Ad firm inserts ads server-side to evade ad-blockers
Amagi Media Labs claims to have discovered a way of circumventing ad-blockers through its new product, Thunderstorm - an OTT cloud-based ad insertion platform. Using a patented content watermarking technology, the platform serves targeted ads for premium live sports and news feeds. It inserts ads on the server side of the web page rather than the usual client side, which makes the ads compatible with multiple devices and means they can be packaged with content in a linear steam to avoid detection by ad-blockers.

BENGALURU: Ad tech companies are increasingly looking for ways to circumvent ad blockers, by introducing software products that integrate ads into the server side, preventing ad blockers from identifying an advertisement on end users' Smart TVs, smartphones and desktop users.Mayfield-backed Amagi Media Labs recently introduced their product Thunderstorm, an OTT cloud-based ad-insertion platform that delivers targeted advertising for premium live sports and news feeds using a patented content watermarking technology."Through Thunderstorm, TV networks can dynamically insert ads on the server side, as opposed to traditional client-side insertion, monetising video on every screen without any dependency on device apps," said KA Srinivasan, co-founder of Amagi.Since the advertisement is stitched into the server side, the product allows broadcasters to integrate multiple ad formats, eliminating the need to create device driven OTT ads, making ads compatible across various screens.The platform packages content and targeted ads together in a linear stream, resulting in zero detection by ad blockers.Similarly, AdSparx, which provides dynamic ad-insertion for OTT platforms, is also inserting personalised and targeted advertisements into the content stream, preventing any detection from ad blockers."Subverting ad blockers is a $22-billion problem globally for publishers, as the number of people installing ad blockers is increasing, causing a significant loss of revenue," said Kunal Lagwankar, cofounder of AdSparx.According to Page Fair, an Irish startup that helps companies subvert ad blockers, there are 198 million active ad block users across the world.In India, the number of users went up from 2 million in 2014, to 4 million in early 2015. "Up to 40% of Indian devices have ad blockers installed in them, most being desktops," added Lagwankar.While a growing number of ad tech players aim to circumvent ad blockers, few believe it invades user privacy and have no immediate plans of creating products for the same.