Case Study: MediaWorks achieves a 35% increase in available ad inventory with Brightcove Server-Side Ad Insertion

MediaWorks Increases Available Ad Inventory by 35% Using Server-Side Ad Insertion

MediaWorks, New Zealand’s largest independent broadcaster, was building an AVOD business but faced major challenges: legacy infrastructure struggling under rapid online video growth and roughly 25% of users (even higher among younger viewers) blocking ads, which made large audience segments effectively invisible to advertisers. The company needed a TV‑like, high-quality viewing experience that worked across devices and could be monetized reliably.

MediaWorks implemented Brightcove server-side ad insertion (SSAI) to stitch ads into streams before delivery, defeating ad blockers and creating a seamless, TV‑style ad experience on all devices with one stream and one player. The change accelerated deployment, saved months of development and hundreds of thousands of dollars, increased available ad inventory by 35% and lifted time spent viewing by 14% (about three extra minutes), and set the stage to extend SSAI to live streams.

MediaWorks

Tom Cotter

Chief Information and Product Officer