Adobe aiming to improve online video ads by making them more like TV
Adobe is boosting its portfolio for online advertising solutions with the introduction of Primetime Media Player, touted to enable TV content owners and distributors to maximize audience reach while seamlessly integrating and monetizing online video ads.
While it draws from a number of existing Adobe solutions, the Primetime Media Player for desktop browsers primarily leverages Flash Player, and it includes both analytics techonlogy and broadcast-specific capabilities such as closed captioning and ad insertion. Users don't have to download a separate player for non-desktop devices.
Adobe is framing the Primetime Media Player as ideal for broadcast networks and other TV content distributors because the service is set up to offer a "single workflow for content preparation, rights management and streaming" without any platform fragmentation challenges.
Essentially, the solution is supposed to distribute, monetize and then analyze user data based on the visitor's behavior. Eventually, that means that ads can be better targeted and optimized within the player based on the individual user in order to provide a better experience for the consumer while maximizing the value of the content and advertisements at the same time.
Ashley Still, director of product management for Video Solutions at Adobe, explained in a blog post on Wednesday that the idea is to make online video viewing feel just like TV:
With seamless ad insertion and native support for protected playback built into the Player, consumers will enjoy faster video load times, fewer playback errors, and a less obtrusive advertising experience.
A beta version of the Primetime Media Player is available now as an SDK for Windows, Mac OS, Android and iOS. It will also be extended to include web-connected platforms such as gaming consoles and Internet-connected TVs. The video player is supported within mobile apps immediately with native browser support planned for the future.
The software giant has been making a big push in the last year with its Project Primetime initiative, designed for better analysis and monetization of broadcast TV content across any connected device. Internet users might have already seen some of these efforts during the 2012 Summer Olympics as Adobe worked closely with NBC on the back-end of online streaming.
For a closer look at Adobe's Project Primetime, check out the promo video below: