Cox Media, the advertising arm of Cox Communications, and NBC Universal recently launched a dynamic advertising trial in Cox’s Phoenix system.
The goal of the trial is to test the value of inserting different advertisements into the same on-demand programs, allowing viewers to experience relevant ads regardless of when they watch.
Cox Media and NBC Universal are working closely with a large advertiser on the trial that features dynamic ad insertion on two NBC Universal programs: NBC’s “The Office” and USA Network’s “Monk.”
Both series are available through Cox MyPrimetime, the category in Cox’s on-demand menu that provides access to popular network shows starting the day after they first air.
During the trial, up to four ads and/or promos in both programs are refreshed several times per week, including ads at the beginning of the program, as well as ads within the program (known as interior breaks).
“Cox’s extensive MyPrimetime and on-demand libraries allow viewers to watch the very best TV programs after original air dates at their convenience,” said David Porter, vice president of advertising product development at Cox Media. “The addition of dynamic ad replacement and impression reporting gives Cox MyPrimetime the richest-available feature set for supporting advertising in VOD.”
The trial in Phoenix follows up on a Cox trial earlier this year in Kansas that tested dynamic ad insertion with Cox-owned Travel Channel on-demand content.
In addition to demonstrating the value of dynamic ads in on-demand programs, Cox Media said the trial was designed to explore the division of responsibilities, operational hand-offs and processes necessary to enable successful dynamic ad insertion. SCTE standards for dynamic ad insertion were recently established, and vendors have started delivering to those standards.
The Cox/NBCU trial combines standards from both the broadcast and cable industries into a coordinated workflow. For the trial, Avail-TVN, SeaChange International and Texscan NT collaborated to support the end-to-end workflow required for dynamic ad insertion.
“The capabilities for dynamic ad insertion have been proven, and there is significant value for the entire cable and advertising ecosystem, something we expect to confirm during the current trial with NBC Universal,” Porter said. “Precise reporting metrics and the flexibility of dynamic ads make Cox MyPrimetime a powerful platform for our broadcast network partners to distribute their highest-value programming.”
Cox started trialing MyPrimetime in 2007 and went live with the service last year. Last week, Cox added five NBC networks in HD to MyPrimetime. Cox currently has MyPrimetime deployed in most of its operating systems, including: Las Vegas; San Diego, Santa Barbara and Orange County, Calif.; New England; Kansas/Arkansas; Arizona; Macon, Ga.; Roanoke and Hampton Roads, Va.; Tulsa, Okla.; Omaha, Neb.; and greater Louisiana.
