Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Ad Insertion Platform (AIP), a leading innovator in advanced ad insertion technologies, to deliver the first live deployment of AIP’s AdBlendr Server-Guided Ad Insertion (SGAI) solution paired with Bitmovin’s Player.
Alongside Bitmovin and AIP, technology partners Red Bee Media, Dotscreen and RMB were also integral in the collaborative deployment, which resulted in Belgian public broadcaster RTBF migrating its ad monetization workflows from legacy CSAI and SSAI to a standards-based SGAI workflow built on HLS Interstitials.
By migrating its ad workflows to SGAI, RTBF delivered dynamic, rule-compliant ads while solving a longstanding industry challenge, effectively monetizing long live streams at scale without generating per-user manifests, while aggregating the entire ad inventory for VOD and live from the same tool. This new capability was particularly significant during the FIFA World Cup when viewers watched matches after the live event by rewinding the broadcast on the RTBF app. The SGAI workflow allows the broadcaster to monetize every ad opportunity during live and time-shifted playback with dynamic and relevant ads.
As part of this collaborative effort, AIP provides the SGAI infrastructure and advanced ad routing solution via its AdBlendr platform, enabling dynamic, rule-compliant ad delivery across all RTBF platforms, and Bitmovin’s player enables playback on every device across Samsung, LG, Android TV, Fire TV, Hisense, Smart TVs, web browsers, iOS, and Android. Red Bee Media connects the technology stack and coordinates interfaces between technology partners, Dotscreen develops, integrates and maintains RTBF’s applications across all platforms, and ad sales house RMB coordinates ad sales and commercial monetization. Additionally, the use of Bitmovin’s Observability solution for video playback gives RTBF real-time visibility into ad performance across every platform, transforming how it manages, optimizes, and sells its ad inventory.
James Varndell, VP of Product, Playback, Bitmovin, added: “There’s significant untapped advertising growth potential in video streaming, and as this first deployment of SGAI between Bitmovin & AIP demonstrates, SGAI is key to unlocking exciting new monetization opportunities. Deep integration between Bitmovin and AIP’s technologies enabled RTBF to seamlessly migrate its channels to SGAI workflows, giving the broadcaster the capabilities it needs to optimize every ad opportunity.”
Laurent Potesta, CEO of Ad Insertion Platform, added: “Broadcasters are looking for ad solutions that increase revenue without adding complexity or compromising the viewing experience. This deployment demonstrates how standards-based SGAI can deliver on both fronts. By combining our AdBlendr platform with Bitmovin’s playback technology, RTBF has modernized its ad monetization workflow and unlocked valuable inventory that was previously difficult to monetize.”
All of RTBF’s channels are now live and deployed, using SGAI as their monetization workflow.
