Go Addressable Launches Free Certification Course to Close the Addressable TV Knowledge Gap

Go Addressable, the trade group working to advance addressable TV advertising and deterministic identity, is betting that a structured learning path can fix what years of conference panels and white papers haven't.

Today, the organization announced the launch of an Addressable TV Certification Course, developed in partnership with Evan Shapiro, Founder of ESHAP.

What is it?

The curriculum is built around three tiers: Essentials, Master, and Pro. Each level features two modules combining on-demand video instruction, written materials, quizzes, and a completion certificate. The program covers eight core pillars of addressable advertising, from identity precision and measurement attribution to budget optimization and incremental reach strategies.

The Essentials level is available now, hosted on Substack, it's free, and is linked at the bottom of this article.

That accessibility is intentional. The two Essentials modules feature Shapiro alongside guests from key infrastructure players in the addressable ecosystem. Mattew Van Houten, DIRECTV Advertising's head of product and partnerships (and NYU adjunct professor), leads the introductory module on addressable TV advertising. Larry Allen, FreeWheel's VP of global strategy for data, measurement, and addressable, joins for the second module on why identity matters.

"In an advertising ecosystem awash in questionable data and returns, addressable television and deterministic data are two powerful tools to improve the TV user experience for audiences and advertisers," Shapiro said. "Yet, many marketers and brands don't know what makes quality data or advertising addressable."

What problem does it solve?

The program targets a real bottleneck. Advertiser Perceptions research shows 53% of advertisers now consider addressable TV a must-buy, and 63% of those not yet using it plan to start within a year. But confidence in the mechanics of addressability, from identity resolution to planning and reconciliation, remains uneven across the buy side. Agencies and brands have the intent. What they lack is a common operational vocabulary and a systematic way to build fluency.

"The knowledge gap has slowed our industry's ability to unlock the full potential of addressable TV advertising," said Tim Myers, executive director of Go Addressable.

The certification program, he added, is designed to give the advertising community the confidence to increase adoption and put deterministic identity to work at scale. Enrollment details and pricing for the Master and Pro levels will follow in the coming months.

To enroll go to goaddressable.substack.com