LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MirriAd, the market leader in digital product placement announces today that it has signed an agreement with Modern Times Group’s Viasat Broadcasting, which has operations that span four continents and include free-TV and pay-TV, to digitally place brands into broadcast and web content.
The agreement encompasses Sweden and Norway. Under the contract with MirriAd, Viasat will be able to offer to its clients the possibility to digitally embed product placement in its own TV programmes and web content.
Viasat broadcasts more than 60 own branded channels in 35 countries. Several of Viasat’s television channels are broadcast from the UK and regulated by OFCOM. TV3 in Sweden and Norway have already started to use digital product placement to promote brands in those territories in some of their most popular programming, in compliance with OFCOM’s product placement rules.
Viasat will be using a MirriAd Hub located in London. The Hub enables all content media logistics, inventory creation and management, creative services and analytics to be delivered locally over digital networks with minimal demands on bandwidth and very fast turnaround times. The Hub also acts as a centerpiece for the analysis of content, creation and management of sales inventory. Called the Catalogue, the online sales portal makes available pre agreed placement inventory for broadcasters/producers, brands and agencies alike. Each country’s broadcast operation will be able to manage digital product placement campaigns centrally.
MirriAd’s core technology ‘ZoneSenseTM’ allows broadcasters to insert their clients’ brands seamlessly and naturally into any content. The MirriAd platform provides broadcasters/producers an end to end solution that supports all the key stakeholders with unique tools and services, making it extremely fast and efficient to integrate brands across any or all content as required.
Unlike traditional methods of product placement, broadcasters/producers can now create and sell inventory to advertisers who are able to view relevant content placement opportunities from an online sales portal, select appropriate media based on audience demographics, preview placements and metrics, and view and approve online, anyplace, anytime.
Mark Popkiewicz, MirriAd CEO commented:
“We are delighted that Viasat chose MirriAd as their digital product placement partner, which we see as a great endorsement of the capabilities of our technology within what is a proven and rapidly expanding market worldwide.
”We are glad to be able to bring our new technology to brands and agencies in Sweden and Norway. As the Viasat channels concerned are regulated by OFCOM this new contract represents another reference point for broadcasters deploying digital product placement.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
About MirriAd Limited
Chaired by Peter Bazalgette and launched in September 2007 by CEO, Mark Popkiewicz, previously a director of BBC Ventures, MirriAd aims to revolutionize product placement for the digital era. MirriAd has developed an end to end solution able to digitally place brand imagery into any video on demand and at scale. MirriAd’s digital placements have been extensively researched and proven to achieve excellent results for brands whilst positively impacting production values and the viewer experience on line and on TV.
Headquartered in London with offices in New York and Mumbai, MirriAd is privately owned with institutional investors including Oxford Technology Management, Oxford Capital Partners, STV Group PLC, Seraphim Capital and South East Growth Fund and notable angel investors Bruce Smith and Stephen Bullock.
About Viasat Broadcasting Group
Viasat Broadcasting is part of Modern Times Group (MTG), which is an international entertainment broadcasting group with operations that span four continents and include free-TV, pay-TV, radio and content production businesses. MTG’s Viasat Broadcasting operates free-TV and pay-TV channels, which are available on Viasat’s own satellite platforms and third party networks, and also distributes TV content over the internet. MTG is also the largest shareholder in CTC Media, which is Russia’s leading independent television broadcaster. Modern Times Group is a growth company and is listed on the Nasdaq OMX Stockholm stock exchange. Please visit www.mtg.se for more information.