Dates_picBlinkx, the internet [tag-tec]video search engine[/tag-tec], has signed a contract to provide search functionality for the new version of RealPlayer, a deal that will drive the number of searches it conducts every day well past its current four million.

Blinkx, has also launched a video advertising platform. The [tag]AdHoc[/tag] platform, which is available immediately, will allow advertisers to accurately attach marketing material to the millions of hours of video content that consumers are watching every day.

[tag-ice]Blinkx[/tag-ice] has signed a global partnership to integrate its video search technology into the new version of RealPlayer, which will enable users to search for content to download and store on their computers. Previous versions of RealPlayer have only had access to RealNetworks’ small library of video content but the deal with Blinkx will offer the media player’s users access to around 12 million hours of content.

Although it might be hard to forecast what effect the deal will have on Blinkx’s search numbers, a benefit that Blinkx will derive from the deal is increased brand awareness as the term “powered by Blinkx” will appear next to the search box on the RealPlayer.

Blinx’s recent deal with [tag]Ask.com[/tag] has already boosted the number of searches it conducts each day to four million compared to the 1.2 million it announced when it listed in May. The spike in usage illustrates the rapid growth in consumer interest in online video.

[tag]Blinkx[/tag] provides the critical link between the consumer and the fragmented online video content industry. Unlike other text based technologies that use often misleading text tags attached to the descriptions of videos, Blinkx’s platform can comprehend what is in the video clip and thus deliver more accurate results to the user.

Given that Blinkx has the ability to more accurately search for relevant video content, the company has decided the time is ripe to launch AdHoc, a new platform that gives advertisers the ability to attach advertisements to online videos. The platform should work particularly well in the context of the increasing amounts of do-it-yourself instructional videos appearing online as it could offer viewers the opportunity to buy the necessary products while watching the video.

A Blinkx spokesman said the platform worked just as well in other contexts such as entertainment videos. For example, the technology can detect products used within feature films such as the brand of sunglasses worn by an actor or even exotic locations in the story and place appropriate advertisements to match the content either before, during or after the film.

Trials with some films have already demonstrated the technology’s potential. The spokeman said that such targeted advertising meant advertisers would not waste money on vague assumptions about who was watching a television show or visiting a web site.

“[tag]AdHoc[/tag] is about knowing who is watching the content and why, because they searched for it,” said the spokesman. He described video as the “next frontier” of the advertising market as it can provide “unrivaled relevance” by harnessing the burgeoning online video market.

Filed under: internet video news

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