RTL, which operates in Germany and other European markets, said the deal worth $33 million will bring in technology that complements its SpotX adtech platform, aiming to boost revenues from its premium streaming segments of video on demand (VoD) and live services delivered to connected devices.

RTL wants to exploit Yospace's server-side dynamic ad insertion capabilities, which allow generic commercials to be replaced in the broadcast stream with more targeted and personalised ads. The acquisition is an important step towards building out the company's total video portfolio and “local streaming champions” in the markets where it has strong families of channels, according to Bert Habets, RTL Group CEO. “The Yospace technology makes advertising on streaming services more personal, which means a better consumer experience for superior monetisation of our premium advertising inventory” said Habets.

Yospace CEO Tim Sewell and chief technology officer David Springall will continue to run day-to-day operations at Yospace, whose customers include BT Sport, TV4, ITV, and Seven West Media. The core product is CDS Advanced Streaming, which enables mid-roll ad insertion across web, streaming set-top boxes, tablets and mobile platforms. This operates as middleware within an operator’s existing ad serving infrastructure to exploit established campaign management and ad performance tracking. For live streaming there are features such as rights-driven program blackout, automated live-to-VoD asset creation and time-shifted linear playback. For on-demand video, client-side SDKs enable functions such as trick-play management, ad clickthrough, overlays and ad tracking, while delivering the telemetry essential for third-party analytics platforms.

The deal expected to close on 1 February.