Yospace and Seven agree dynamic ad insertion deal for live OTT channels

Yospace and Seven extend their partnership to a long-term agreement for Dynamic Ad Insertion into live OTT channels to accelerate Addressable TV at Scale

SYDNEY, Australia, STAINES-UPON-THAMES, UK — Yospace and Seven extend their innovative partnership into a long-term agreement for enabling Dynamic Ad Insertion into live OTT channels at scale.

Yospace’s platform, the world’s foremost server-side DAI technology, allows Seven, the leading commercial broadcaster in Australia, to open up online ad breaks in live OTT streams in a way that is as seamless to the viewer as on broadcast television, with true one-to-one addressability at scale.

The system was used by Seven for the 2017 Australian Open (part of the Summer of 7Tennis season), during which ad breaks were editorially triggered. There has since been a full integration between Yospace’s platform and the Imagine D Series automation system that drives the broadcaster’s linear TV channels, meaning that DAI can be applied 24/7.

This latest iteration of DAI was launched last year for the Rugby League World Cup in October, for which online streaming and resulting advertising opportunities were much higher than expected. In further evidence of the proliferation of live streaming audiences, total minutes viewed during this year’s Australian Open, for which DAI was applied across sixteen simultaneous online channels, were double Seven’s expectations.

According to OzTAM, Australia’s official source of television audience measurement, 7Tennis occupied all top ten Video Player Measurement positions during the tournament. Similar ratings are expected as Seven looks ahead to major sporting events that includes this month’s Winter Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games, which are to be held on Australia’s Gold Coast in April.

Clive Dickens, Chief Digital Officer at Seven West Media, said: “We’re seeing emotionally-invested viewers with a high propensity to stream. Average user sessions on web during the Australian Open were over 30mins.”

The automation integration also allows Yospace to automatically create VOD assets, making them available to Seven’s viewers for catch-up within minutes of a live programme’s end. Ad markers in the VOD assets are retained from the live stream, allowing new advertising to be delivered whenever the catch-up content is viewed.

David Springall, Chief Technical Officer and Founder at Yospace, said: “Working together with Seven on major events such as the Australian Open and Rugby League World Cup has allowed us to set new standards for addressable advertising over OTT. We’re delighted to be extending our partnership and enabling dynamic ad insertion across their channels 24/7.”

Yospace and Seven are presenting together at the Future TV Advertising Forum in Sydney on 22nd February.