ITV’s plan to revolutionise its income streams includes a trial to insert digital product placement and clickable ads into the online version of Coronation Street.

The broadcaster has conducted a closed test using its flagship soap that sees the ads inserted into the programme at the post-production stage. Billboards, posters and physical products can be added into the show, all of which could be clicked to take viewers to third-party advertiser sites.
ITV staff including online manager Rob Hicks and sponsorship, content partnerships & interactive sales director Gary Knight are working on the initiative. Broadcast understands it is being developed with ad platform provider MirriAd.

ITV is currently evaluating data following its research. Media agencies have not yet been approached to buy the ads or placement, but some have been told about the plan or shown demonstrations. If successful, the technique could be used to introduce products into broadcast TV shows, once legislation allows it. Online content is currently excluded from the ban on product placement.

There is also the possibility of using the technology to insert different ads into shows for when they are watched in overseas markets. ITV has been criticised for its over-reliance on traditional TV ad revenues and the initiative points towards the kind of forward-thinking approach advocated by new chairman Archie Norman. A source at ITV said it was vital for the broadcaster to look into the possibilities.

It’s early days but we have to look at all the options and the strength of advertiser demand. We’re investigating if there’s an appetite and whether the cost warrants the investment, said the source. In February, ITV commercial director Rupert Howell told Broadcast he was confident the first product-placement TV deals would be in place by the end of the year and estimated product placement could be worth more than £50m to ITV within five years. A spokeswoman for ITV confirmed the results from the trial were being evaluated.

ITV has conducted a closed virtual product placement trial on selected online content, to assess consumer response, impact on content and commercial value, she said.

Source: http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/broadcasters/itv-revenue-revolution-kicks-off-with-corrie-trial/5012096.article

The second annual ECS, held from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, brought together 475 attendees and featured presentations by 60 start-up companies from 15 countries, discussing how they utilize graphics processing units (GPUs) to deliver innovative solutions in areas ranging from cloud computing and computer vision to gaming and image processing. A three-member panel selected five companies for the award, based on technology value, market opportunity, impact, and ‘wow’ factor.

“With the explosion of video being viewed online, MirriAd had to develop a truly scalable platform capable of monetizing content and meeting the needs of content owners. MirriAd’s platform and business model would not be possible without the GPU. Thanks NVIDIA for making our technology possible and for recognizing MirriAd as ‘One To Watch.’” -Mark Popkiewicz, CEO, MirriAd

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The companies that received the awards, which were based on technology value utilizing the graphics processing unit (GPU), market opportunity and potential impact include:

• IQ Engines : www.iqengines.com/ , of Berkeley, Calif., recognizes and labels images, monetizing photos by tying them to relevant retailers.
• Milabra : www.milabra.com/ , of New York City, uses a multi-point visual recognition platform to target advertising based on visual content instead of text.
• MirriAd : www.mirriad.com/ , a London-based start-up that seamlessly embeds advertising into video content, as if it were always there.
• Ubitus : www.ubitus.net/index.html , of Taipei, is a software platform provider for fixed mobile convergence applications.
• Visuvi : www.visuvi.com/ , of Redwood City, Calif., enables image search without any text required.

Highlights / Key Facts:

• ‘One To Watch’ awards given to top five ECS companies based on:
  technology value, market opportunity and impact and ‘wow’ factor.
• Awards include $15,000 in legal services from Cooley Godward Kronish LLP.
• Selection committee included: Greg Clark, senior vice president of business development at Cooley Godward Kronish LLP; Andy Sheehan, managing director at Sutter Hill; Alain Tiquet, group marketing director at NVIDIA.
• The second annual ECS, held from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, brought together 475 attendees and featured presentations by 60 start-up companies from 15 countries, discussing how they utilize graphics processing units (GPUs) to deliver innovative solutions in areas ranging from cloud computing and computer vision to gaming and image processing.
• Since it launched its GPU Ventures program in March 2009, NVIDIA is actively investing in new companies and offering others some pretty high-grade expertise, all in the name of building out GPU ecosystems.

