SeaChange’s ‘Product Showcase’ VOD Technology to Tailor Ads to Individual Viewers
Reprinted from a SeaChange press release:
MAYNARD, Mass. (April 26, 2002) - Cable television operators gained another strategic benefit from their video-on-demand (VOD) rollouts - long-form advertising from SeaChange International, Inc. SeaChange’s Product Showcase enables advertisers to enhance relationships with consumers through cable’s VOD advantages. For example, viewers can learn how to select a diamond ring, construct a patio or evaluate a car through the power of sponsored VOD content.
Product Showcase is a cost-free capability of the SeaChange VOD Systems deployed by Adelphia Communications, Cablevision, Comcast Communications, Cox’ Hospitality Network, Rogers Cable, Time Warner Cable and others. Product Showcase allows cable advertisers to launch tiers of on-demand content, such as ‘do-it-yourself’ home repair videos, real estate showcases, healthcare education, cooking ideas, and automotive “test-drives.” Cable operators will offer innovative strategies to local and national advertisers that tie into spot ad branding of hardware retailers, real estate firms, healthcare companies, grocery retailers and auto dealers, respectively. The possibilities of VOD advertising open a new era in which cable viewers can gain more selective product information with the advantages of full-motion video, and cable companies can extend the virtues of their VOD systems.
From cable headend to subscriber settop box, Product Showcase leverages existing VOD software and hardware infrastructure and blends seamlessly with cable advertising traffic & billing operations. Product Showcase is provided to SeaChange’s VOD customers at no additional cost and establishes a path for even more advanced advertising applications to emerge. Ultimately, with VOD, advertising becomes more relevant and helpful for millions of cable subscribers.
On-demand content opportunities are emerging behind new applications and commitments from television networks and studios to proliferate VOD content. The assurance of advertising revenues gives further momentum and SeaChange’s VOD System positions cable for its ‘everything-on-demand’ future. The VOD System’s automation software and MediaCluster video server architecture scales VOD deployments in the most cost-efficient manner, so cable can meet demands for thousands of subscriber streams and thousands of hours of content.
Product Showcase is deployed on SeaChange’s existing movies-on-demand client application - one vendor, no additional software or middleware, no additional deployment costs, and cable begins selling VOD shelf space to advertisers - just like virtual channels. SeaChange’s unparalleled cable advertising heritage merges operational efficiencies with VOD since cable operators can encode advertising material from tape to MPEG format with existing SeaChange Spot ad insertion systems.
SeaChange will demonstrate Product Showcase, its recently announced PVR capability and other applications of the SeaChange VOD System at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association ‘Cable 2002′ conference in New Orleans, May 5-8.
Six of the eight largest cable operators in North America have selected SeaChange VOD systems for over 34 cities, with the two largest cable systems in the U.S., including Cablevision’s New York tri-state operation. Today, these deployments include thousands of video servers capable of delivering 230,000 streams. Over 12 million residential subscribers and thousands more in hotels across North America will have access to VOD from SeaChange by this summer.