BlackArrow said it has morphed its dynamic ad insertion (DAI) to support Nielsen’s On Demand Commercial Ratings (ODCR), a method of viewership measurement that Comcast is testing to enable advertisers to dynamically splice in fresh spots into recently aired TV shows as well as other prior episodes in the current TV season.
One aim of ODCR is to enable the measurement of binge-viewing of current seasons of shows while still giving advertisers the opportunity to insert fresh spots into the ad load. As BlackArrow points out, most existing national ad deals include up to three days of viewing contribution (known as C3), but that this new approach will allow for current commercial loads to be inserted into older episodes of the same program on-demand, extending the opportunity to monetize older content.
Comcast has conducted or is conducting small ODCR technical trials with NBCUniversal, ABC, and CBS.
BlackArrow said its advanced ad software, currently used for DAI on set-top boxes, now reaches 30 million homes. Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Rogers Communications are among its announced customers.
“VOD has quickly become a key platform for TV audiences – especially for the viewing of primetime TV shows,” BlackArrow’s Dean McCormick said, in a statement. “BlackArrow’s support of Nielsen’s On Demand Commercial Ratings provides our customers another valuable solution in their efforts to build a sustainable on-demand TV business model for themselves and their affiliates.”
“At a time when consumers expect content to be available on multiple screens whenever they want it, Nielsen is developing solutions to help our clients further monetize their content and maximize the value of their business models,” added Brian Fuhrer, SVP, Nielsen. “BlackArrow works closely with many of our clients to extend the value of their content.”
