Yesterday, Adobe announced that acquisition of video monetization platform Auditude as Adobe said in a release that it was looking to provide an “end-to-end video offering (…) with the goal of helping customers build long-term businesses through the delivery of quality video content and superior viewing experience across all IP-enabled devices.” No terms were announced for the deal. Read more.
AdExchanger.com asked a selection of executives from the online video ad side of the ecosystem their “take” on the acquisition. Click below or scroll down for more:
Zvika Netter, CEO & Co-Founder, Innovid
“Due to the hyper-growth in the video space, followed by an influx of venture capital into the marketplace, there has been increased fragmentation within video advertising. Acquisitions will be commonplace and will most likely accelerate as more and more video specific advertising platforms and publishers adopt and accept that video and specifically, interactive video formats, will be the main driving force in advertising for years to come.
I believe we’re going to keep seeing more acquisitions in the video space due to the fact: While the video space is growing extremely fast and attracting more and more advertiser’s dollars it is still very fragmented and complex to work in. This is why the platform providers are becoming more and more attractive to large corporations that want to become a player in this space and cannot afford the time it takes to build a solid video advertising platform but more importantly the relationships and know-how that companies like Auditude and other partners of ours have.”
Mike Sullivan, CEO, Affine
“Online video reaches almost 200 million people per month in the US, and brands are quickly realizing that online video advertising represents the first real opportunity to extend their television campaigns and branding programs to the internet. Adobe’s acquisition of Auditude shows how quickly demand is building for online video advertising.
There is no doubt that Adobe execs are looking at the $70 billion in annual TV spending with wide eyes as it migrates online, and given their role in the creation, distribution and publishing of online video, it’s not surprising that Adobe would make a move to enter the online video advertising space.
What is interesting about the purchase is that it yields Adobe not just a monetization technology and ad serving platform, but a video advertising sales team and relationships with top publishers and content owners as well.
What remains to be seen is if Adobe can take advantage of these new assets and take a bigger bite of the video advertising apple, or if Auditude’s technology becomes just another feature in Adobe’s product stack.”
Atul Patel, CEO, OneScreen
“With their acquisition of Auditude, Adobe can now help their marketer customers buy more digital video advertising, the channel most analogous to the billions spent on television. Adobe has been a significant but indirect beneficiary of the growth in video and rich media through their Flash platform. With this acquisition – and probably more to come – they can be more directly involved in the ecosystem. But, as with any other video ad platform, Adobe must balance this by offering more valuable solutions to publishers and content providers, because without empowering them, there won’t be enough supply for all that new video advertising.”
