RSS FeedArchive for the ‘Ad Networks’ Category

Opera Mediaworks Launches Connected TV Ad Network

de Silva OperaMoving beyond smartphones and tablets, Opera Mediaworks introduced AdMarvel, an ad network for internet-connected TVs that brings together an ad exchange, ad serving and ad management functionalities.

"A connected TV looks a lot like a tablet computer," explained Opera Mediaworks CEO Mahi de Silva. "Given our experience in the tablet and smartphone space, as well as our experience in building HTML 5 runtime systems that are included in many connected TVs, we're bringing that ad technology to bear for these devices in the living room."

According to eMarketer, 35.1 million households in the US will have connected TV in 2013, rising to 41.3 million in 2014. With AdMarvel for Connected TVs, TV app developers and publishers can connect their inventory with buyers interested in reaching audiences via this new channel; the platform will display pre-roll and other ad formats to viewers on whatever application they are using on their TVs.

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ValueClick Reports: 2013 Is 'Transformational'; Affiliate Marketing Opp Ahead

valueclickValueClick announced after the stock market closed today that it has seen revenues grow 13% over Q1 2012 to $165.4 million on (GAAP) earnings of $0.34 versus $0.25 from a year ago. Read the release.

Aol's Daily Finance aggregated ValueClick earnings expectations before the release, saying that "the average [Wall Street] estimate for revenue is $166.7 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.39." It's unclear if this is GAAP or non-GAAP. Nevertheless, Wall Street didn't seem impressed prior to the call, as the company's stock price tumbled 13% in after-hours trading – presumably on the revenue "miss" and diminished expectations about the future (keep reading).

ValueClick is a bit of a bellwether for the world of demand-side platforms, and specifically ecommerce media retargeting, since the company bought Dotomi in 2011. Dotomi's CEO and President John Giuliani took over the reigns as CEO of ValueClick late last year.

Giuliani is quoted in today's earnings release as saying 2013 is "transformational" for his company – code for "may be bumps along the way." But later in the release he says, "Google's recent decision to exit this market is a seismic shift in the competitive landscape, and we are prioritizing resources to take full advantage. The affiliate marketing industry and its customers are at an inflection point, and ValueClick stands alone as the company with affiliate marketing at its core." Can retargeting fuel the ValueClick fires? They've got the big-brand affiliate relationships through Commission Junction.

You can listen to the rebroadcast of the webcast here. Or you can read AdExchanger's "live" blog of the earnings conference call below.

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Collective Eyes Multi-Screen, Programmatic Publisher And IPO

collectiveHaving co-founded Collective in 2005, CEO Joe Apprendi has seen his company’s ad network reconfigured, if not entirely reimagined, as programmatic audience buying transforms the publisher ad network model. And as placement has given way to audience buying in recent years, Apprendi and his team have looked to keep pace with products such as its audience buying platform, known as AMP, and its newer TV Accelerator product aimed at media buyers looking to address TV audience online.

Today, Apprendi pins Collective’s future on multi-screen addressability: “We put the audience right at the center of our technology platform. Any screen that we can address with data in absolute or near real-time, that’s where Collective is playing. Those screens include the desktop environment, the mobile environment with tablets and smartphones, and eventually connected TV.”

Though declining to discuss exact revenues, Apprendi says business is booming with clients who include 76 of the top 100 spenders in the US.  He also claims that the average spend of those 76 increased by 40% from 2011 to 2012, while headcount at Collective is now “north” of 300.

AdExchanger spoke to Apprendi last week about his company and industry trends.

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Ad Net Pulse 360 Rumored To Be Shutting Down

pulse360Ad network Pulse 360, a subsidiary of Seevast, is on the brink of shutting down and may have closed its doors already, AdExchanger has learned. Pulse 360 issued a company-wide layoff in April and began looking for a buyer or new investor, according to a former employee who asked to remain anonymous. Pulse 360 founder and CEO Kent Keating has not responded to requests for comment.

Prior to the latest round of layoffs, the company had approximately 75 employees and 100 to 200 publisher partners, including MSNBC.com, CNN.com, ABCNews.com, Cox Media and USAToday. The company has an estimated 300 to 500 customers.

Traffic to Pulse360.com’s network has dropped precipitously from 124.7 million views in January of this year to 19.2 million in March, according to Quantcast. Calls to the company’s main line are directed to voicemail, and the site’s “client services” and “inquiries” pages have been deactivated.

