Question 1

What is 2nd Look?

Accepted Answer

2nd Look is a cloud-based Server Guided Ad Insertion solution that works with leading server-side ad insertion (SSAI) products to enable just-in-time ad insertion for VOD. Just-in-time ad insertion enables ads to be decisioned and inserted before each ad break, as the viewer is watching content. This is a significant improvement over SSAI today where all ad decisions and ad insertions for the entire asset must be made before video starts.

Question 2

What are the benefits of just-in-time ad insertion? Why do I need it?

Accepted Answer

Just-in-time ad insertion improves video startup times and increases ad fill and revenue per impression.

Question 3

How does 2nd Look improve video startup times?

Accepted Answer

2nd Look allows publishers to defer ad decisions until after the video starts which eliminates the startup delay caused by ad decision and insertion process. Without 2nd Look, all decisions are made before the video starts which can take 3 seconds or much longer.

Question 4

How does 2nd Look improve revenue performance?

Accepted Answer

Enabling just-in-time ad decisions creates more competition for each individual ad pod. Ad decision systems are only required to make decisions on one ad pod at a time instead of all of them at once. Each ad bidding system can bid on a pod, and if they lose, bid on a later ad pod in the same stream. Additionally, bidding systems have more confidence that the ad spots they are bidding on will be seen by the viewer because the decision is made immediately before the viewer watches the ad pod.

Increased competition drives up fill and price for each ad spot.

Question 5

I have a low render rate on my VOD, how does 2nd Look help this?

Accepted Answer

Render rate is a metric that compares how many ads were delivered/viewed in a stream to how many ads were inserted into that stream. With 2nd Look, only ads that are about to play will be inserted. As a result, ads that are inserted are very likely to be seen and 2nd Look customers see very high render rates for VOD.

Question 6

What happens if an ad pod requested by 2nd Look isn't fully filled?

Accepted Answer

When 2nd Look receives an underfilled ad pod, it will truncate that ad pod to closely match the duration of ads returned by the ad stitcher. For example, if 2nd Look requests 2 minutes of ads and receives 1:30, 2nd Look will truncate the ad pod to be very close to 1:30.

Alternatively, 2nd Look supports slate insertion.

Question 7

I use SSAI for VOD and offer my pods one at a time to buying systems. How is 2nd Look better than this?

Accepted Answer

Offering pods one at a time doesn't address the core limitation that once those ads are decided, up front, they are frozen for the entirety of the video session. Publishers will still have low render rates and significant unrealized revenue opportunities.

Additionally, offering pods one at a time before video startup causes much longer video startup times.

Question 8

How does 2nd Look integrate with my existing workflow?

Accepted Answer

2nd Look is pre-integrated with your SSAI technology and interfaces with your video player. All ad decisions will be made using the same process and ad decision server that is currently in place.

Question 9

Is there any integration required with my player?

Accepted Answer

If you are running a countdown timer during ad breaks, your player will need to get that information from 2nd Look via an API.

Question 10

My content licensing agreements require that I insert ads, does 2nd Look support slate-fill?

Accepted Answer

2nd Look can insert slate into underfilled ad pods so that all pods are 100% filled. Additionally, 2nd Look can enable you to choose slate “dynamically” so that it changes based on the publisher’s criteria.