PUBLISH CATEGORY BaM™ Award Nominee – Edgeware enables server-side dynamic ad insertion for Android devices
Edgeware, the pioneer of TV CDN technology, has introduced Ad Enabler – a brand new product that segments the content stream in an extremely accurate manner to make sure the ad comes on exactly when it is supposed to.
Ad Enabler provides frame-accurate segmentation that prevents fractions of old ads being shown or parts of content to be lost, both causing glitches to the end-viewer. Edgeware’s Ad Enabler is one of the first to support live OTT ad insertion on the MPEG-DASH standard, which is the native format for Android devices.
[bctt tweet=”Edgeware’s Ad Enabler is one of the first to support live OTT ad insertion on the MPEG-DASH standard, which is the native format for Android devices – BaM™Award Nominee: Edgeware”]
The advertising problem
Adverts play a crucial financial role when it comes to the business models of media companies. However, if the delivery of ads is fractured, they can disrupt the user experience and result in viewers tuning out. In 2017, the broadcasters of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale were in hot water when the violent dystopian drama was interrupted mid-sentence with adverts.
Content providers like SBS in Australia had viewers reporting ads popping up mid-sentence. This created a Twitter storm because the adverts were killing tension and ruining the viewing experience.
Problems with buffering and the misplacement of ads drastically lowers the quality of experience broadcasters have carefully worked hard to put in place. PageFair’s 2017 report The state of the blocked web reported that there were over 600 million devices running adblock software globally in December 2016, with 94% of global mobile adblock usage in Asia-Pacfic. Content providers need the revenue from adverts to support their productions. And with the rising costs of producing high quality content in new formats like 4K, ads shouldn’t be the final straw pushing audiences towards piracy.
Why Android?
The Google-developed OS currently represents a 63.2% market share for smartphones in the US and 64% in Great Britain, according to recent figures from Kantar WorldPanel. As there is such a large proportion of the market that uses Android and requires advertising content with frame-accurate segmentation in MPEG-DASH format. Edgeware’s new Ad Enabler allows its customers to offer personalised ads with a glitch-free viewing experience to Android users. This delivery capability represents a significant new revenue opportunity.
[bctt tweet=” Edgeware’s new Ad Enabler allows its customers to offer personalised ads with a glitch-free viewing experience to Android users. This delivery capability represents a significant new revenue opportunity – BaM™Award Nominee: Edgeware”]
The Ad Enabler uses a proven integration with leading ad-stitching technology vendor, Yospace, for server-side dynamic ad insertion (SSAI). The insertion of ads server-side results in a seamless, TV-like user experience and vastly reduces the threat to advertising caused by ad blocking applications. It gives advertisers the confidence that their adverts will be seen by users – which is what they are paying for. The Ad Enabler also supports client-side ad insertion (CSAI).
This integration is significant as it allows broadcasters and customers to monetise live simulcasts natively across the widest range of connected devices. It simplifies broadcasters’ multiscreen workflows and reduces the amount of development time needed to support player updates across multiple platforms by natively supported DASH.
