vComm allows advertisers to purchase contextually relevant video ad inventory a la Google's AdSense, while letting publishers monetize more of their video- and text-based content.

Similar services are presently being developed by DoubleClick, which was acquired by Google in April for $3.1 billion; Right Media, which was sold to Yahoo for more than $680 million that same month; and Atlas, which Microsoft got in May as part of its $6.1 billion acquisition of aQuantive. While each company offers massive ad networks -- or an ad exchange in the case of Right Media -- Broadband Enterprises claims it is the first to bow an exchange focused mainly on video advertising.

"The whole industry's obviously moving in this direction," said Matt Wasserlauf, chief executive officer, Broadband Enterprises. "But it's nice to be the first."

Wasserlauf said the company has signed on several major agencies and advertisers to test the new platform, including Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, Beyond Interactive, which represents Staples, and OMD, which represents Nissan.

The launch of vComm comes just two months after Broadband Enterprises unveiled its video ad serving platform. Dubbed Vindico, it provides advertisers and agencies with control over the deployment, assignment, and scheduling of both video and banner ads across broadband networks -- including the one operated by Broadband Enterprises -- letting advertisers self-manage campaigns down to the site and individual file level.

If all goes according to plan, the video ad exchange should account for as much 10% to 20% of Broadband Enterprises' revenue in a year, Wasserlauf said.

Broadband Enterprises is one of several startups, including Brightcove, Roo, and Revver, fighting for a slice of the burgeoning video syndication market.

blinkx, which recently went public in Britain, is another company to watch in this area. blinkx just launched its own ad AdSense-like platform -- blinkx AdHoc -- which is designed to help advertisers target ads alongside or in Web videos based on speech-recognition technology.

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