Ad Insertion

MainstreamNetwork was the first to successfully deploy an ad replacement technology and to enable our clients with the ability to monetize their internet broadcasts. With our proprietary software, that was developed by our own developers, you are not limited to replacing only fixed length ads. Our solution is able to replace any advertisement that is between 5 and 72 seconds.

Digital Automation Systems

Ad replacement solutions require a connection to an automation system. Most systems provide multiple ways to receive the needed data. Based on our deployment with hundred of radio stations, we have built our system to receive the data in all requested formats including file, serial, xml, and tcp/ip.

Integration with your automation system is completed with a simple interface that we have included in our Syrinx Broadcaster software. Most systems require simply selecting the appropriate system from a list and checking a box indicating the type of data that the system will be sending. To further simplify the process, our technicians have free remote software available for download that will allow them to complete the setup process for you on your computer.

We work with every automation system that has been brought to our attention by our clients. When a station has a new DAS system that we do not work with, we build an interface to integrate with it. We currently work with the following systems.

Ad Scheduling

Scheduling of your advertisements is completed via our web-based interface that is located on our BroadCaster Control website. We are aware that you do not have the time to schedule another radio station in addition to your on-air broadcast; so although our scheduling system provides many options that allow you to schedule the ads with the flexibility that you need, it is very simple to use.

Ad Lengths

You are able to schedule ads that are specified as 10-second, 15-second, 30-second, and 60-second. This will allow you to replace any advertisement that are between 5 and 72 seconds. When an ad is played over the air, we will select an ad that closest fits the length of the on-air ad and stretch or compress the scheduled replacement to fit.

We will stretch or compress as far as we can without reducing the audio quality and then attach an audio buffer to the front and back of the ad if needed. Doing this will prevent any on-air programming from bleeding through and by adding the buffer to the front and back of the event, the length of the buffer will be minimized for the best possible quality.

Schedule and Fill

You are able to create two different types of ad replacements. "Scheduled" ads are given priority as it is understood that ads in this category are paid spots. "Fill" ads can be promos or anything else that you would like to run in case there are no paid ads to be run for a given event or period.

Impressions refer to the number of people that will hear an ad. The default setting for campaigns are to run an ad as many times as possible over the date range of a campaign. You are able to specify the maximum amount of impressions that can be run for a campaign. As soon as the specified limit is reached, the campaign will automatically be pulled from rotation.

Daily Impressions

This option allows you to specify the maximum number of impressions that can be reached in any given day. As soon as the specified limit is reached, the campaign will automatically be pulled from rotation.

Total Play

"Total Play" refers to the number of times that an ad will be played regardless of how many people will hear an ad. The default setting for campaigns are to play an ad as many times as possible within the scheduled rotation over the date range of a campaign. You are able to specify the maximum amount of times that an ad can be run for a campaign. As soon as the specified limit is reached, the campaign will automatically be pulled from rotation.

Daily Play

This option allows you to specify the maximum number of times an ad will be played each day. As soon as the specified limit is reached, the campaign will automatically be pulled from rotation.

Hourly Play

This option allows you to specify the maximum number of times an ad will be played each hour. As soon as the specified limit is reached, the campaign will automatically be pulled from rotation for the current hour.

Flight Creative The flight audio can be uploaded in any form of MP3 or Wave. As soon as the audio is uploaded, we will automatically convert it to the proper format and normalize the volume. This ensures that all audio that is uploaded will have a uniform sound regardless of who schedules it or where it comes from.

All scheduled campaigns are rotated equally and each campaign allows you to schedule up to three different pieces of flight audio to each campaign rotation. By default all flight audio will be equally rotated. If you prefer to specify additional requirements for each flight, several options are available.

Day Part

You are able to specify separate day-parts for each flight audio. With this option you can have one flight audio in the morning, one at lunch, and one at night.
Days of week You can further customize the flight by specifying the day of week that an flight can run. You can specify different days of the week or have all the flights run every day.

Days of the Week

You can further customize the flight by specifying the day of week that an flight can run. You can specify different days of the week or have all the flights run every day.

Banner Ads with Placement

When an ad replacement is inserted into your programming, the player will update itself automatically with graphics that are synchronized with the flight audio. This feature allows you to schedule a 300x250 standard sized banner.

300x250 Graphic

You can upload a standard sized banner in gif or jpg format to our servers or point to a graphic located on another server. In either case, the graphic will appear in-real time synchronized with when a flight from the campaign is played.

Click-through URL

This is the URL that will be used for both the 300x250 graphic. When a listener clicks on the graphic, a new browser window will open and display the specified page.

Play ads only once per break

The system will only play a specific ad only once in any break.

Ad Balancing

The default setting for all flights is to rotate ads equally and play them as often as possible. You can specify that a fill(promo) ad play once for a specified number of scheduled(paid) ads. You can set the system to play one fill for every two scheduled or one fill for every 10 scheduled. The combination can be whatever you specify.

Hour Limit

Selecting this option will cause the system to allow ads to play only once each hour. This will prevent repetition when only a few replacements are scheduled.

Block All Ads

By default, the system will block all events that are marked as commercials by the Digital Automation System.

Block Ads With Character

Selecting this option will set the system so that only ads with a specified character in their event name will be blocked. All other spots will be allowed to play. This feature is useful if a station wants to stream most of their advertising but need to block a few national spots.

Play Ads With Character

This option will cause the system to block all ads except those that are marked with a specific character in their event name. This is a useful feature when there is a specific local ad that should be played both on the air and over the internet.

Default Audio

No Dead-Air EVER! If you have not scheduled ads or if you do not have enough content to cover all over-the-air ads, we run a default audio cut that tells the listeners that the station is in a commercial break. You can customize this piece of audio yourself or use the cut that we provide.

Ad Reporting

Detailed reporting for your ad replacement campaigns is available through our Broadcaster Control Website. There are several areas that the statistics are made available.

The Scheduled Inventory report will provide a summary for all ad replacements for a specified period. The information available on the summary report includes the total times that an ad was played, total impressions, and total clicks.

The MainstreamNetwork Campaign Report provides detailed statistics for a selected campaign. The report includes a section containing totals for the campaign and another section that summarizes the data on a monthly basis or a detailed breakdown by day.

The replacement Play Log provides a detailed report of each time that a replacement ad played for a specified period.

Recommended SoundCards

- Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro Series
- Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Elite Pro
- AudioScience ASI5111 (Windows WDM/Combo driver required)

Compatible SoundCards

- Orban Optimod-PC 1100 (Windows WDM driver required)
- M-Audio Delta 44
- M-Audio Delta 66
- Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Fatal1ty
- Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI Express
- Creative SoundBlaster Audigy Value 24-bit
- Any other SoundBlaster compatible soundcard.