Juniper Networks has rolled out a broadband services router that can collect and aggregate viewing data and also serve targeted ads to individual Internet-delivered TV (IPTV) subscribers--touting the
new E120 BSR as a boon for both advertisers and service providers alike.
With U.S. IPTV service providers struggling as a result of both a lack of user adoption and limited
advertiser investment, Juniper's router will take aim at the latter by determining what IPTV channels (and consequently, advertisements) subscribers are watching on a second-by-second basis--giving
service providers real-time viewing statistics that they can relay to advertisers.
(Analysts at Infonetics Research have forecast worldwide IPTV service revenues of $35.7 billion by 2010. While
advertising will undoubtedly account for a significant proportion of that cash flow, U.S. service providers haven't yet succeeded in making IPTV as profitable as their European and Asian
counterparts.)
"With the E120, providers are able to give media agencies and programmers viewing data with a level of detail that even Nielsen can't provide," said Gary Southwell, Juniper's
director of multiplay solutions. "It's no longer a sample of subscriber activity, it's a per channel, per time slot, per ad slot view of actual IPTV usage."
In addition, the router can also serve
ads based on specific geo- and demographic patterns, allowing marketers to place IPTV ads more effectively. "Service providers can target ads down to a specific number of subscribers in a neighborhood
or on a street," said Southwell. "It makes TV advertising feasible--both for major brands, and local businesses with limited budgets."
In addition to IPTV, the multi-play router can support
broadband Internet, gaming, and teleconferencing services. Juniper has partnered with four companies--HP, SeaChange, PacketVision and NebuAd--to incorporate advertiser-friendly technology into the
E120.
By working with HP for data aggregation and reporting, SeaChange and PacketVision for IPTV and VOD ad-insertion, and NebuAd for browser-based contextual ads, the company believes it has
created an ecosystem that can support an influx of marketing dollars.