Blinkx to launch speech-based video ad network

Cory Bergman June 20th, 2007

The video search company Blinkx is expected to debut a new ad network next week that uses speech recognition to target ads in video clips. With “AdHoc,” advertisers will be able to buy keywords that trigger their ads whenever those words are spoken. Not just pre-roll and mid-roll ads, Blinkx will offer lower-third ads or display ads that appear around the player. Video publishers who join the network can integrate the ad serving on their own sites.

Google and others are also working on similar technology, but it looks like Blinkx will be first to market. This is a major development in the online advertising space, and certainly worth watching very closely.