Following Yahoo partnering with Google, it has emerged that Microsoft has partnered with YuMe for the very same reason: distributing and monetizing unsold inventory. To quote Rob Bennett, GM of MSN Entertainment, Video and Sports, ‘We will further maximize the value of our unsold video inventory through YuMe’s robust platform.’
YuMe is a large video ad network and is reported to begin managing Microsoft’s unsold video inventory across online properties (MSN News, Entertainment, Sports) as of later this summer.
Microsoft’s excess inventory of video ads is to be sold by YuMe on targeted packs such as genres and user profile, opening doors to a better monetization.
Microsoft is also reported to start making use of NetworkMe as part of the YuMe deal, gaining a better view and forecasting of the available video inventory. NetworkMe is a feature of the YuMe ad platform that allows publishers to aggregate their video content in private ad networks that are easier to manage and work with.
A bit of background on YuMe if you wish: 400+ sites in their network, serving 150+ million video streams to almost 47 million unique visitors.
You can read the entire press release on YuMe here.
