This week’s news about a technology licensing agreement between cable advertising consortium Canoe and BlackArrow suggests some fresh deployments of dynamic ad insertion into cable network VOD programs are close to unfolding.
As we’ve reported, so far the Comcast-Sony-Lionsgate network FearNet is the only cable network that’s “out there” with live, dynamic ad insertion into viewer-requested VOD streams. But Canoe now publicly says NBCU is already testing the DAI waters, and other programmers are in the wings. They’ll be working a footprint that for now covers about 28 million U.S. homes reached by DAI-enabled delivery networks from Comcast and Time Warner Cable. It includes 26 of the top 30 TV markets.
“Programmer usage of dynamic ad insertion (DAI) began at the end of the last year with Canoe rolling out services to FearNET, as well as trials with a number of NBCU properties. Full-scale programmer onboarding led by Canoe is currently under way with additional programmer announcements forthcoming in the near future,” Canoe announced.
That means we’re getting close to a multi-network DAI/VOD world, with Canoe helping various networks assemble the piece-parts needed to make the medium happen. They involve measurement accreditation, campaign management intelligence, marking and allocation of VOD ad positions and some hand-holding for advertising agencies that are brand new to the terrain.
The Canoe-BlackArrow deal relates to one piece of the puzzle, which is the way advertisers manage their VOD campaigns. Shifting creative in and out and scheduling ad availabilities are two big components. The licensing deal specifically involves BlackArrow’s Affiliate…
