San Francisco, As streaming takes centrestage on connected TVs in the absence of live action, Google is introducing a series of tools in Display and Video 360 that make it easy for digital media buyers to discover and secure ad inventory on high-quality streaming content.

Display and Video 360's connected TV available inventory surged by 75 per cent in April from the previous year.

"This doesn't include YouTube and YouTube TV, which over 100 million people watch on their TV screens each month in the US. Even now, as stay-at-home restrictions are being lifted, connected TV usage remains well above pre-COVID-19 levels," Google said in a statement on Thursday.

Google has created a dedicated TV section in Marketplace specifically for publishers and inventory that let them reach TV audiences across devices.

"For instance, this is where you can find deals for the Disney Media Networks: ABC, ESPN, Freeform, FX, Hulu and National Geographic," said Glenn Thorpe, Senior Product Manager, Display & Video 360.

Available publisher inventory is displayed graphically so that people can easily discover and negotiate deals

"Additional filter options let you search by geo or streaming device type to quickly find the right partner for your campaigns," informed Google.

People can send requests for proposals (RFP) to publishers directly from this dedicated space.

"We'll be rolling out this new interface throughout the next few weeks. In the future we will also be adding national linear TV broadcast and cable networks as well as local TV stations to this section in Marketplace," informed Google.

Google also announced that it is making YouTube Select's dedicated streaming TV lineup available to Display and Video 360 buyers in the US.

YouTube watch time on TV screens jumped 80 per cent (year over year) in March, the company said.