• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, April 5, 2006

AOL's Avertising.com has launched a video advertising network, the company announced Tuesday. The move is surprising because it comes at a time when video inventory is perceived as highly valuable, and many leading publishers report that demand far outpaces supply.

At launch, the network consists of 30 publishers--most of whom are not sold-out--and less than 20 advertisers--all of whom say they need help placing their video advertising, according to Molly Spilman, chief marketing officer, Advertising.com.

"We did a lot of research, and were able to find inventory on the publisher side," said Spilman. "And for advertisers, to go out and buy in the space with different technologies and different specs takes a lot of time and know-how."

Spilman acknowledged that some premium sites like MSN and Yahoo were not on its publisher list, but said that at least 20 other sites in the network are established household names.

For advertisers, the network will aggregate pre-roll inventory from video-enabled sites; for video-enabled publishers, the network offers a streamlined process for filling their video inventory.

Through its relationship with comScore Media Metrix, Advertising.com is providing research and view-based reporting for clients' video campaigns. This affords analytical information on the reach and frequency of their pre-roll placements, the demographics of those exposed to their campaigns, the Web sites those consumers frequent, and the brand impact of campaigns.