SAN MATEO, Calif.--AOL, FreeWheel, and Mediaocean today announced a partnership which, upon implementation, will allow AOL to enable marketers to extend their existing television buying workflow and systems to reach target audiences at scale across premium digital video inventory. The announcement was made on stage by AOL, FreeWheel and Mediaocean at AOL’s Digital Content NewFront in New York City.
This is made possible by the launch of FourFronts, a solution powered by FreeWheel and Mediaocean that enables publishers to sell to TV media buying agencies through existing workflow and systems. FourFronts also provides extended audience scale and reach by aggregating MRC accredited, TV quality digital video inventory from suppliers that have signed on to participate in the initiative.
As the #1 premium curated video network on the web, AOL is committed to bridging the gap between premium digital video and TV. Partnering with FreeWheel and Mediaocean on this upcoming launch will make AOL’s on-demand video content offerings available to TV buyers looking to follow audiences that have extended their TV viewing to smartphones, tablets, video game consoles, and other over-the-top devices.
Through its original production, curated programming, and video distribution across partners and screens, AOL is creating a seamless, high-end video experience for advertisers and consumers. AOL is reinforcing this commitment by revealing its slate of powerhouse original series and industry-leading multi-screen syndication capabilities today.
Marketers will be able to see this inventory in their existing TV planning and buying interface, powered by Mediaocean, giving them the ability to buy their intended audience on premium video inventory across TV, tablets, and all connected screens.
“The device on which consumers view video no longer defines the type of content they’re watching; it’s purely a screen,” said Tim Armstrong, Chairman and CEO, AOL. “But until now, buyers have not had an apples-to-apples comparison when it comes to buying video on the Web and TV. The industry needs to adopt standards between traditional broadcasting and video streams on the Web to create more opportunities in the buying market. FourFronts addresses a pressing need in our industry and will place AOL at the forefront of this shifting tide, getting us one step closer to bridging the gap between premium digital video and TV.”
AOL will also be the first digital video publisher to directly manage relationships with TV buyers and execute transactions through FourFronts, such as TV upfront and scatter market buying, audience guarantees, gross and target audience buying, and TV invoicing against digital inventory.
“Whether you watch your favorite programming on a television or a tablet, it is still all just TV,” said Jon Heller, co-CEO of FreeWheel, the video advertising technology company serving enterprise-class entertainment companies. “FourFronts enables TV buyers and the advertisers they represent to more easily reach their intended audiences, at scale, wherever that audience is watching but in a single holistic plan and process. We’re excited to collaborate with Mediaocean and couldn’t be happier to have AOL onboard as our initial partner to help drive this initiative.”
“Large, cross-screen buying has been largely held back by the cumbersome process in which TV advertisers have had to find their audiences in a world of fragmented screens,” said John Bauschard, President of Mediaocean. “FourFronts, with its integration into Mediaocean systems, will allow advertisers to reacquire the reach of TV and engage with their audiences without having to reinvent the media planning and buying wheel every time a new device or platform is introduced into the market.”
FreeWheel’s FourFronts utilizes existing, well-established infrastructure from the company’s Monetization Rights Management® and Revenue and Payments Management technologies that integrates tightly into Mediaocean’s PRISMA and SPECTRA systems.
The FreeWheel-Mediaocean integration brings together two companies with extensive footprints in their respective industries. FreeWheel makes revenue decisions for 15 of the top 20 top-rated primetime broadcast and cable networks and a growing number of TV and digital video distributors. Mediaocean processes more than $130 billion in media spend every year.
To learn more about FourFronts, visit www.freewheel.tv/fourfronts. To learn more about Mediaocean’s technology, visit www.mediaocean.com/prisma and http://www.mediaocean.com/mediaocean-spectra/.
About AOL
AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) is a brand company, committed to continuously innovating, growing, and investing in brands and experiences that inform, entertain, and connect the world. The home of a world-class collection of premium brands, AOL creates original content that engages audiences on a local and global scale. We help marketers connect with these audiences through effective and engaging digital advertising solutions.
About FreeWheel
FreeWheel manages the economics of content for the enterprise-class world of entertainment, offering technical infrastructure for revenue rights management and business operations, wrapped in advisory services. Founded and led by a team of executives from the world’s leading technology companies, FreeWheel’s solutions have already armed companies like ABC, AOL, DIRECTV, ESPN, NBC Universal, Sky, Turner, and Viacom with the technology and services they need to profitably scale their professional content across devices and revenue models. For more information, visit www.freewheel.tv. Follow the company @FreeWheel.
About Mediaocean
Mediaocean empowers businesses and professionals across the global marketing ecosystem with intelligent automation, flexibility, and open platforms—letting its partners define their business and future, no matter where the landscape turns. With over 80,000 users conducting 7 million transactions daily and managing $130 billion annually through our systems—across all media channels, in areas from workflow to real time bidding—Mediaocean drives the marketing universe ahead. Learn more at www.Mediaocean.com.
