MiQ unveils $100m Sigma platform to fix programmatic’s fragmentation problem

For CMOs navigating fragmented media channels, rising acquisition costs and the proliferation of audiences, MiQ’s newest platform launch could signal a real shift. Sigma, a $100 million-plus investment in AI-powered programmatic infrastructure, has been designed to bring speed, intelligence and efficiency to an ecosystem that’s long been overdue for reinvention.

With more than 300 data feeds and 700 trillion behavioural signals stitched together across what consumers are watching, browsing and buying, MiQ Sigma promises something rare in ad tech: a platform that’s both deeply intelligent and built for action. It’s a play for growth, performance and control in a landscape where the rules are changing fast.

Speaking to Marketing-Interactive, MiQ ANZ managing director Fiona Roberts, said the company has invested heavily to bring the platform to life.

"I’ve never seen a business invest as much in data as what MiQ has done,” she said. “Over US$25 million annually just in data partnerships. That’s a level of investment most agencies simply can’t make.”

Roberts was candid in her assessment of where the market had landed - and where Sigma is designed to take it next.

“What it does is deliver on what the promise of programmatic was meant to be,” she said. “Back in the early days, programmatic was bottom-of-the-barrel inventory. Now, it’s everything. And what Sigma does is bring all of that - across platforms, channels, time of day - into one ecosystem. You can finally connect the dots.”

Roberts and MiQ chief revenue officer ANZ Chris Freel (pictured above) said in the past, marketers had to make arbitrary choices around what ad platforms to use for their campaigns, which caused a trade-off in reach and performance. MiQ Sigma, they argue, is a single-point-of-entry for programmatic advertising where you can harness intelligence, discover audiences, and then use agentic AI to execute multi-platform media buys in a matter of seconds.

“Anyone with a tech-native lens will look at this and say this is what I would have built if I had the money," Roberts said. "And those who aren’t super technical? They’ll see how it simplifies everything from TV to social to retail data - across what people are watching, browsing and ultimately buying.”

Sigma’s standout features include a trading agent that allows media teams to make campaign changes across DSPs via natural language prompts, plus generative AI audience personas that let planners model and target specific consumer types based on connected behaviour. Roberts said the user experience was designed for speed and flexibility, but with human oversight still central.

“It’s incredibly powerful,” she said. “But that only works if you're people-powered too. The AI can surface the options, but there’s still a human who decides whether that’s right for the brand or the campaign. And I think that part often gets lost in the AI narrative.”

SEE MORE: MiQ partners with Creatalytics to optimise programmatic video

The platform's learning model is underpinned by three LLMs, blending different natural language capabilities for better intent comprehension. It also supports integration with brands’ first-party data, enabling custom applications and more tailored outcomes.

In early testing, MiQ claims Sigma has improved conversion rates by 132% and reduced cost per action by 57%. While these are internal figures, Roberts says early client demos have delivered encouraging feedback, particularly in a market where talent shortages in programmatic teams are stretching resources.

“There’s no silver bullet,” she said. “But the efficiency piece really matters right now. Our agency partners are under pressure to deliver more with less, and platforms like this can help free up their teams to focus on higher value work.”

What also sets Sigma apart, according to Roberts, is its foundation. “This isn’t just another feature set built onto an existing product. This is a full rebuild. Not a granny flat out the back, this is the dream home, built from scratch.”

MiQ Sigma's ecosystem will be fuelled by integrations with industry leaders including The Trade Desk, Google DV360, Amazon Web Services, Samba, Experian, Databricks, Numerator, Celtra and Circana, and Roberts says the product will evolve quickly over time.

“What we have on day one won’t be what we have on day 90 or day 900. That’s the beauty of a platform that’s tech-enabled and AI-powered by design. It’s always learning, always improving.”

For MiQ, Roberts said Sigma is more than just a platform launch, it’s a strategic pivot at a time when the convergence of marketing, data and technology is reshaping the industry.

“Ultimately, we’re trying to make programmatic what it was always supposed to be: smarter, faster, and, ultimately more human.”