'Proof-Of-Play' For BroadSign International

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Arbitron launches first electronic content playback verification service for Digital Out-of-Home Industry using the Portable People Meter technology.
 
Arbitron Inc. has announced that it has signed an agreement with BroadSign International, a worldwide provider of software solutions for managing digital out-of-home video networks, to deliver a service to audit advertising proof-of-play, using the Portable People Meter (PPM(TM)) technology.
 
Arbitron will use its PPM technology to conduct a series of annual audits capturing when encoded audio and video advertising content is displayed on networked digital screens in 50 random BroadSign-run locations across the United States. The data will be compared with the BroadSign commercial play logs. This verification system equips digital out-of-home networks with base metrics to substantiate return-on-investment to advertisers.
 
"For screen audience numbers to be relevant to advertisers, you have to prove first that their ads played as scheduled and the screens were on," says Brian Dusho, President and Chief Strategy Officer of BroadSign International. "By auditing our proof-of-play reporting system with the help of Arbitron, we are giving our client networks an addedlevel of transparency and assurance for justifying ad rate cards and for their  negotiations with advertisers."
 
Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) is a highly targeted medium. DOOH networks have versatile control over which message will be played where, and whether the screens are on and displaying the right content. The ability to control and target the content creates a logistical challenge for networks' reporting applications.
 
The PPM technology-based proof-of-play audit by Arbitron is the first such service in digital out-of-home industry. It replaces manual monitoring of screens with advanced technology, which simplifies the task of verifying advertising compliance and makes the verification more scalable.
 
"One of the barriers to large-scale media buys in digital out-of-home space has been the lack of standardized metrics," said Alton Adams, Executive Vice President, Arbitron Inc. "The Portable People Meter technology will help establish the first tier of accountability to digital out-of-home advertisers, laying the foundation for any other measurement in this new medium. The PPM technology is well-suited to capture proof-of-play as the technology captures distinct content and the time of broadcast."
 
Arbitron's PPM technology-based audit methodology was successfully tested in December 2007 during a pilot program at BroadSign-run Digital Promo Network, which operates screens in convenience stores across the United States.