Comcast Interactive Media Taps Auditude For Video Ad-Serving
- by Gavin O'Malley @mp_gavin, February 22, 2010
Hoping to target online audiences more effectively, Comcast Interactive Media has tapped video ad management and monetization platform Auditude to manage and serve its video advertising across Web properties, including Fancast, Fancast XFINITY TV, and Comcast.net.
The first implementation, which just went live, includes Fancast and Fancast XFINITY TV, with Comcast.net to follow. More broadly, Auditude's platform will serve as the foundation to manage and integrate video advertising between CIM sites and its content partners.
David Kappenstein, director of advertising technology and development at Comcast Interactive Media, said the decision came after a "comprehensive review of the video ad platforms in the market," adding: "We are excited to scale and expand the advertising options currently available."
The deal marks the second major client win for Auditude in recent months. Late last October, MTV Networks agreed to implement its Connect video ad management platform across its online portfolio.
The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company works with other clients including MySpace and Warner Bros. to help them monetize online video. Its technology automatically analyzes uploaded video clips to identify copyrighted programming -- a "Daily Show" or Colbert segment -- and then serves targeted overlay ads within that content.
The company's platform promises Web publishers and big media companies a money-making alternative to copyright takedown notices and other legal means of blocking the distribution of pirated clips online.
This latest deployment of the Auditude Connect platform is designed to help content owners and publishers better scale the business requirements and ad-serving needs around premium video content.
Last March, Auditude closed $10.5 million in a financing led by Redpoint Ventures and including existing investor Greylock Partners. It brought the total raised so far to more than $23 million.
MySpace teamed up with MTV last November to use Auditude's platform to monetize MTV-owned clips that users upload to the social network.
Last February, meanwhile, MySpace and Warner Bros. began using the system to insert overlay ads in music videos on the site.
I have not been as impressed with the interactive media side of Comcast as I was hoping. My folks have Comcast and my Dad is an avid entrepreneur of new technology and desires to be up to date and aware. When I started explaining to him about some of the technology coming out of DISH Network he was a bit more interested in what I had to say. He knows I travel a lot and I have shows that I do not want to miss so obviously I got a DVR. Before my next trip I began investigating what I could do to enhance my DVR for my next trip. I ended up with a Logitech Revue which hooks up to my DVR allowing me to search and save from the internet using Google TV. This helps immensely in preparatory material for my upcoming travel. Of course, his reaction was nothing less than excited and wanted to know if there were other products he was missing out on. I explained to him that one of the most impressive pieces of technology out there right now is the DISH Sling Adapter which hooks up to my DVR receiver and and allows me to watch my programming and DVR events right from my iPhone after the down-loadable Dish Remote Access app. Again I advised how helpful this will be on my travels and how much I wanted to have a little bit of home along for the ride. Needless to say he's looking into changing TV providers due to the obvious step up in technology.