Slimcut Media has launched a new version of its Splitbox autoplay video player for iOS devices, which company founder Damien Véran believes is a first for the industry.
Currently, iOS browsers play video in fullscreen only, making it difficult to run autoplay ads in the background while a user’s looking at site content. That’s meant that the only way to reach iPhone and iPad users with video on mobile sites is through in-stream preroll advertising.
Although in-stream tends to be the best quality ad space, it’s also expensive, and there’s only so much video pre-roll inventory. Slimcut developed the Splitbox video to help publishers boost their desktop and mobile video inventory with quality ad space.
The 100% viewable in-text ad is designed to be less intrusive than a page takeover or pop up. It expands and autoplays on mute while on the user’s screen, then collapses when it finishes.
The unit has been available on Android for some time, but on iOS it hasn’t been feasible because of the fullscreen problem. Since 38.3% of Canadian smartphone subscribers use iOS devices (42.6% in the U.S.), that’s a big gap for Slimcut’s publisher clients and their advertiser partners.
But Véran says Slimcut has found a way to get around the fullscreen mode, and has now adapted its Splitbox ad to work in an iOS environment. He was reluctant to share just how the unit works, since it has yet to be patented. But he did demonstrate the product to Marketing to prove that it does work as advertised.
He said it’s an important development for advertisers, since they now have the opportunity to consistently reach users with outstream video across devices.
IAC, the web publisher behind sites like About.com, College Humor and The Daily Beast, has signed up to do a pilot of the product on select sites.
