Started by Ex-Google Men, Ooyala to Embed Ads Inside Video

Ooyala, a video startup launched by former Google employees, possesses
the lofty - but ultimately unoriginal - goal of maximizing ad
opportunities in video.

The firm it hopes to make objects in video clickable, connecting users
with info that can be added to by other users (a la Wikipedia), in
addition to ads.

According to NewTeeVee, co-founders Bismarck Lepe and Sean Knapp
believe the solution to ad-skipping is to simply increase the ad
opportunities, and in this case, integrate them.

Like Brightcove, Ooyala will be built on its own distribution
platform, Backlot. Aimed at "mid-tier publishers," Ooyala is set to
launch a self-service product next week. A corporate video introduces
Backlot to publishers, proclaiming the interface as "simple, elegant
and intuitive."

During initial testing, Users are most likely to interact with sports
content, with 6 out of 10 clicking on an object. However, only five
percent of those watching drama programs clicked on something.

Ooyala isn't the only startup tinkering on such a technology.
Yesterday we reported on GET Interactive, which is working toward
interactive product placements within video.