Video ad overlay is next for blinkx

A new video ad platform from blinkx could change the way web publishers advertise on their sites. Dubbed the AdHoc Widget, the platform allows publishers the ability to overlay text ads on embedded video on their websites.

by Kristina Knight

It is a widget available for videos embedded through YouTube, GoogleVideo and DailyMotion to name a few. The text ads show up wherever the video clips are embedded and syndicated

"The dramatic growth of online video has been driven by a global audience -- individuals who are creating and distributing user-generated content," said Suranga Chandratillake, founder and CEO, blinkx. "blinkx's new AdHoc widget enables Internet users to monetize the video they choose to embed on their webpages and blogs quickly and easily."

There are two ad formats. One is a small text box that appears above the video player and outside the frame. The other is an overlay system which displays the ad over the top of the video. It works by sending a request for relevant ads any time a viewer watches a video that has been indexed with the blinkx code.

This isn't the only new offering from the company. blinkx recently launched a contextual advertising platform for online video, which offers marketers the ability to better time ads and control the appearance of video ads in pre-, post- and mid-roll placement. The AdHox contextual platform also gives advertisers the ability to select banners and offers a "post-roll catalog view".