BAYSIDE, CALIFORNIA, August 21, 2012 – Broadcasters and audio publishers can now experience a true streaming media return on investment through the collective strengths of StreamGuys’ cloud-based streaming services and AdsWizz’s digital advertising solutions. The new StreamGuys and AdsWizz partnership offers one of the first mobile-friendly, multi-platform streaming solutions with targeted, rich media advertising capabilities. The two companies have already won a contract with a major sports broadcaster. The new customer is successfully using AdsWizz’s Pre-Roll Ad Insertion technology to deliver targeted advertisements to consumers who download the broadcaster’s audio podcasts, reaching more online media players and mobile devices than before via StreamGuys’ one-to-many streaming architecture.
In addition to pre-roll podcast capabilities, the two companies will provide joint customers with a portfolio offering several ad-supported monetization tools, including audio and video mid-roll ad insertion technology as well as companion display ad banners. These rich media advertisements can target specific subsets of users based on their gender, demographic and active location based data.
AdsWizz’s Digital Advertising Monetization Platform enables CDNs, Ad Networks and Online Audio Publishers to unleash the power of one-to-one marketing by allowing them to insert ads directly into each end-user’s on-demand or live stream and ensure the ad specifically speaks to the individual’s interests. In addition AdsWizz also provides real-time audience measurement and analytics tools to evaluate audience response. Customers using these tools can later confirm with their advertisers that streams were monetized through targeted advertisements.
StreamGuys’ one-to-many architecture ensures that broadcasters and publishers can deliver content, including advertisements in multiple formats to reach many targets. StreamGuys also eliminates transcoding steps often used for multi-format streaming that degrade audio and video quality.
Jason Osburn, executive vice president at StreamGuys, notes that the StreamGuys/AdsWizz partnership allows the company to offer a solution that simplifies monetization of live and on-demand rich media delivery — and deliver those ad-injected streams to virtually every popular end user device for consumption. The StreamGuys/AdsWizz solution currently supports Flash and Icecast streaming for MP3 and HE-AAC audio formats; as well as Flash and iOS for video.
“Most broadcasters are now seeking compatibility with iOS devices, including the iPhone and iPad, as well as other mobile platforms to expand their audience reach,” said Osburn. “Our relationship with AdsWizz allows us to provide a full-service shop to support broadcasters who depend on ad placement for revenue generation.”
StreamGuys manages the overall solution from their facility, including the AdsWizz server software that lives on StreamGuys’ adaptive bit-rate streaming architecture in the cloud. The company also provides rich data on hits, visitors, user agents, geographic regions and other analytics to help customers strategize future growth.
“Until now broadcasters, audio publishers and advertisers were constantly in search of ways to turn podcasts into revenue-generating advertising mediums,” said Alexis van de Wyer, president at AdsWizz. “Their search officially stops today with AdsWizz’s breakthrough in enabling broadcasters to insert targeted ads into podcasts. As we continue our partnership with StreamGuys, joint customers will be able to further grow their revenue through several other innovative ad-supported monetization tools, leveraging both on-demand and live streaming media.”