InBroadcast - June 2023 - 50

50
www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 13 - Issue 6 | June 2023
InMedia
Ad insertion gets more dynamic
with automation, AI and SSAI cont'd...
view, the lines are blurring.
Linear is shifting to smart
TV, so the differences are
becoming very vague. There
is
really no distinction
between OTT and linear TV
as far as the viewers are
concerned. From the DAI
side as well, the products
that were used for OTT and
linear used to be slightly
different. But with linear
coming on to smart TVs now,
there is not much difference
when it comes to DAI any
more. "
Dynamic product placement into a scene using Armagi technology
of course. It's a bit more complex
- the ad decision-making
process
is not distributed and the position
of the ads has to be linked into
the manifest manipulation, which
is slightly
different
to client-side,
although that processing resource
can be scaled up or down if it's
cloud-based, - but it seems to be
the way the market is moving as it
becomes a more important part of
the revenue stream in streaming
advertising. The benefits outweigh
the disadvantages. "
Ahmed
Personalised
Swidan, Director of
solutions
TV
Ateme, agrees
that many
for
of the
developments in DAI over the past
few years have primarily
involved
SSAI. " Vendors have been focusing
on building their own SSAI solutions
that scale well with traffic spikes
while accommodating as many
features as possible, " he says.
When it comes to FAST, Swidan sees
channels
running on this
might
model
requiring specific DAI features: " For
example, ad breaks
have
to split between two different ad
servers, as this could be a business
requirement between the content
owner and the FAST platform.
" The monetisation of FAST channels
also calls for complementing the
Srinivasan KA,
Amagi
targeting parameters with the context
of the content to increase the value of
the inventory. "
The swing away from client-side
to server-side is also being seen
at Amagi, where Co-founder and
Chief
Revenue Officer
Srinivasan
KA observes that SSAI is now being
taken more seriously. " This is mainly
because people have seen there
is value in it, especially as more
smart TVs are being manufactured
and sold, " he says. " There is now
more adoption of SSAI and it
getting the prime time it deserves.
The challenges in broadcast and
streaming advertising,
in
and
Rob Gambino, Head of Advertising
Personalisation
Strategy
Harmonic, feels there " definitely are
still
differences " between the two
formats but that these will " work
themselves out " as both markets
mature. " Linear
still
sells most
TV, for example,
of
its
of OTT, " he
inventory
directly and in most instances lacks
a lot of the frequency control and
targeting capabilities
says. " Conversely, OTT has embraced
programmatic
from the start but
is
terms of
how those streams are [working
with] ad markers and how the ads
are being fetched, are becoming
prominent. In terms of distribution
we have to look at how SSAI connects
with other systems along the chain
so it can provide its value. Another
challenge is monetisation, because
people may want more features, such
as L-band advertising [short duration
ads along one side of the screen],
interactivity or internet connectivity. "
While linear TV has been moving
more towards the streaming model
by offering non-linear, on-demand
platforms
alongside established
channels, there has been the recent
and slightly ironic shift of some OTT
services towards a more traditional
scheduled format in the form of FAST
channels. Despite this, KA comments
that it is linear TV that still has to
make the transition when it comes to
FAST: " How do you reimagine linear
channels with personalised, internetconnected
features and grow both
the audience and the engagement
with them? From the viewer point of
CPMs [cost per mille or thousands]
often suffer from a lack of investment
from high-value brands and some
implementations
aren't
advantage of the real reason to do
programmatic - deep targeting with
strong frequency controls - which
give the user the best experience
and the advertiser the best return on
investment. "
Programmatic
advertising is
a
relatively new method of buying
and selling advertisements based
on automation and
algorithmic
tools. Gambino explains that linear
TV
companies
through
are beginning to
catch up with OTT and connected
TV
its
use.
" They're
starting by replicating directly sold
inventory
while slowly adding in
programmatic, " he says. " The pure
OTT streamers
are doing more
interesting things, such as targeting
on a per-user basis against both
geographic and demographic data.
This presents technical challenges,
as you have to deliver a unique
manifest per user. "
Like other manufacturers in
the
DAI, Harmonic has been developing
new technologies to integrate into
existing products. One of these is
dynamic brand insertion (also known
at
as virtual product placement), which
is available
in
the VOS Ad SSAI
platform. " Using AI, we identify areas
in content where branding can be
inserted and targeted against viewer
demographics, which creates new ad
inventory for high value advertisers, "
Gambino explains. " We've
developed a number of technology
partnerships
to make targeting
easier and to expand ad inventory
for broadcasters. AI/ML technology
has really exploded recently, making
it much easier to categorise content
and consumers' viewing habits. "
Another potential
highlighted by
is
to work
Tony
out
use for AI
Jones
MediaKind, who says it could be
deployed
at
where to
place ads in FAST streams. " The
FAST channels are leading the way
into a cloud-based, high-level
follow
too, " he says. " Ultimately,
same kind
of
it's the
infrastructure that
goes in place. But what does seem
different for the FAST channels is,
because they're probably having to
deal with less well supported content
in terms of metadata, there might
be more a case for trying to figure
out where to put advertising within
programmes. There's an argument
this might be a good use of AI to
detect
reasonable places
taking full
of
automation [scenario] that probably
the broadcast channels will
to put
advert breaks without slicing into
the middle of a scene, which could
happen if there isn't the necessary
metadata and the system operates
purely on time. "
For DAI in general, with companies
seeing
such as
MediaKind
advertising-based services becoming
increasingly popular, the challenge is
to implement more automation and
metadata on the technical side while
also having the management policies
to ensure the right ads reach the
right regions or individuals without
repetition in the scheduling. Which
may mean more new technologies
with more initials in a niche sector
that looks set to only become more
crucial to the business of broadcast
and streaming in the future.
Rob Gambino,
Harmonic
http://www.inbroadcast.com
InBroadcast - June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of InBroadcast - June 2023
