2 Jul 2008 07:00
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Leading News OrganizationΒ ITN Extends AdvertisingΒ DealΒ with blinkxΒ Based onΒ ProvenΒ Campaign SuccessΒ
blinkxΒ SelectedΒ to Power AdvertisingΒ across ITNΒ WebsiteΒ andΒ SyndicationΒ Partner Sites
SAN FRANCISCO,Β CALIF.Β -Β JulyΒ 2, 2008 -Β blinkx, the world's largest and most advanced video search engine, today announced thatΒ itΒ has won an extension contract that will augment the scopeΒ ofΒ its advertising partnership with ITN, one ofΒ theΒ world's leading news and multimedia contentΒ companies. Under the terms of the new agreement, ITN will use AdHoc,Β blinkx's patented contextual advertising platform forΒ online TV and video, to serve advertisements on the ITN website and its syndication partner sites,Β including Bebo.Β
ThroughΒ AdHoc,Β ITN hasΒ alreadyΒ been effectivelyΒ monetizing its premium news contentΒ onΒ the blinkx.com network for over six months. During this time, ITN achieved a significantly better return, greater search volume, and higher monetization through blinkx than through other syndication partners.
AdHoc uses blinkx's patented speech-to-text transcription and visual analysis technology to understand video content more thoroughly and effectively than any other service today, and can therefore dynamically place the most pertinent advertising against it. TheΒ AdHoc platform offersΒ media companiesΒ and advertisers a unique value proposition -- video advertising which combines the emotive power of TV promotion, with the relevance and utility of contextual search advertising.Β
The confluence of ITN's premium TV content,Β blinkx'sΒ extensiveΒ syndication network, and AdHoc's uniquely powerful targeting capabilities was a formula for success. By extending its partnership with blinkx, ITN aims toΒ achieve similar returns by leveraging the AdHoc platform to deliver contextually relevant video advertising on its own website and across its distribution partner sites.
"We'reΒ thrilledΒ to be broadening our relationship with ITN," saidΒ Suranga Chandratillake, founder and CEO ofΒ blinkx. "News content is one of the most popular categories of online video and there's clearly a tremendous opportunity for monetization. The success of our partnership with ITN is evidence thatΒ the blinkxΒ AdHoc platform isΒ a uniquely powerfulΒ solution forΒ online video advertising today."
"We've been delighted with the results of our partnership with blinkx and are looking forward to implementing the AdHocΒ technologyΒ on our site," saidΒ Nicholas Wheeler, managing director,Β ITN On. "blinkxΒ AdHocΒ has proven that it can achieveΒ significant monetization of our content,Β effectiveΒ marketing for advertisers and, most importantly, a useful, non-disruptive experience forΒ our audience."
As a pioneer in video search technology, blinkx has built a reputation as the most effective way to search new forms of online content such as video. With more thanΒ 350 partners and 26Β million hours of indexed video and audio content, including favorite TV moments, news clips, short documentaries, music videos, video blogs and more, blinkx uses advanced speech recognition technology to deliver results that are more accurate and reliable than standard metadata-based keyword searches.Β
About blinkx
blinkx plc (LSE AIM: BLNX) is the world's largest and most advanced video search engine. Today, blinkx has indexed more thanΒ 26Β million hours of audio, video, viral and TV content, and made it fully searchable and available on demand. blinkx's founders set out to solve a significant challenge - as TV and user-generated content on the Web explode, keyword-based search technologies only scratch the surface. blinkx's patented search technologies listen to - and even see - the Web, helping users enjoy a breadth and accuracy of search results not availableΒ elsewhere. In addition, blinkx powers the video search for many of the world's most frequented sites. blinkx is based inΒ San FranciscoΒ andΒ London. More information is available atΒ www.blinkx.com.
About ITN On
ITN On is part ofΒ ITN, one of the world's leading news and multimedia content companies.Β ITNΒ On is theΒ UK's leading supplier of news and other video entertainment content to broadband, mobile phone and radio platforms. ITN On pioneered video news on mobile in Europe, launching with 3 in 2003 and was the firstΒ UKΒ company to create made-for-mobile news and weather channels.Β ITNΒ On's key business partners include,Β Vodafone, 3,Β OrangeΒ and T-Mobile as well as established online operators including Yahoo!, MSN, Telegraph Group, Bebo, YouTube and Virgin Media.Β ITNΒ On's radio division IRN supplies news toΒ over 250 commercial radio stations throughout theΒ UKΒ with a combined daily audience of 24 million.Β www.itn.co.uk
Press Contacts:
Pamela Ames Sparkpr +1 (415) 321 1893pames@sparkpr.com
Clare GaynerΒ Bite CommunicationsΒ +44 (0)20 8834 3454Β Clare.Gayner@bitepr.com
John Nolan
ITN
+44 (0)20 7430 4216
John.Nolan@itn.co.uk
NOMADΒ to blinkxΒ
Charles Lytle
Citi
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