Time Inc acquired the ad tech startup Adelphi to create a direct marketing platform and take on Google and Facebook

Time Inc announced on Monday that it has acquired Adelphic, the ad tech startup founded by one of the people behind Apple's iAd platform.

In a statement it said the acquisition would help it create the first "people based DSP" to allow advertisers to target specific people based on the data they input across different platforms.

Outside of the Google and Facebook networks, advertisers have to rely on cookies to target consumers.

The ad tech startup will join the advertising cloud platform Viant, the parent company of Myspace that was bought by Time Inc in February 2016. On its website, Viant boasts of a first party database of 1.2 billion users.

"The combination of Viant and Adelphic will deliver the first people-based DSP, powered by Time Inc.'s and Viant's large, deterministic data set," the announcement stated.

With the proposed changes to the EU Cookie Directive, cookie-based retargeting would be limited forcing European advertisers to find other ways to target consumers.

Adelphic gives the Viant platform the ad buying capabilities it currently lacks.

After the acquisition of Viant in February 2016, Time Inc announced it would pool its subscriber data from its properties Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and People into the platform.

The amount and terms of Adelphic's acquisition weren't disclosed. To date the startup had raised a total investment of $23 million.

"With Adelphic's proven self-service capabilities, Time Inc. and Viant will be able to deliver greater programmatic competencies and benefits to our partners," said Time Inc CEO Rich Battista.