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Travora Media, Formerly Travel Ad Network, Is Rolled Up

travora-advantageIt seems there's still a place in the world for ad network rollups. Investment company JMG Exploration, parent to an ad network of Internet access points called AdVantage Networks, has acquired travel ad network Travora Media.

With the acquisition, JMG will rebrand as MediaShift and position itself as a way to reach "on-the-go" Internet users.

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, and the companies declined to answer questions on revenue growth or profitability. Management did say that Travora achieved gross media revenues of $12.9 million in 2011, but declined to share 2012 figures, suggesting revenues may have fallen at a time when budgets began migrating to programmatic media channels at the expense of some ad networks.

The deal comes weeks after a Skift report stated Travora is "shutting down." Commenters on that article claiming to be Travora executives and partners disputed that telling of events, and the acquisition this week suggests the company will indeed continue to operate.

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Analysts Positive on ValueClick, All Eyes On Dotomi

ValueClick's Q3 results were largely positive, as the company demonstrated in its earnings release and subsequent investors call on Thursday. But it just goes to show, that managing expectations is more than half the game when it comes to quarterly results.

In part, the results were impacted by the exclusion of revenues from Search123, which was sold at the end of September to Carl White, who ran that unit's European operations. Analysts expressed confidence in ValueClick CEO James Zarley's ability to build on the positive qualities of the U.S. media and affiliate marketing businesses, while improving its owned & operated sites' mix of traffic. But the big bet is on ValueClick's year-long integration of display management tool Dotomi, which it acquired in Aug. 2011 for nearly $300 million.

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Travora Emphasizes ‘Premium’ Placements, But Ad Net Roots Remain

A year after the Travel Ad Network rebranded itself as Travora Media, the company is attempting to cement its new image as a content company with the launch of a guide to major cities and destinations around the globe.

The guide, which operates separately under the Travora.com domain, features staff writers producing original work, and blogging focusing on travel information and lifestyle trends. While the company has worked to build up the content side, travel news site Skift reported last week that Travora Media was laying off seven staffers in its marketing and sales as part of a “reallocation” of resources, which includes the release of a new mobile app.

Still, the company does represent a network of 300 sites from 90 publishers. So the old ad network model remains present, right? To hear Nan-Kristen Forte, who was brought in over a year ago from Web MD to manage the rebranding, tell it, the reason the “ad net” tag no longer applies is because there is less focus on selling direct response, remnant inventory in favor of more “premium” brand awareness campaigns and sponsorships.

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Yahoo Launches New Contextual Ad Net. Why Now?

Yahoo is taking the wraps off a new contextual ad network powered by Media.net. The publisher offering goes by the catchy name Yahoo! Bing Network Contextual Ads, though despite the reference to Microsoft's search product, Redmond is not involved.

Most people will interpret this a second attempt by Yahoo to create a competitor to Google's AdSense. Yahoo shuttered its previous contextual long tail publisher network – Yahoo Publisher Network Online – two years ago and began referring all inquiries to Chitika. It still operates Yahoo Publisher Network, its network monetization offering to large premium publishers.

We asked Media.net and Yahoo to answer a few questions about it. Yahoo declined to speak on the record  but here are thoughts from Media.net CEO Divyank Turakhia.

AdExchanger: Is this the new Yahoo Publisher Network Online?

DIVYANK TURKHIA: This is the new self-serve platform, which publishers can use to display relevant ads from the Yahoo! Bing Network. To that extent it is similar. The Yahoo! Bing Network Contextual Ads program is an entirely new solution for publishers. It is powered by Media.net. It has nothing to do with the erstwhile YPNO.

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24/7 Media Makes Some Changes in Wake of Ari Bluman's Exit

Here's some new evidence that digital marketing technology in Europe may be catching up to the U.S.

Last week Ari Bluman, North America President at Real Media Group, left for a new job as chief digital investment officer of GroupM N.A. (press release). In the wake of his exit, WPP-owned 24/7 Media has changed the management structure for the RMG division by creating two new global roles -- one governing sales and another client operations.

One of the new roles, President of Real Media Group, will be filled by Nicolle Pangis. Pangis previously was President, Europe, leading sales and operations on that continent, and also was involved in the launch of RMG in Asia coordinating DTSI, 24/7 Media's joint venture with Dentsu in Korea. In a first, she'll now lead both U.S. and European sales.

However whereas Bluman oversaw the whole N.A. business, Pangis will lead sales, biz dev and strategy only, leaving oversight of support and services on both sides of the Atlantic to another appointee, Irene Bondar. Separately, 24/7 Media also nabbed a new chief financial officer in Gary Lee.

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