The technology powering
geo-blocking and geo-tar-
geting initiatives must simi-
larly be tightly integrated.
As an example, StreamGuys
employs
a
full-stack
approach that closely knits
server-side and player-side
targeting decisions and ad
insertion services to work
seamlessly together end-to-
end.
In this case, geo-blocking
is integrated at the server
level, as savvy users can eas-
ily bypass client-side block-
ing solutions. Geo-targeting
is an option for all of our live
and on-demand streaming
services – including pod-
casting – and is heavily lev-
eraged in our ad insertion
solutions.
For commercial radio broadcasters, listener location can affect
in-market versus out-of-market ratings and performance. Some
ratings organizations allow broadcasters to count both online and
over-the-air audiences towards their station’s rating, but only in the
local market. Geo-targeting enables them to separate in-market
listenership from out-of-market, counting the former towards the
simulcast rating while monetizing the latter with different advertis-
ing and ratings.
While advances in location accuracy, real-time analytics and
ad-insertion decision-making have made geo-targeting increas-
ingly powerful, broadcasters need a strategy that incorporates the
entire production and delivery chain to maximize its effectiveness.
Producers decide relevant geographic policies, which need to be
implemented between the servers and end-user applications. The
decision engine must be integrated between the end-user and the
content. The ad sales team is also integral in developing ad creative
that maximizes the value and relevance of local and national ad
spots.
Additionally,
a
Load
Balancing service integrates
geo-targeting,
allowing
broadcasters to easily lever-
age location functionality.
Furthermore, our SGpasskey
and RevenueStream DRM
and
subscription-based
offerings support geo-loca-
tion policies. Finally, our
SGalerts monitoring and
alerting solution can check
content availability from
various regions, verifying
the integrity and operation
of geo-location functional-
ity and policies. All of these
services ideally represent
a robust geo-blocking and
geo-targeting architecture
for broadcasters.
18 • Broadcast Beat Magazine • www.broadcastbeat.com
Kiriki Delany is the Founder and
President of StreamGuys. He start-
ed StreamGuys in 2000, pioneering
affordable streaming audio for the
world. He enjoys serving content cre-
ators and the broadcast community,
who StreamGuys have co-evolved
with during the information age.