforms with AI

As CTO, Esfahany is tasked with leading the evolution of Locality's entire technology stack. This includes a suite of proprietary platforms designed to streamline every facet of the local advertising process. He will oversee LocalX, the company’s all-in-one platform for planning and buying local video; Darwin, an AI-powered solution for optimizing local broadcast plans; and Collective, a platform enabling national brands to plan and activate campaigns across local TV at scale.

A significant focus of his role will be to build upon Audience Engine, Locality's powerful data infrastructure. Introduced in 2025, Audience Engine processes more than 25 billion local data signals to create predictive audience models, enabling advertisers to move beyond broad demographic targeting to reach high-fidelity, performance-driven segments in real-time. Esfahany is expected to advance the AI and machine learning capabilities that power this engine, making local campaigns more precise and effective.

"Local advertising is undergoing a profound transformation as scale and precision come together," Esfahany stated. He highlighted the unique position of the company, noting, "Locality has built a strong cross-platform footprint across the TV ecosystem, combined with historical local campaign data and advanced analytics in a single, unified workflow."

Esfahany outlined his primary focus: "My focus will be on accelerating the technology that connects these pieces—using automation, AI-driven insights, and integrated data infrastructure to power a more intelligent and efficient marketplace between buyers and premium local TV inventory." This mission reflects a broader industry trend toward programmatic-like efficiency and data-driven accountability in the traditionally relationship-driven world of TV advertising.

Battling for Local Ad Dollars

Locality operates in a fiercely competitive landscape where established players and nimble startups are all vying for a slice of the lucrative local advertising market. Competitors range from other platforms offering targeted connected TV (CTV) campaigns to larger tech giants with their own advertising solutions. The key differentiator, and the battleground where market leaders will be decided, is the ability to offer a truly unified solution that eliminates the friction between broadcast and digital.

One Equity Partners' strategic combination of CoxReps' deep local broadcast relationships and Gamut's streaming technology expertise to form Locality was a direct play to build a dominant force in this arena. The appointment of a CTO with Esfahany's pedigree is the next logical step in that strategy, signaling a commitment to winning through technological superiority. By investing in a platform that can seamlessly integrate inventory, data, and measurement across all 210 U.S. markets, Locality aims to create an indispensable tool for media buyers and a more valuable proposition for its publisher partners.

What It Means for Advertisers

For the brands and agencies on the front lines of media buying, Locality's technology push under Esfahany promises a future of simpler, smarter local campaigns. The ultimate goal is to translate complex technology into tangible business outcomes: better return on investment (ROI), enhanced efficiency, and deeper audience insights.

The practical benefits are rooted in the platform's capabilities. With Audience Engine, an advertiser can move beyond buying spots on the local news and instead target predictive audiences interested in buying a new car or planning a vacation, regardless of whether they are watching on a linear broadcast station or a streaming app. The Collective platform, which in a pilot campaign reportedly delivered 17% of a national retailer's campaign reach with only 5% of the budget, exemplifies the potential for achieving national scale with local precision.

This technology-first approach aims to demystify local TV advertising, making it more accessible, measurable, and accountable. By automating workflows and providing real-time performance data through platforms like LocalX, Locality is working to lower the barrier to entry for smaller advertisers while offering the sophisticated tools that large, national brands demand. This shift toward a unified, data-driven future is poised to redefine the value and execution of local television advertising for years to come.