IAC Adds Video to Three Sites

IAC/InterActiveCorp and Brightcove are among the fastest moving targets in the rapidly morphing digital media landscape. The former company recently announced plans to split its sprawling network into five separate units, isolating its ad-supported businesses from its transactional and other holdings. The latter, meanwhile, has deemphasized its consumer-facing portal and offloaded its ad sales functions, transforming itself into a pure platform play.

Now the changelings have teamed up.

In a relationship meant to enhance video programming and monetization at IAC, Brightcove will supply video distribution and syndication services to its partner’s properties, beginning with Ticketmaster, Citysearch and news satire site 23/6. IAC, incidentally an investor in Brightcove, will handle ad sales directly through its Ad Solutions unit.

Of the three sites, Citysearch is the most invested in video advertising, having rolled out short promotional videos to local businesses earlier this year through a relationship with TurnHere.

IAC’s 23/6 implemented Brightcove’s player on its site back in November, with a slate of news-oriented videos focused on the presidential primary races and other news-oriented topics. The site currently doesn’t display video ads however. Ticketmaster does sell some ads, though a spokesperson said they account for “an incredibly small percentage of revenue.”

Brightcove’s available ad formats include pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll placements, plus overlay and adjacent banner units. According to Adam Berrey, VP of marketing and strategy for Brightcove, the “vast majority” of the firm’s publisher partners handle ad sales directly. The rest have the option of joining an ad network run by Tremor Media.

“The only customers that take advantage of our relationship with Tremor are the Brightcove network publishers,” said Berrey. “They tend to be much smaller publishers.”

Brightcove’s other clients include numerous online and traditional media companies, including CBS Corporation, Dow Jones & Company, Fox Entertainment Group and MTV Networks.