/ 11.17.2009 12:00AM
Cox and NBCU Trial Dynamic Ad Insertion
ATLANTA and NEW YORK: NBC Universal and Cox
Media said they’ve launched a dynamic advertising trial. The project intends to
test the result of inserting different advertisements into the same on-demand
programs. As many as four ads or promos in both programs are refreshed several
times a week, including those at the start and those during the shows.
Cox and NBCU said they’re working “closely with a large advertiser” and
inserting various ads into NBC’s “The Office” and “Monk” on USA Network. Both
programs are available on Cox cable systems’ On Demand menu, which provides
repeat access to popular shows the day after they air.
The trail is taking place in the Phoenix, Ariz., market, one of Cox’s largest.
An earlier technical trail was conducted in Kansas and tested on Cox’s own
on-demand Travel Channel content.
Gauging audience response is just one aspect of the trial. The companies said
they are also working out the “division of responsibilities, operational
hand-offs and processes necessary to enable successful dynamic ad insertion.”
The Cox/NBCU project combines standards from the cable and the broadcast
industries into a single workflow. The technology standards for dynamic ad
insertion were recently established by the Society of Cable Telecommunications
Engineers, so the necessary equipment is just coming online. Participating
vendors include Avail-TVN, SeaChange International and Texscan NT.