Aiming to optimise replay experience and grow monetisation potential AI-powered video analysis solutions provider Media Distillery has released a new solution, Ad Break Distillery, to identify the exact start and stop times of ad breaks in broadcast video.
The company believes that with a gradual shift of viewership from linear viewing towards on-demand streaming services, and ever-intensifying competition for audience attention, providers of live TV and/or on-demand content need to differentiate and engender loyalty by personalising experiences according to viewers’ preferences. Moreover, it sees the explosion of OTT and VOD as having raised the bar for video services, with advertisers expecting to be able to target and create personalised ad experiences, as well as setting consumers’ UX expectations regarding the presence and duration of ad breaks.
Media Distillery cited research undertaken in Switzerland by TV marketing specialist Admeira showing that the length of the ad break influences the recall of ads. Shorter ad breaks generate more attention, with recall decreasing almost linearly as ad break length increases. When the ad break is too long, viewers may even tune out completely. Furthermore, these linear ad breaks were found to be less effective in the context of catch-up and replay.
Moreover, Media Distillery said the the main technical cause preventing a good UX for linear TV ads in replay lies in the general lack of time markers, a prominent issue in the video industry. This it said not only hinders service providers’ and broadcasters’ ability to generate additional revenue from advertisements, it also limits their ability to personalise and otherwise enhance the viewing experience.
Guided by these needs, Media Distillery was confident that the new Ad Break Distillery can offer video service providers “novel” ways to improve and monetise their catch-up and replay services, while providing a more consistent and innovative viewing experience, while also improving user engagement. It automatically detects the beginning and end of ad breaks in live broadcast video and delivers time markers as actionable metadata.
As a result, broadcasters and operators of video entertainment platforms are said to be able to create new ad inventory, replacing existing linear ad breaks with dynamically inserted and personalised ads for catch-up and replay. They can also apply restrictions during ad breaks but allow viewers to freely navigate through the content. That means no more complete limitation due to not knowing where the ad breaks are.
Other benefits include being able to repurpose broadcast content for FAST and AVOD, - said to be extremely useful for content archives where existing ads no longer hold value – and bring an OTT experience to catch-up and replay viewing.
“With the ad break markers we provide, video service providers are now enabled to do dynamic ad replacement, enforce trick play restrictions during ad breaks only, and deliver novel viewing experiences,” commented Media Distillery CEO Roland Sars.
Media Distillery cited research undertaken in Switzerland by TV marketing specialist Admeira showing that the length of the ad break influences the recall of ads. Shorter ad breaks generate more attention, with recall decreasing almost linearly as ad break length increases. When the ad break is too long, viewers may even tune out completely. Furthermore, these linear ad breaks were found to be less effective in the context of catch-up and replay.
Moreover, Media Distillery said the the main technical cause preventing a good UX for linear TV ads in replay lies in the general lack of time markers, a prominent issue in the video industry. This it said not only hinders service providers’ and broadcasters’ ability to generate additional revenue from advertisements, it also limits their ability to personalise and otherwise enhance the viewing experience.
Guided by these needs, Media Distillery was confident that the new Ad Break Distillery can offer video service providers “novel” ways to improve and monetise their catch-up and replay services, while providing a more consistent and innovative viewing experience, while also improving user engagement. It automatically detects the beginning and end of ad breaks in live broadcast video and delivers time markers as actionable metadata.
As a result, broadcasters and operators of video entertainment platforms are said to be able to create new ad inventory, replacing existing linear ad breaks with dynamically inserted and personalised ads for catch-up and replay. They can also apply restrictions during ad breaks but allow viewers to freely navigate through the content. That means no more complete limitation due to not knowing where the ad breaks are.
Other benefits include being able to repurpose broadcast content for FAST and AVOD, - said to be extremely useful for content archives where existing ads no longer hold value – and bring an OTT experience to catch-up and replay viewing.
“With the ad break markers we provide, video service providers are now enabled to do dynamic ad replacement, enforce trick play restrictions during ad breaks only, and deliver novel viewing experiences,” commented Media Distillery CEO Roland Sars.