Quotes:

• “Our goal is to educate, nurture, support and inspire developers and emerging entrepreneurs to continue to develop applications for the GPU platform and we are truly pleased to recognize these five distinguished companies for their outstanding work. The ecosystem consists not only of the emerging companies that we hope to directly support through programs like the ECS, but also the VCs that fund these companies, the partners that work with them, and the customers that purchase products from them.” -Jeff Herbst, vice president of business development, NVIDIA
• “IQ Engines has built a photo tagging engine, which labels images in near real-time. We believe that eventually, every cell phone camera will have visual intelligence. GPUs will be a key part of the solution for these parallel computationally intensive searches and we are honored to have been recognized for our technology.”
  -Gerry Pesavento, CEO, IQ Engines, Inc.
• “With so many great companies present at this year’s ECS, Milabra is very excited to have been recognized as ‘One To Watch.’” Monetizing user generated visual media is an opportunity to add significant value to the online marketplace, and our ability to automatically contextualize visual media and serve relevant advertising to it would not be possible without the GPU.” -Sam Cox, CEO, Milabra
• “With the vast majority of internet traffic destined to become video MirriAd had to develop a truly scalable platform capable to meet the future monetization needs of the content industry while delivering the perfection required by the professional video industries. MirriAd’s platform and business model would not be possible without the GPU. Thanks NVIDIA for making our technology possible and for recognizing MirriAd as ‘One To Watch.’” -Mark Popkiewicz, CEO, MirriAd
• “Our cloud computing solutions with GPU acceleration allows faster adoption of advanced features and service offerings for equipment manufacturers and network operators. Ultimately, end users are enabled to interconnect with information that means the most to them. We are honored to be recognized as ‘One To Watch.’” -Wesley Kuo, CEO, Ubitus
• “As a visual query processing engine Visuvi relies heavily on graphic processing for indexing and search. The medical images we analyze in radiology and digital pathology can be up to 10 GB per file so the parallel processing capability using GPUs significantly improves analysis time in a cost-effective manner. We look forward to collaborating with NVIDIA and developing real-time medical image search and analytic solutions that will improve patient care and reduce healthcare costs.” -Chris Boone, CEO, Visuvi

Useful Links / Videos:

• http://www.nvidia.com/object/emerging_companies_summit.html
• http://www.iqengines.com/
• http://www.milabra.com/
• http://www.mirriad.com/
• http://www.ubitus.net/index.html
• http://www.visuvi.com/
• http://blogs.nvidia.com/gtc/
• http://blogs.nvidia.com/nTersect/
• http://www.youtube.com/user/nvidia

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About NVIDIA
NVIDIA : www.nvidia.com/page/home.html (NASDAQ: NVDA) awakened the world to the power of computer graphics when it invented the graphics processing unit (GPU) in 1999. Since then, it has consistently set new standards in visual computing with breathtaking, interactive graphics available on devices ranging from portable media players to notebooks to workstations. NVIDIA’s expertise in programmable GPUs has led to breakthroughs in parallel processing which make supercomputing inexpensive and widely accessible. Fortune magazine has ranked NVIDIA #1 in innovation in the semiconductor industry for two years in a row. For more information, see www.nvidia.com

Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: NVIDIA’s investment in new companies; and our goals are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: changes in our investment strategy and goals as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-Q for the fiscal period ended July 26, 2009. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on our website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

© 2009 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA and the NVIDIA logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.

Challenge

In addition, manually embedding advertising images within videos is a labour-intensive process requiring hours of painstaking work by graphics professionals. Not only must the image be positioned correctly but it must react to changes such as camera angle, lighting and objects passing in front of the image to appear as a seamless addition. The high cost associated with this process has limited the revenue potential for embedded advertising.

Solution

UK-based embedded advertising specialist MirriAd has developed a range of patented solutions that provide a cost effective method for embedding passive or interactive advertising (video, image or text based) directly into existing video assets. The automated embedded advertising solutions use NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs) and dramatically accelerate the process by analysing videos to identify suitable advertising zones. Once these zones are pinpointed, images can be inserted and will react to movement and tonal changes within the frame as if they were part of the original scene.

Although this process can take place at any time, the brand references appear as if they were incorporated in the original production. Those brand references may include physical objects such as vehicles, or, for instance, still or video images on a billboard. The entire process dramatically simplifies what was previously a highly complex and expensive process when carried out post production. The advertising is unobtrusive to the viewer since they see it as part of the original, and it can’t be skipped.

MirriAd’s solutions mean that content owners can provide advertisers with the means to address an increasingly fragmented market and to take advantage of that fragmentation by inserting advertising, specific to the market variables. Although essentially the same content may be available on a wide variety of platforms and devices, and in a range of geographies, brand owners can insert market-specific advertising for each of those outlets.

MirriAd has used NVIDIA graphics processing unit (GPU) processing technology to achieve impressive speed-ups over conventional CPUs, including 30 to 100 times faster rendering speeds. The company’s success with NVIDIA GPUs prompted their decision in 2007 to develop exclusively with NVIDIA technology.

Impact

MirriAd already counts major film and TV organisations worldwide, including Comcast and ABC Family among its customers. The company is now looking beyond its core broadcast business to new markets in security, defence and online video placement. Its work was recently recognised with a £1.5m grant from the UK Government as part of its Creative Industries Innovation Award programme to develop VIDEOSENSE™, the world’s first tool for intelligent automatic video analysis.

Dr Janko Flogel, Chief Technical Officer at MirriAd, explains: “The problem we’re solving with our video analysis application is very well suited to the GPU, which is why adopting NVIDIA’s technology has been so beneficial. The speed-ups we’ve already achieved using GPU computing are very exciting and we’re now porting other parts of our application, including video decoding and motion detection algorithms, to take advantage of its parallel architecture.”

He continues: “We are also building a server cluster based on NVIDIA Tesla 1U Computing Systems. This will become a core part of our VIDEOSENSE system, enabling users to manage the image placement process themselves. In an environment where users have a very low tolerance for online advertising in the form of banners and pop-ups, VIDEOSENSE has enormous potential for monetising online video in a way which is seamless for consumers and extremely valuable for advertisers. This facility is only possible thanks to the cost-effective processing power provided by NVIDIA Tesla.”

We are in an environment in which traditional advertising revenues are falling, largely due to consumers using Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) and a variety of VOD services and viewing content online rather than on a TV. Endemol is using MirriAd’s embedded advertising technologies and expertise to create a compelling advertising environment in which the viewer is fully engaged. The brand references (e.g. props, signage, logos, videos and animations) are digitally inserted into existing video content to appear as if they were part of the original shoot. They can’t be skipped or ignored and, crucially, can be changed to suit different markets giving advertisers more flexibility and surety of viewer engagement. Using MirriAd’s online services, content owners have full editorial control of what, when and how a brand reference appears.

Endemol Latin America (Endemol LatAm), Argentina’s largest independent production company and MirriAd will jointly identify opportunities for the seamless insertion of branded imagery into new or existing video owned by Endemol, and third party content providers and broadcasters. In particular, MirriAd will develop a complete embedded advertising inventory for Endemol’s award-winning soap, ‘Mr. Pells’, which will cover more than 100 episodes. Endemol’s international hit ‘Wipeout’ game show will also feature embedded advertising in the most brand-attractive moments and will join other brands like Fanta, Renault, Coca-Cola and Unilever that worked with Endemol LatAm’s branded entertainment division in 2008, generating significant revenues.

In addition, MirriAd has signed an exclusive one-year partnership with Endemol Spain to exploit embedded advertising opportunities in the region and expand Endemol’s existing branded entertainment offering to include online video, as well as broadcast, to form a combined brand called ‘Tattoo’.

