Keystream wins first U.S. customer

Keystream, an innovative online video advertising start-up that streams ads in static spaces in a video in real time, announced its first U.S. customer Tuesday. Keystream will serve its in-stream video ads on redOrbit, a space, science, health and technology website that streams more than 10 million professionally produced, short-form videos a month, according to Keystream President Ed Ratner.

redOrbit is now using Keystream's SmartAd service to deliver Flash-based animated advertisements within videos across redOrbit's network. This will be the first implementation of this feature of Keystream's offering.

Keystream's technology uses object recognition technology to determine "static areas" in a video where no action will take place for at least 15 seconds. The SmartAd program then automatically serves an ad in that spot, according to the company.

Industry analysts and some executives with online video ad platforms dismissed Keystream's premise as un-scalable and a novelty. But Keystream CEO Schuyler Cullen said doubters simply need to see the redOrbit roll-out to have their questions answered.

"It's a completely scalable solution, and that's one of SmartAd's key differentiators from other ad insertion platforms," Cullen said, referring to the analysts' comments. "The publisher ingests their content, the software identifies the insertion points, and their video assets are ready to go, usually overnight."

Cullen also noted that Keystream worked with a prominent ad agency for the creative element of the inserted Flash ads, and that the process was very streamlined and efficient. He said turnaround time for ads was only a few days, and that it proved agencies could use the platform within their normal workflow. 

For more:
- see the Keystream release here
- see the ads in action at redOrbit.com's video section 

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