This has been found by UK based provider of server-side ad insertion (SSAI) technology in a recent deployment at Belgian broadcaster Medialaan.

The broadcaster had deployed Yospace’s Non-Linear Startover (NLSO) technology, which was developed in anticipation of a growing need among service providers to reducing ad load and so improve viewer engagement. Focus groups had identified that overloading with ads turned viewers off, particularly among the “internet-first” millennial generation.

Yospace allows users of OTT streaming services to rewind live content mid-stream. Ad breaks are then reduced in length, allowing viewers to catch up with the live action. Although ad breaks are shorter as a result, precise decision making on a per viewer basis allows broadcasters to command a premium for advertising. Individual viewers are served only relevant ad content, boosting their engagement with the advertising and driving up the CPM for the broadcaster.

These benefits were confirmed in a recent project with Medialaan after deploying the SSAI technology with the broadcaster’s Stievie TV Everywhere service in late 2017. Medialaan reported an increase in capacity for long-form views over a 12-month period, with greater ad revenues enabled through addressability.

"We’ve unlocked hundreds of hours of advertising inventory since working with Yospace,” said Olivier van Zeebroeck, Head of Sales Digital, Medialaan. “The introduction of server-side DAI (Dynamic Ad Insertion) resulted in a 10% capacity increase for long-form views.”