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BlackArrow Unveils New Tools to Manage Ad Placement Opportunities in and around on-Demand Video

Otilia Otlacan | November 27, 2008

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Standards-Based AdMap Tools Define and Manage Ad Avails; Integrate New Ad Types Easily Without Changes to Media Player Code

SAN MATEO, Calif. – BlackArrow, the independent provider of multiplatform advertising systems for viewer-controlled video, today announced BlackArrow AdMaps™, a sophisticated toolset that enables content providers and distributors to easily define and manage ad avails in and around video content. The AdMap suite extends BlackArrow’s advertising system by introducing tools to manage ad-placement opportunities for programming delivered over broadband and SCTE 130-5 compliant video on demand (VOD) environments. AdMaps provide a time-saving workflow to create new advertising inventory, integrate new ad formats easily and update ad-sales models quickly – all without requiring changes to the existing infrastructure or media player code.

The new suite consists of the AdMap Builder tool to create and manage AdMaps, AdMap Server to deliver the right AdMap for the viewer and, for broadband deployments, a software development kit (SDK) to render AdMaps in common broadband players.

“The lack of tools to easily define and manage rules for ad-placement opportunities in and around video is proving to be a major bottleneck for ad-supported business models,” said Chris Hock, senior vice president, product management at BlackArrow. “With ad strategies undergoing rapid-fire change, programmers and distributors are wanting to experiment safely — in a way that maximizes revenues, without jeopardizing innovation or user experience. BlackArrow’s AdMaps suite addresses this need head-on with practical conventions for creating new ad avails and managing ad-insertion opportunities for viewer-controlled video platforms.”

AdMap Builder is a rich Internet application (RIA) that enables users to create an unlimited combination of permissible ad types, durations and other insertion rules. All user-defined ad-insertion points are displayed graphically to help clients visualize and package ad inventory effectively across multiple video platforms.

AdMap Server selects from among multiple AdMaps to return the best fit based on viewer data – as well as targeting criteria such as audience demographics, content genre and playout environment – before fulfilling each request with the most relevant ad, or series of ads, as defined by the AdMap. AdMap Server conforms to SCTE 130-5 standards for a placement opportunity information service (POIS) in VOD environments, enabling rapid deployment and product interoperability with other SCTE-130 compliant vendors. For broadband distribution, AdMaps are stored as standard SMIL files, which can be read easily by leading media players from Adobe, Move Networks and other providers using the enhanced BlackArrow Player Framework.

AdMaps lay the foundation for BlackArrow’s continued product innovation. Designed to scale, the AdMaps suite is ideally suited to manage intricate affiliate relationships and complex ad-split arrangements within a centralized environment. Moreover, AdMaps supply an important framework from which content providers and distributors will be able to manage and accurately forecast their video inventory.

About BlackArrow, Inc.

BlackArrow is the independent provider of multiplatform ad management for viewer-controlled video. The company’s ad-management system is designed specifically for video content distributed over any on-demand platform — enabling content providers and distributors to maximize advertising revenues, and improving advertisers’ ability to reach target audiences. BlackArrow is led by an experienced team of executives from the advertising, television and digital media industries, and is backed by Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO), Comcast Interactive Capital, Intel Capital (NASDAQ: INTC), Mayfield Fund and Polaris Venture Partners. The company is privately held, with offices in New York City and San Mateo, Calif. http://www.blackarrow.tv

BlackArrow and BlackArrow AdMap are trademarks of BlackArrow, Inc.

Otilia is the founder and editor of AdOperationsOnline.com, launched in 2008. She currently provides online business consulting through her company, RightFit Media, and blogs about all things online at www.otiliaotlacan.com.

Otilia Otlacan

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