Channel 4 teams with Yospace for personalised and dynamic ad replacement


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Editor

| 16 October 2015





As it rounds out its new All 4 digital platform, Channel 4 is to introduce personalised ad insertion in the live stream to boost revenues and customer engagement.


Earlier this month, the UK's fourth largest broadcaster announced it was moving away from traditional linear ad feeds across its digital properties in favour of dynamically served, targeted ads. It will replace its pre-scheduled blocks of inventory, with tailored and targeted live video advertising, which will be available to buy programmatically by the end of the year. To facilitate this, Channel 4 has selected a solution by dynamic advertisement technology provider Yospace to introduce personally targeted video ads across all of its online content.

"For Channel 4's registered viewers, the All 4 experience is becoming even more personalised," explained the station's head of digital innovation and partnerships Jonathan Lewis. "We have leading audience insight capabilities and a database of more than 12 million viewers who can access a bespoke set of content and related experiences. This ethos is increasingly carried throughout our advertising, and the Yospace solution will enable us to deliver personalised ads to both individuals and specific groups seamlessly into the live stream. Our programmatic launch has also opened up a host of opportunities around what we do with our live feed generally - and we're currently exploring what place dynamic ad serving could have on the big screen."

Yospace's solution provides in-stream ad replacement with transitions to and from advertising. Insertions are performed server-side, so the viewer will see an uninterrupted stream, while being presented with ads that are customised according to unique user profiles. By ensuring seamless and transparent splicing, Yospace claims that consumers will perceive a broadcast quality service, but with advertising of such relevance that they stay with the stream.

Added Yospace CEO, Tim Sewell: "We are delighted to be working with such an esteemed broadcaster who already leads the field in providing the most personalised viewer experience ... A solution like this will only work if it's reliable and stable enough to cope with major TV audiences, as potentially millions of viewers will tune in at the same time. Another fundamental requirement is flexibility. Timings of the ad breaks in live programming are often fluid, so ad replacements have to be applied on-the-fly, in real-time, and with scale."