In 2008, Endemol Spain’s Gestmusic and Zeppelin TV production houses led the Spanish branded advertising market with programmes such as the popular talent show, ‘Operacion Triunfo’, and reality show ‘Grande Hermano’ (Big Brother). Teaming up with MirriAd will not only add a new product placement revenue stream that Endemol can sell, but will enable the company to embed advertising into online video, meaning it can also monetise content on its own web community portal, Portalmix.

Toni Cruz, CEO of Endemol Spain, comments; “We have been working with brands in the broadcast space for a while and generating significant revenue from branded entertainment on TV, but the partnership with MirriAd means we can build on our experience and extend our business to include branded entertainment online as well as broadcast, which opens all kinds of incremental revenue opportunities for us.”

Under the terms of the deals Endemol will market embedded advertising opportunities identified by MirriAd using its patented ZoneSenseTM technology. Using MirriAd’s online services, potential advertisers have full editorial control and will be able to view an inventory of video files to identify content that matches their campaign requirements. Brand references are then tested in a low quality stream before a commitment is made, and the brand references are inserted into the source content as if they had been included in the original production. Those insertions may be static or dynamically linked to the content so that they move or ‘morph’ in response to on screen action.

Mark Popkiewicz, CEO at MirriAd adds; “These deals with Endemol further establish product and brand placement as a new and complementary way for broadcasters and content owners to extract value from existing and new assets. And because MirriAd’s technology allows advertisers to see what their video will look like before they commit to a final version, we can offer a flexible, low-risk way of achieving brand awareness and attachment at a time when ROI needs to be tracked and guaranteed.”

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For further information please contact:

Katharine Simon or Ian Hood, Babel PR
E. MirriAd@babelpr.com
T. +44 (0) 20 7434 5550
W. www.babelpr.com

ENDEMOL ESPAÑA
prensa@endemol.es

About MirriAd Limited
MirriAd seamlessly embeds advertising into any video content, as if it was always there. The company’s solutions allow content owners to effectively monetise their assets and deliver a means by which brands can capitalise on the worldwide shift from the analogue broadcast model to multi-platform, on-demand digital video delivery.

London based MirriAd is the first and only company that has the ability to embed advertising, words, images and interactive hyperlinks cost-effectively, in small and large volume digital content and to a high quality on any platform using its proprietary ZoneSense™, technology.

MirriAd is funded by venture capital funds including London Seed Capital, Oxford Technology Management and South East Growth Fund and by private investors led by Seraphim Capital.

For more information: www.mirriad.com

MirriAd was recently named in Library House’s MediaTech top 100 list, which lists Europe’s hottest private media technology companies, likely to have the biggest impact on the industry.

About Endemol Spain
Endemol Spain, the country’s leading audiovisual entertainment company, is made up of seven audiovisual production and interactive content companies that create and produce all kinds of formats (contests, reality, talk show, fiction, among others). Zeppelin TV and Gestmusic’s roster of successful reality show and contest productions includes “Fama,” “Esta Casa Era Una Ruina“, “Gran Hermano“, “Los Mejores Años“, “Mira Quién Baila” and “Operación Triunfo.” Four Endemol companies produce series, including “Amar en Tiempos Revueltos“ from Diagonal TV on TVE, the most-watched primetime show on Mondays through Fridays; Diagonal TV’s “Ventdelplà,” one of TV3’s most-watched series; Nadir TV’s “L‘Alquería Blanca,” the surprise success on Channel 9 that’s garnered up to a 30% share; or Linze TV’s “Arrayán,” which has aired for nine years on Canal Sur.

In addition, Endemol Spain owns Internet entertainment site Portalmix, and is promoting its catalog of interactive formats through Endemol Digital, a division that creates content specifically for new media (TDT, Internet, mobile) and which just premiered its new series, “Bustamante, Uno de los Nuestros“.