• by Philip Rosenstein , July 19, 2016

Premium video and ad serving platform, Ooyala, announced on Monday that its platform “now offers live server-side ad insertion (SSAI) for broadcasters and media companies distributing live, ad-supported video.”

In a day and age when live-streaming TV is becoming increasingly mainstream, Ooyala aims to replicate not only the live TV experience, but also the seamless transition between advertisements and TV content.

The SSAI bolsters both Ooyala Live and the firm’s ad-serving platform, Ooyala Pulse. According to Ooyala, the “SSAI technology personalizes every ad, for every user, on any device -- every time, regardless if the user is watching live or catching up in DVR mode.”

By merging programming and targeted advertisements to create a single video stream, the development minimizes buffering and latency, while preventing ad blockers from making the distinction between content and advertising.

The new integrations also allow customers (broadcasters and media firms) to “set their ad-monetized stream to auto-detect ad markers, dictating when the stream needs to cut to an ad break and back again, or manually manage the process due to unforeseen events which require more frequent ad breaks to fill air time,” Scott Braley, GM of ad tech at Ooyala, told Real-Time Daily via email.

“Building live experiences on the foundation of customizing for the individual makes an already sticky experience even stickier with the additional of super-relevant ads and highly engaging content,” Braley added.

Ooyala works with numerous clients including ESPN, Univision, Sky Sports (U.K.) and ITV (U.K.).