• by Fern Siegel , June 25, 2018

AMC Networks is kicking up its advertising efforts.

Those viewers watching AMC Networks  — AMC, IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv, IFC and BBC America — via OTT apps on Roku or Apple TV will now see interactive tune-in ads.

That’s due to an alliance between AMC Networks and advanced TV Brightline. The debut effort will be promos for AMC’s new series “Dietland.” 

Viewers seeing the spots can watch a show trailer and interact with characters, via an in-stream overlay. Marketers can sponsor these ad formats to increase audience engagement. They can also access digital-style metrics for TV via real-time dashboards and weekly reports, 

Robert Aksman, BrightLine’s cofounder-Chief Experience Officer, stated the partnership moves “beyond just enhancing commercial spots and allows AMC’s premier advertisers to blend content with brand messaging…”  He said it would “raise the bar” on the TV experience.

Aksman told MediaVillage: “Advertisers are getting the best of two different worlds with the AMC Networks launch of BrightLine's OTT platform, InCast.”  

Kirk Linden, SVP, advanced platforms ad sales, operations at AMC Networks, added the partnership lets the cabler “deliver immersive, first-to-market advanced TV products for our clients that fully leverage the capabilities of our living-room apps.”

Earlier this month, Brightline introduced DataCast, a platform billed as a unified OTT data platform, allowing advertisers to target and measure results cross-platform.

BrightLine said DataCast was built specifically for connected TV environments. Announced partners include AMC, A&E, CBS, Discovery, ESPN, Fox, Hulu, MTV and VH1.