Ustream’s LiveAd Combines Power of Live Video with Digital Advertising

SAN FRANCISCO – Ustream, Inc., the leading video technology platform for live business communications, announced LiveAd — a game-changing online advertising solution for brands looking to amplify their video marketing strategy. LiveAd fuses the precision and targeting capabilities of display advertising with streaming video’s ability to share live experiences, within standard display ad units. See an example of a Cisco placement in TechCrunch HERE.

“When we launched the PlayStation 4, we thought we’d maybe get a few people watching us, but we ended up with millions”

Previously offered only to selected clients, LiveAd is now available for all users of Ustream’s flagship service, Pro Broadcasting, which allows users to expand their global reach, target specific demographics, and analyze activity in real time. Dozens of early users across multiple industries — including Sony, Salesforce, HBO, hot97, and Cisco — have amplified their reach by running LiveAd streaming campaigns on hundreds of relevant sites in conjunction with their live events, yielding 10x increases in viewership and engagement, on average.

Irresistibly interactive

Viewers don’t just view videos — with LiveAd, they engage by rolling over, clicking-through, sharing on Facebook and Twitter, entering text, and controlling playback. Early LiveAd users have seen average view times of 12 minutes, interaction rates of 15%, and CTRs as high as 1%.

Analytics that matter

LiveAd lets users go beyond basic click-through metrics and dive deeper into stats such as total viewing, playback time, and social impressions. Compared to recorded video playback on other video platforms, LiveAd has produced up to 200 times greater exposure for Ustream customers.

Precise, brand-safe targeting

LiveAd provides pinpoint audience targeting, as do other online ad platforms. But LiveAd dramatically multiplies advertisers’ audience coverage by placing ads in appropriate, well-matched, highly visible and brand-safe websites hosted by Ustream’s massive global distribution network.

“LiveAd lets content creators transform their locally-produced, live events into global brand campaigns with guaranteed audience reach and engagement far exceeding standard rich media display advertising.” remarked David Thompson, SVP of Marketing at Ustream. “Whether it’s product launches, integrated brand campaigns, press conferences or live entertainment, LiveAd delivers measurable interaction rates that combine the best of brand and direct response marketing.”

Early LiveAd users include:

Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA)

• Sony was looking for an innovative and effective way to reach a targeted audience for its PlayStation 4 press announcement last February.
• Results: Over 8 million viewers watched the event live, with a peak of 1 million concurrent viewers. The average view time for the event was 24 minutes, and over 30,000 Twitter and Facebook messages populated the Social Stream.

“When we launched the PlayStation 4, we thought we’d maybe get a few people watching us, but we ended up with millions,” said Michael Brynteson, Executive Producer and Director of Video Production at Sony Computer Entertainment of America.

HOT97 FM – New York

• Earlier this summer, New York’s HOT97 FM station broadcasted its annual, one-day Summer Jam via Ustream for the third year in a row. The station’s goal was to reach an even bigger online audience than previous years, since this was Summer Jam’s 20th anniversary.
• Results: More than 1 million viewers watched the concert online, with Ustream’s player embedded across 40 premium Loud Digital music and entertainment sites on over 450 websites within Ustream’s Entertainment vertical publishing category. The average view time on Ustream’s HOT97 Live Channel was 71 minutes.

“Ustream made it possible for us to share this experience with over 1 million Hip Hop fans worldwide that couldn’t be among the 50,000 fans in attendance at MetLife Stadium,” said Lin Dai, VP of Digital Programming and Entertainment for HOT97 and Loud Digital.

For more information about LiveAd: http://www.ustream.tv/information/livead

About Ustream

Ustream is the leading video technology platform for live business communications, powered by the company’s Ustream Cloud Platform. The company was founded in 2007 with a vision to bring live online broadcasting technology mainstream; Ustream was originally created to connect military service members to family and friends across the world. Since then, the company has established itself as a socially-fueled video platform for broadcasters of any size to easily reach an infinite audience and share experiences in real-time. Our mission is ambitious and exciting: We’re changing the way people communicate and share experiences; our technology empowers anyone to do so LIVE.

The core of the Ustream Cloud Platform centers on the company’s proprietary Ustream Content Delivery Network (UCDN), Ustream Media Server (UMS) and Ustream TCP Congestion Control Algorithm (UTCP). Together, this advanced technology stack provides users with unmatched redundancy, resiliency, and reliability to broadcast quality live video streams. Founded in 2007, Ustream is a San Francisco-based company that has grown to more than 250 employees within their San Francisco, Budapest, Tokyo, and Seoul offices. Company customers and partners include Dell, Sony, Georgetown University, Panasonic, Samsung, CBSi, and Viacom.

Ustream is a privately-owned company. For more information on Ustream, visit Ustream.tv, Twitter.com/Ustream, or Facebook.com/Ustream.