StreamGuys Multimedia Player Supports Video Ad Insertions for Commercial Internet Radio Station
95.5 The Fish transitions to SGplayer, an interactive HTML5 player that reliably streams music and revenue-generating ads to mobile devices
Bayside, California(03 Sep 2014)
Last November, StreamGuys announced a new HTML5 multimedia player to help broadcasters and streaming services expand online and mobile audiences through its all-inclusive, multiplatform approach to content delivery. Now, a major commercial broadcaster has upgraded one of its stations to the interactive player to achieve both reliable multiplatform streaming; and revenue generation through video ad insertions.
The broadcaster, Salem Communications of Northeast Ohio, has transitioned the live online stream for WHFM-FM, better known as 95.5 The Fish, to StreamGuys’ multimedia player. Newly branded as SGplayer, the interactive player supports all popular mobile devices in alignment with the HTML5 markup language – a significant upgrade from the previous CDN’s player, which was only compatible with desktop devices.
Salem Communications of Northeast Ohio’s other primary motivation for the switch was StreamGuys’ dynamic ad insertion capability. StreamGuys has long supported dynamic ad insertions in the form of audio pre-rolls, mid-rolls and post-rolls, as well as single-client video insertions. The latest incarnation of SGplayer supports video pre-rolls for multiple advertisers—a key requirement for 95.5 The Fish. SGplayer’s dynamic interface rotates a series of ads, serving each unique visitor with a sponsor’s message. The player displays a static companion banner associated with the ad following its conclusion on the right side of the player. This detail remains visible for the visitor’s duration alongside artist and title information, album art, purchase links, social media icons, and other metadata related to the live music stream.
In addition to supporting multiplatform delivery and video pre-rolls, StreamGuys customized an affordable turnkey streaming package for the live radio signal that, along with the revenue-generating ad opportunities, offers a quick return on investment for the station.
“The transition to StreamGuys quickly solved the problems we faced with buffering issues and signal drops across a variety of mobile devices,” said Mark Jaycox, general manager, Salem Communications of Northeast Ohio. “A large majority of internet radio streaming is moving to mobile devices. It was critical to get that under control before we significantly damaged our mobile initiative.
“As important as it was to improve our mobile reach, it was just as important to move our video pre-roll offerings to the next level as we have been very aggressive at selling that inventory,” Jaycox continued. “StreamGuys pulled its engineering team together to enhance its player, and did some groundbreaking work. SGplayer delivers more information than our previous player, and provides that extra real estate to sell our advertisers. You can now see the client’s logo in a couple of spots after the video concludes. That upped the ‘sellability’ for us, allowing us to generate more revenue than what was possible before.”
Jaycox notes that the live stream attracts nearly 35,000 unique visitors a month, the large majority of which fall into the 25-54 female demo—a highly coveted audience for radio advertisers. He expects to transition additional Salem Broadcasting Cleveland stations to SGplayer moving forward.
“StreamGuys has been very responsive and proactive in making sure our requirements were exceeded,” said Jaycox. “The design of the player is appealing to listeners and advertisers alike, and offers exceptional value and reliability at a very affordable price point.”
About StreamGuys, Inc.
In business since 2000, StreamGuys is a provider of audio and video streaming toolsets and services. The company has a reputation for outstanding customer service, a robust and reliable network, and competitive rates. More than 600 clients worldwide, across many industries, depend on their mission-critical service. Projects include serving as the technology backbone for live streaming/podcasting for top public broadcasters such as New York Public Radio, WAMU Washington D.C., KQED San Francisco and WXPN Philadelphia; live video events for major auto racing circuits and the British Royal Wedding; audio streaming for government entities such as D.C. Court of Appeals, U.S. Army, and the National Science Foundation; mobile video content for Cisco Systems; and IPTV content for international broadcaster ABS-CBN.
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