Maven Networks isn’t exactly recreating online video advertising, but the Internet TV Advertising Platform it launched last week offers a number of innovations that will open some new doors for the publishers who use it.
The five-year-old company, which launched a media player in March, started focusing on video advertising, “so our customers could monetize video on their own sites,” said Maven’s VP of marketing Kristen Fergason.
The new platform offers three features that will help publishers and advertisers run effective video campaigns–a variety of new ad formats; an insertion engine that will enable ads to be placed in the best position in the videos; and a series of inventory management and prediction tools.
The new formats include versions of overlays, videos and sponsored skins that aren’t unique to Maven but offer some novel features, such as an interactive fulfillment panel that plays at the end of a video that enables the user to play an additional video or request information, such as the address of a local dealer or a brochure that will be sent by e-mail. After users go to a video ad from an overlay, they can be offered additional videos, which appear in a separate box on the right side of the media player.
The new insertion engine is based on a variety of metrics that enable publishers to play ads at different times while the video plays. Everything from the user session time to the video clip length to the average view time and the popularity of the video clip are factored in to provide a “cue point insertion,” which is the best time to insert an ad while the video plays.
The cue point insertion tool is part of the inventory management system that will govern the frequency and type of ads that are played with the videos.
The ability to play an ad at different times during the video creates a wealth of new inventory, as much as three times more, Fergason said. “When the user is playing a video, 15 seconds in you have an opportunity to play an ad, it’s a second ad in a stream. Those placements didn’t exist before, so it offers a new opportunity with a higher CPM.”
Maven has been testing the new ad platform with publishers in closed trials. This week, it will test it with consumers who will be asked to comment on the new ad formats. The results of the tests will be published in November, Fergason said.
The company has also created a forum of publishers, agencies and tech providers who will collaborate on developing the platform. The publishers are Financial Times, TV Guide, Fox News, Scripps and 4 Kids Entertainment; the agencies are Ogilvy and Digitas; the tech providers are DoubleClick and Atlas.
The goal of the platform is to help Maven’s publishing partners upgrade their video advertising. “We want the publishers to use the new forms of advertising,” Fergason said. “The industry is so stagnant. We want to help people kick it into gear. There hasn’t been much innovation during the last five years, but we hope to increase video advertising inventory and revenue.”
Nominees Unveiled For Cinema Audio Society’s 61st Annual Awards
The Cinema Audio Society has unveiled its nominees in seven categories for the 61st Annual CAS Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing 2024.
The 61st CAS Awards will be held on Saturday, February 22, at the Beverly Hilton.
Nominated in the live action motion picture category were the audio teams behind A Complete Unknown, Deadpool & Wolverine, Dune: Part Two, Gladiator II and Wicked.
Animated motion picture nominees were the sound ensembles behind Inside Out 2, Moana 2, Mufasa: The Lion King, The Wild Robot and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.
As previously announced, multi-award-winning sound mixer Tod A. Maitland CAS (A Complete Unknown, West Side Story, Joker), will be honored with the CAS Career Achievement Award. In addition, visionary filmmaker Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part Two, Blade Runner 2049, Arrival) will receive the Cinema Audio Society’s Filmmaker Award.
The CAS Award nominees highlight the outstanding contributions of sound mixers, recognizing excellence in the specialized craft of sound mixing for both film and television. Each year, accomplished CAS members—who possess extensive expertise in the art and science of sound—carefully review hundreds of projects to ensure the nominees truly reflect excellence in sound mixing in Motion Picture and Television entertainment.
“2024 was a year of remarkable achievements in the sound community, with exceptional talent on display across every category,” said CAS president Peter Kurland. “The innovation and artistry of these sound mixers continue to elevate the craft, and the upcoming awards will be a celebration of the outstanding contributions made this year. Congratulations to... Read More