Belgian public broadcaster RTBF has moved its advertising workflow to server-guided ad insertion, adopting a new system from Bitmovin and Ad Insertion Platform that is designed to improve monetization across live and time-shifted streaming.
The deployment replaces RTBF’s legacy client-side ad insertion and server-side ad insertion workflows with a standards-based SGAI system built on HLS Interstitials.
Ad Insertion Platform provides the underlying SGAI infrastructure and ad-routing technology through its AdBlendr platform, while Bitmovin’s Player handles playback across connected televisions, mobile devices and web browsers.
The companies said the setup allows RTBF to monetize long live streams without generating individual manifests for every viewer, while also consolidating live and on-demand advertising inventory within the same workflow.
That capability is particularly relevant for sports programming. During FIFA World Cup coverage, for example, viewers could rewind matches and watch portions of the broadcast after they originally aired. Under the new system, RTBF can dynamically fill advertising opportunities during both live and time-shifted playback.
The deployment also involved Red Bee Media, Dotscreen and RMB: Red Bee Media integrated the technology stack and coordinated interfaces between the participating vendors. Dotscreen developed, integrated and maintains RTBF’s applications across platforms, while RMB oversees advertising sales and commercial monetization.
Bitmovin said its Player supports the deployment across Samsung, LG, Android TV, Fire TV, Hisense smart televisions, web browsers, iOS and Android.
RTBF is also using Bitmovin’s Observability platform to monitor playback and advertising performance in real time across those environments. The companies said the data gives RTBF greater visibility into how advertising inventory performs across devices and can inform optimization and sales.
James Varndell, the Vice President of Product, Playback at Bitmovin, said the deployment demonstrates how SGAI can open additional advertising opportunities in streaming by combining dynamic ad delivery with a more scalable technical architecture.
“There’s significant untapped advertising growth potential in video streaming, and as this first deployment of SGAI between Bitmovin & AIP demonstrates, SGAI is key to unlocking exciting new monetization opportunities,” James Varndell, the Vice President of Product and Playback at Bitmovin, said on Monday. “Deep integration between Bitmovin and AIP’s technologies enabled RTBF to seamlessly migrate its channels to SGAI workflows, giving the broadcaster the capabilities it needs to optimize every ad opportunity.”
Laurent Potesta, the CEO of Ad Insertion Platform, said the system was designed to increase monetization without adding unnecessary complexity or degrading the viewing experience.
“Broadcasters are looking for ad solutions that increase revenue without adding complexity or compromising the viewing experience,” Potesta said in a statement. “This deployment demonstrates how standards-based SGAI can deliver on both fronts. By combining our AdBlendr platform with Bitmovin’s playback technology, RTBF has modernized its ad monetization workflow and unlocked valuable inventory that was previously difficult to monetize.”
All RTBF channels are now live on the SGAI workflow, making the deployment the broadcaster’s primary streaming monetization system.
