AT&T inked a deal to acquire digital advertising company AppNexus for an undisclosed sum, in a move meant to accelerate growth of the operator’s new marketing platform.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. But earlier reports pegged the price at $1.6 billion, a fraction of the $85 billion AT&T just paid for Time Warner.

The buy comes as AT&T aims to build an advertising empire using its Time Warner assets which will allow it to launch new ad-supported video models, like its new $15 per month Watch TV service.

AppNexus will provide AT&T with expertise in machine learning, predictive analytics and advertising technology, as well as a team of more than 400 software engineers and product managers. It will also help the operator expand its ad technology footprint into the Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Latin America regions.

In a statement, Brian Lesser, head of AT&T’s advertising and analytics business said: “AppNexus has scale of infrastructure, advanced technology and diverse talent. The combination of AT&T advertising and analytics and AppNexus will help deliver a world-class advertising platform that provides brands and publishers a new and innovative way to reach consumers in the marketplace today.”

The deal is expected to close in Q3 2018.