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Konajilo Luseni Barrasso
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Cloud computing improves speed, cost and coverage
of HD ad distribution and adoption

NEEDHAM, MA, February 9, 2012 – HD advertising has become an important factor for political campaigns this election year, according to the Q4 2011 HD Advertising Trends Report released today by Extreme Reach, a leading provider of HD video advertising distribution services. The Extreme Reach study shows that political marketers are turning to HD advertising in record numbers to help bolster political campaign efforts. In the fourth quarter of 2011, 35% of political commercials were delivered to local TV media in HD, representing a tenfold increase compared to the same period a year ago—making political advertisers the number one distributors by percentage of HD commercials to local TV media.

Click to Tweet: Political HD Advertising Breaks Records in Q4 2011, #HDAdTrends report: http://bit.ly/pr-020712

HD Advertising Permeates the Political Arena
In the second half of 2010, political marketers were among the least likely to deliver their commercials in high definition with 3% of their ads distributed in HD. Only one year later in the second half of 2011, that picture looks significantly different with 32% of political commercial deliveries in HD.

“Political campaigns are won and lost based on a candidate’s ability to foster a meaningful connection with their public,” said John Roland, CEO of Extreme Reach. “Political advertisers are shifting from delivering SD TV ads to HD TV ads because they’ve recognized the value and necessity of HD advertising in the current cycle. HD advertising delivers higher quality creative with crisp visuals, providing a greater return on investment. Political advertisers are leading the way, taking full advantage of the of the HD format.”

Political Advertisers Gain Opportunity and Edge
Over the last year, HD advertising patterns have converged in three ways to help political advertisers distribute 1-in-3 political TV ads in HD:

• HD expansion brings greater impact to small medium and local markets: Although broadcast media in some small, more rural markets continue to receive commercials primarily in SD, a significant number now accept HD advertising. Often the political battleground for presidential campaigns, advertisers are turning to HD formats to differentiate and strengthen a candidate’s message in these areas as a result of recent rapid HD adoption by local TV media.
• Speed, responsiveness unhampered by HD advertising: New cloud-based advancements in ad distribution enable advertisers to deliver HD commercials to broadcasters within minutes, rather than days. For competitive political ads, speed in responsiveness and rebuttal is essential.
• Higher commercial quality increases ROI: Political commercials must be visually impactful to resonate with audiences. According to Extreme Reach survey findings, 76% of advertisers agreed that HD enables advertisers to stand out and gives them a competitive edge. In addition, 91% agreed that the higher quality of HD improves the perception of the candidate or cause.

About the HD Advertising Trends Report and the HD Advertising Indices
Extreme Reach automatically collects a variety of advertising data through the everyday advertising activities of its clients and affiliates. This report analyzes a portion of that data to reveal detailed trends and insights related to HD TV advertising. For this study, the Extreme Reach Research Group analyzed data from more than 1,550 active television advertisers across 28 verticals, including political advertisers, and nearly every local and network television outlet in the United States and Canada. The analysis draws from a sample of 155,500 SD and HD commercial deliveries completed during the three-month period between October 1 and December 31, 2011. The study also includes previously published statistics from Extreme Reach and Kantar Media.

Methodology
The HD Advertising Trends Report is a quarterly report produced by the Extreme Reach Research Group, aimed at providing advertisers and media companies with the most up-to-date and relevant HD advertising insights. The Extreme Reach Research Group collects data through the everyday advertising activities of Extreme Reach clients and affiliates, analyzing data from client brands, agencies and TV media. The Extreme Reach HD advertising indices provide the industry’s quarterly metrics for HD adoption: The HD Distribution Index and the HD Media Index. Specific details on the research methodology are available in the report. Visit the HD trends page on the Extreme Reach website for the Q4 report and other HD Advertising Trends Reports from previous quarters: extremereach.com/hd-trends.

About Extreme Reach
Extreme Reach is the leading provider of video advertising management, delivery and serving solutions that span all video media. The company’s network seamlessly connects more than 700 post-production houses and over 2,000 advertisers and agencies with more than 18,000 media destinations across the U.S. and Canada, including every major broadcast network. The Extreme Reach video platform simplifies the execution of ad campaigns across video media and is the industry’s only platform that integrates both TV and online video advertising. The company is headquartered in Needham, Mass., with offices in New York, Chicago, Burbank, Detroit, Dallas, Seattle and Louisville.

For more information, visit the Extreme Reach website: extremereach.com.