PALO ALTO, Calif. – September 17, 2019 –Wurl, the leading network of Internet-based video distribution and monetization, today announced that it is powering the delivery of This Old House to Samsung TV Plus. This Old House, the number one multi-platform home enthusiast brand, services more than 15 million consumers each month with its trusted information and expert advice through award-winning programming such as This Old House and Ask This Old House.
This Old House is the leading – and original – resource for DIY, home improvement and renovation on TV. As they expanded into over-the-top (OTT), Samsung TV Plus was one of the early platforms they worked with to launch their OTT channels, partnering with Wurl to set up virtual linear playout, hosting and ad insertion.
“Recently, working together with Wurl on the challenges inherent in OTT monetization and distribution structures has been a true collaboration. They are one of a few platforms at the front of OTT democratization—developing and implementing tech in response to rapidly evolving audience and ad insertion requirements. We’re fortunate to work with a partner like Wurl that is willing to get on the phone, roll up their sleeves and lend expertise to get the job done right in this, often challenging, world of OTT,” said Gunnar Waldman, General Manager, Digital Video, This Old House Ventures. “Wurl has been especially helpful sorting ad-tech and monetization issues, offering their ops and dev teams to collaborate on podding, waterfall, and fill challenges—even with third-party partners. Of course, each content provider necessarily encounters unique challenges, which makes bespoke help all the more appreciated.”
This Old House is one of many video services that saw an opportunity to reach more viewers via OTT. In fact, the Wurl Network has expanded tremendously in Q2 2019, distributing 20 new channels and securing increased viewing time per user to more than 4.5 hours per month, a 20% increase from the same quarter in 2018. Additionally, through the Wurl Network, customers have increased ad impressions by 150% in Q2 ’19 alone, making the expansion into OTT even more enticing to video services like This Old House.
“Growth in the OTT market, particularly via Connected TVs, continues to ramp up at a tremendous pace ,” said Sean Doherty, CEO of Wurl. “This Old House, with its powerful customer base, wanted to reach as many viewers as they could, and by selecting Samsung TV Plus as their initial platform, they succeeded. We’re thrilled to collaborate with them to help power their distribution and monetization in this ever-evolving environment.”
About Wurl
Wurl operates the market-leading Wurl Network — interconnecting the world’s top video producers, video services and advertisers. Wurl makes it effortless for video producers to build global distribution for ad-supported linear channels, live events, VOD and marathons. Wurl is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. For more information, please visit wurl.com, Twitter and LinkedIn.
