TMCnet News
BlackArrow Provides VOD Ad Insertion Technology for Comcast On Demand ServiceSAN MATEO, Calif., Oct 13, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- BlackArrow, a leading worldwide provider of advanced advertising solutions for new television platforms, today announced that its video-on-demand (VOD) ad insertion platform has gone live in Jacksonville, Florida with Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communication products and services. Comcast has chosen BlackArrow's Advanced Advertising System to lead its ad insertion technology for its On Demand programming. BlackArrow's Advanced Advertising System gives programmers and cable operators a real-time, multiplatform campaign management and decision system for offering more timely and relevant ads in their On Demand sessions. Traditionally, advertising campaigns in video-on-demand content have had limited effectiveness due to the static nature of the ads being encoded directly into the VOD stream. In the Jacksonville market, Comcast is inserting standard 15- and 30-second promotional spots as well as newly introduced 20-second spots designed to drive tune-in for upcoming shows and specials on PBS KIDS Sprout and FEARnet in a dynamic environment. Diana Kerekes, vice president of Video Content for Comcast, said, "The ability to update VOD advertising will help us offer feature parity with traditional linear and Internet-based advertising systems. We're pleased to be working with a technology leader like BlackArrow as we look for ways to offer our programming partners expanded opportunities to monetize their content offerings." "Comcast has led the industry in creating new opportunities to reach consumers in the on-demand marketplace, and we're excited to be working with them," said Dean Denhart, chief executive officer, BlackArrow. "By combining BlackArrow's expertise in advanced VOD advertising platforms with Comcast's VOD leadership, we hope to expand the business model significantly for on-demand advertising." About The BlackArrow Advanced Advertising System The BlackArrow Advanced Advertising System is designed to address the complexities of advertising in on-demand environments - from Internet video to intricate cable and operator infrastructures. The BlackArrow Sales Suite enables national and local ad-sales organizations at media companies and cable operators to define, manage and fulfill multiplatform, multioperator advertising campaigns. As a result, they can now reach audiences who increasingly embrace time-shifted media on their televisions, computers and mobile phones. For operators, the BlackArrow Decision Suite offers powerful ad decision logic and proven system interoperability to deploy dynamic ad insertion rapidly in VOD environments. About Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 24.1 million cable customers, 15.3 million high-speed Internet customers, and 6.8 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content. Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net). Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia. About BlackArrow, Inc. BlackArrow is a leading worldwide provider of advanced advertising technology for new television platforms. The company's multiplatform advertising system is designed specifically for video content distributed over any on-demand platform, enabling media companies and distributors to maximize advertising revenues. BlackArrow is privately held, and backed by Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO), Comcast Interactive Capital, Intel Capital (Nasdaq: INTC), Mayfield Fund and Polaris Venture Partners. The company has offices in New York City and San Mateo, Calif. http://www.blackarrow.tv BlackArrow is a trademark of BlackArrow, Inc. SOURCE BlackArrow, Inc. http://www.blackarrow.tv |