Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) is launching Linear Rights Metadata Management (LRM), a solution that uses aggregated metadata to trigger linear addressable ads. Comcast will be the first distributor to implement LRM on a national scale.
This marks the second metadata product CTS unveiled this year. CTS launched in January VideoAI, which uses metadata combined with artificial intelligence to analyze video content.
After aggregating the metadata of advertising assets, LRM converts it into SCTE 224 format – a standard notification interface that can be applied to addressable advertising. That newly formatted metadata is then stored into the cloud and distributed to multiple endpoints and ad decision managers.
LRM can also determine how often certain ads should run for different household audience segments. Both traditional and virtual MVPDs can tailor specific ad requirements – such as showing a specific number of ads or limiting the number of spots over a certain duration for a specific product group. Providers can also specify the minimum spacing between a product’s ads.
By leveraging metadata, Comcast’s goal is to more precisely target linear ads while simplifying the process involved.
"We are removing many of the manual processes and variations around metadata that have historically hampered the progress of implementing linear addressable ads,” said Brad Spriester, VP and general manager of the Content and Streaming Providers suite for CTS, in a statement.
As metadata can improve data quality and provide faster insights, other companies are also eyeing how they can effectively harness it. Disney and Lumen entered a partnership in April to create a standardized data framework for content delivery networks (CDNs).
Comcast is in a prime position to capitalize on LRM. The company’s reach will extend further once it’s closed its deal with Charter Communications to jointly operate a national streaming platform.
Addressable advertising is a hot topic for content distributors who want to target their audiences in a relevant, nonintrusive way. Comcast-owned Peacock is testing two ad formats based on geotargeting and consumer interest. Roku last month launched the beta of its dynamic linear ad product, which uses automated content recognition (ACR) software to detect which ads users see on linear TV.