YuMe, Inc. (NYSE: YUME), a proven partner for video advertising leadership and innovation, today introduced the YuMe Connected TV (CTV) SDK, designed to help publishers and advertisers engage audiences with TV-like, full screen ad experiences on connected devices. Advertisers and publishers can now reach consumers on multiple CTV platforms with YuMe’s integrated solution that delivers CTV ad campaigns programmatically. The YuMe CTV SDK currently integrates with top streaming media devices Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.

Popcornflix, a leading AVOD service with applications across Roku, Amazon FireTV, AppleTV, Xbox One, Playstation, iOS, Android, and other OTT devices, is the first publisher to activate CTV campaigns with the new YuMe solution.

“Our partnership with YuMe is fundamentally changing the way we monetize CTV inventory,” said Ben Saxton, Director of Digital Product, Popcornflix. “We’re able to tap into greater demand from an expanding range of CTV platforms, and seamlessly deliver new highly engaging interactive ad experiences. The YuMe CTV SDK allows us to execute unified campaigns across platforms, and deliver higher value to our advertisers. It’s a win-win for us and our advertisers.”

According to eMarketer, Connected TV users will represent 71.2% of internet users by 2020, with 168.1 million U.S. connected TV users, paving the way for a large audience base for CTV advertisers.

“The future of TV is connected. CTV combines the targeting power of digital with the scale and reach of traditional TV,” said Venkat Krishnan, Senior Vice President of Product, YuMe. “YuMe pioneered the CTV market with CTV integrations with LG and Samsung in 2011. Since then we have continued to innovate with data-driven targeting capabilities and deeply engaging ad formats. Our latest SDK unlocks valuable data that allows CTV publishers to better monetize their inventory, and advertisers to target the right audience with their message to deliver higher brand ROI.”

YuMe’s integrated solution allows advertisers to better target and reach audiences at scale across CTV devices. Consumers benefit as well from more engaging and relevant ad experiences. The YuMe CTV SDK is part of a broader portfolio of Multi-Screen Audience SDKs from YuMe that include a multitude of digital screens, from mobile and tablet to desktop, and now Connected TV. YuMe’s Multi-Screen Audience SDKs increase publisher access to monetization opportunities across multiple platforms and enable inventory to be sold programmatically across devices. Advertisers benefit by being able to reach relevant audiences programmatically across both CTV and non-CTV devices with customized and highly relevant ads.

The YuMe CTV SDK offers publishers and advertisers the following benefits:

Publishers

  • Increased Ability to Monetize Premium Inventory. Offers access to Ad Age Top 100 advertisers with TV media budgets. Can help publishers to monetize a higher proportion of premium inventory across available CTV platforms.
  • Programmatic Inventory. Supports Open RTB specification to make inventory available programmatically. Competitive CPMs with high fill rates for pre-roll and interactive video ads.
  • Easy Integration with Leading Video Players. Hosted SDK architecture support for Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.
  • World-Class Publisher Support Team. Expert resources available from integration as well as ongoing support to maximize performance.

Advertisers

  • Improved Audience Targeting. The CTV SDK incorporates data from device detection, player dimensions, and location for improved audience targeting to ensure higher relevancy for viewers.
  • Optimal Ad Frequency. Flexible implementation of frequency caps across supported CTV platforms.
  • New Creative Ad Formats that Drive Higher Engagement. Offers three new interactive video ad units to drive higher viewer engagement: customizable microsite; geo locator with a map of nearest relevant locations; and deep linking to connect viewers to a title, app feature or app download.
  • Detailed Reporting and Measurement. Built in viewability measurement, and fine grained reporting metrics for custom ad experiences including time spent.

The YuMe CTV SDK is available now globally. To learn more about the YuMe CTV SDK, please visit: https://www.yume.com/ctv-publishers and https://www.yume.com/ctv-advertisers.

About YuMe

YuMe is a proven partner for video advertising leadership and innovation. We reach valuable, data validated audiences on any connected TV or digital screen with programmatic brand advertising solutions that increase brand favorability and sales. Our software and technologies combine with unrelenting service to help brand advertisers engage audiences wherever they interact with content that matches their needs and interests. Our brand solutions incorporate data-driven audience insights to help brand advertisers reach and influence their most promising audiences. Brand advertisers benefit from higher awareness, positive perception, purchase intent and sales. YuMe is headquartered in Redwood City, California, with worldwide offices. For more information, visit www.YuMe.com, follow @YuMevideo on Twitter (www.twitter.com/YuMevideo), or like YuMe on Facebook at www.facebook.com/YuMevideo.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including those in management quotations. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the words "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "plan," "objective," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "project," "potential," "continue" and "ongoing," or the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology intended to identify statements about the future. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements about the future of CTV and the capabilities of the YuMe Connected TV CTV SDK; market trends; and quotations from management. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results and the timing of events to differ materially from future results that are expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These risks are discussed under "Risk Factors" in YuMe’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2017 that has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and in our future filings and reports with the SEC. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to YuMe as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.