special report targeted advertising
Jeff Tyre, director of product marketing at RGB
Networks, considers why ad overlays are now
affordable across hundreds of channels and
how they enable increased interactivity,
personalisation and higher network revenues.
Digital overlays for
targeted advertising
T
o combat the relative decline video has been proven by Digital ad overlay content is
of television advertising and broadcasters, who for years have used embedded in the picture and is part of
attract marketing Euros back overlays to brand content with their the video stream. It can take the form
from the Internet, logos and provide real-time of static text, motion text for
broadcasters and Pay TV supplemental information like stock promotions (like a ticker), static
operators need to provide tickers and weather updates. Overlays graphics (bugs/logos for branding),
relevant, targeted and interactive have already been used to provide motion graphics (dynamic banners,
advertising capabilities. However, in schedule-based supplemental real-time information,
the current economic climate,
Jeff Tyre, director
advertising information, but it is only announcements, etc.), and motion
business managers need to
of product
now, with recent advances, that it is video, including picture-in-picture.
demonstrate immediate returns on
marketing at RGB
Networks.
possible to scale the technology cost-
investment and it is still not clear that effectively. More ad avails lead to more
there is a medium-term business case Current broadcast overlay solutions revenue
for rolling out a full targeted decode the video stream to baseband,
advertising and reporting system. The insert additional content and re- The technology promises significant
industry needs a low-investment encode the video. This approach is benefits to cable and IPTV operators.
solution for personalised advertising viable for a handful of channels, and By providing a cost-effective way to
and the answer is digital ad overlays. therefore broadcasters, but the cost of personalise or localise an advert, it
encoders and decoders makes it makes it realistic to air different,
New technology, proven prohibitive for network operators who targeted versions in the same 30-
value want to generate advertising with second spot in different zones or
overlays across hundreds of channels. neighbourhoods - creating more ad
The value of overlaying text, For large scale deployments, operators avails and therefore generating more
Types of digital
graphics, images and even full-motion
overlays.
need an all-digital solution where revenue for the operator. Advertisers
compressed MPEG programmes are who create regional variants of their
manipulated without any decoding or commercials, or who keep
re-encoding. commercials fresh with updated text
MPEG programme manipulation is and graphics, can now do so without
proven technology - having been used post-production costs. The money they
for many years to groom channel line- save can be spent on buying more ad
ups, adjust programme bit rates and slots on the network. Targeted ads -
enable digital programme insertion enabled by the operator at minimal
(DPI). When employed for overlays, cost - will attract more advertisers and
this all-digital approach removes result in higher CPM (cost per
encoder/decoder costs and preserves thousand) rates.
optimal picture quality (taking MPEG Working in partnership with the
to baseband and re-encoding always network operator, advertisers can use
presents the risk of degradation). digital overlay inserts to display
Digital overlays can be inserted into addresses and phone numbers, or
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more video programmes more show the locations of local retail
efficiently. outlets, car dealers, restaurants, and
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40 l ibe l may/june 2009 l www.ibeweb.com
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