• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, January 24, 2007

Broadband Enterprises is preparing to officially launch its own ad serving platform, which will directly compete with services offered by DoubleClick and aQuantive's ad technology unit Atlas.

The platform, named Vindico, provides advertisers and their 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 their campaigns down to the site and individual file level.

"Our goal is to create a virtual video marketplace, which can be managed without human contact," explained Bryon Evje, chief operating officer of Broadband Enterprises--one of several start-ups, including Brightcove, Roo, and Revver, fighting for a slice of the burgeoning video syndication market. "The idea came directly from clients, like third-party affiliates, who expressed interest in a self-sufficient video service."

Evje added that 12 advertisers quietly began testing Vindico last year; two of them are now paying for the service. He also said several licensing deals with major television and newspaper publishers are in the works, but declined to name names at this time.

The company is tracking all campaigns, using its in-stream ad-tracking system to record key metrics like impressions, reach, user interaction, and time spent. This tracking data is collected in real-time and formatted for immediate review in Broadband Enterprises' online reporting interface.

Late last year, DoubleClick and Atlas released competing video-ad systems. Dart Motif for In-Stream, DoubleClick's service, is intended for publishers, and complements the company's existing video ad division, Klipmart, which is aimed at agencies and advertisers. (DoubleClick acquired video services company Klipmart last June.) Atlas's video ad-serving technology, meanwhile, is aimed at both publishers and advertisers.