• by David Kaplan , September 21, 2004

ABC Television has contracted with ad-tracking tech company Teletrax to electronically track the U.S. airings of the network's TV show promotions.

ABC will use Teletrax's video-watermarking technology to detect and monitor usage of its on-air promotions by ABC broadcasters in the top 100 U.S. markets, a Teletrax spokesman said.

Specifically, Teletrax will monitor television promotions for ABC such series as "Alias," "NYPD Blue," and "The Bachelor." The network produces thousands of promotions every year that are featured in news, daytime, primetime, late night, and sports slots, which will now be tracked by Teletrax. By tracking and analyzing the airings of these promotions, ABC hopes to be able to better target the advertising for its programming, an ABC spokeswoman said.

Other Teletrax clients who have also signed long-term contracts with the video watermarking company to monitor similar content include Tribune Entertainment, Universal Domestic Television, Reuters Television, and the NBC News Channel

Teletrax's technology embeds a digital watermark into video whenever it is edited, broadcast, or duplicated. A global network of decoders, or "detectors," then captures all occurrences of the embedded video being broadcast via satellite or cable and generates tracking reports. The service was launched roughly two years ago.