Overview
In the ever-evolving world of media and entertainment, broadcasters are faced with the challenge of maximizing yields from their valuable content when using real-time video streaming (<½ second latency). While client-side ad insertion (CSAI) has been supported in real-time, server-side ad insertion (SSAI), where the ad is inserted or "stitched" directly into the WebRTC stream, was previously not available with WebRTC.
Phenix’s advancements in real-time ad stitching technology are revolutionizing the way broadcasters generate revenue by introducing real-time server-side ad insertion for real-time sports streaming. SpringServe is our first Ad Server partner, and utilizing their service offers a robust technical solution that provides high-quality data with accurate ad delivery and reporting to help maximize performance and yields.
Ad Decisioning in Real-Time
Phenix's patented advancement with real-time server-side ad insertion pairs real-time ad decision and ad stitching with WebRTC’s real-time video streaming, empowering producers to seamlessly integrate server-side advertising with live video, enabling publishers to use an ad monetization revenue model. Through our collaboration, SpringServe clients now have access to Phenix state-of-the-art real-time video delivery using WebRTC at scale.
SpringServe was purpose-built for video & OTT, capable of making ad decisions in real-time, making them an ideal partner for Phenix. Moreover, SpringServe provides comprehensive reporting and optimization tools that allow its customers to make well-informed decisions.
"Technology that supports the real-time needs of environments such as live streaming is crucial to enable media owners to deliver seamless user experiences that maximize their yields. The continued growth of live streaming poses a range of challenges for advertising, particularly when it comes to determining the right ad and serving it seamlessly when required. SpringServe and Phenix have partnered to solve this by offering a turnkey setup that combines real-time ad decisioning with real-time server-side ad insertion (SSAI) for our clients."
- Josh Cohen. VP Technical Operations at Magnite.
With these exciting developments, broadcasters can unlock the untapped potential of reaching younger audiences who crave more engagement and fewer spoilers, opening up a world of endless possibilities and lucrative opportunities.
VAST-Based Ad Decisions in Real-Time
Phenix’s platform supports the industry-standard Video Ad Serving Template (VAST) protocol to get personalized ad content decisions and ad reporting information. The Phenix platform delivers the ad seamlessly to the viewer and securely sends individual ad viewing reports back to the ad platform.
Phenix customers can now stream live events in real-time, with less than a ½ second of latency, without sacrificing scale or monetization strategies, backed by high-quality data for more accurate ad delivery and reporting.
Real-time video streaming offers broadcasters and content owners the advantage of creating highly engaged audiences. By employing Phenix Real-Time SSAI, they can ensure high-performing demand from a captivated viewership, ultimately maximizing their ad yield.
Due to their commitment to innovation and exceptional customer service, SpringServe was chosen as the ad decisioning partner to introduce real-time server-side ad insertion (SSAI).
Bill Wishon, CPO of Phenix, said, "SpringServe’s ad decisioning is capable of fast and scalable ad decisions, making them an ideal partner for Phenix’s real-time ad insertion system."
How it Works
Phenix manages the complete SSAI workflow, including contribution encoding, ingest, content delivery, edge transformation/transcoding, and egress to all endpoints. With a proven ability to deliver video at scale to 500,000+ concurrent viewers while maintaining less than a half-second end-to-end latency, Phenix brings a competitive advantage to its clients by both monetizing and protecting content in real time.
Publishers insert ad markers into their real-time streams and publish their streams to Phenix. The Phenix platform detects these ad markers, makes an ad decision request, and seamlessly inserts or "stitches" the ad content into the real-time stream using our patented process (patent 11,838,580 B2 and others). During the ad viewing process, Phenix provides real-time viewing data to ad partners for reporting and analytics.
In Conclusion
The continued growth of online video and live streaming is creating huge opportunities for broadcasters. To effectively monetize their content with real-time video streaming, they need the capability to support and make the most of those opportunities - from monetization, technical implementation, and ad decisions to the reporting that fuels yield optimization. This latest technological advancement from Phenix offers an improved method for broadcasters to generate revenue from their real-time video streaming.
These exciting developments, made possible through the Phenix-SpringServe partnership, will create a world of new possibilities and highly profitable and highly engaging streaming services.
The time has come for broadcasters to embrace this new era of real-time video streaming monetization and propel their businesses to unprecedented heights of success.