DTMF ad insertion for your online stream
While the TV broadcast runs a commercial break, online viewers see their own ads. We read DTMF cues straight from the studio signal, fit ads exactly into the break and return viewers to the live stream when the programme resumes. No operator, no manual schedule.
How DTMF ad insertion works
Before and after each commercial break, the studio sends a cue in the audio: a short sequence of tones, like the ones from phone keys. Regional stations have long used these cues to replace national ads with local ones. We've applied the same principle to the online stream.
Our server continuously listens to the broadcast audio and detects the cue. As soon as it arrives, each viewer's player starts the ad at the right moment. The second cue marks the end of the break: the player finishes the ad and returns to the live stream.
Frame-accurate break timing
Viewers watch with a delay, and each viewer's delay is different. So instead of starting ads "right now", we anchor the cue to a timestamp in the stream itself. The player knows which moment of the broadcast it is showing and starts the ad exactly when the break reaches that viewer. The end of the programme isn't cut off, and the ad is never late.
What it gives the channel
- Extra revenue from every commercial break, and there are dozens a day
- Ads never cut into programmes, unlike timer-based mid-rolls
- Inventory for direct sales: the online audience can be sold separately from TV airtime
- No manual work: fully automatic, around the clock
- Failsafe: if a cue arrives corrupted, the system won't run an ad over the programme
What we need from the studio
Just DTMF cues in the broadcast audio, which many channels already send for regional opt-outs. If you don't have cues yet, they can be added to your playout automation in a few minutes. Any cue code works; we adapt to yours.
FAQ
What if a cue doesn't arrive or is noisy?
The detector accepts a cue even with dropped tones, and there's a safeguard for lost cues: if a full cue follows a fragment, the system recognises it as the end of the break and won't run an ad over the programme.
Can viewers hear the cue?
The cue is a sound shorter than one second. It can be left as is or muted for online viewers, as the channel prefers.
Whose ads run in the break?
Yandex and Google ads through your ad units, plus your own direct campaigns. If no ad is available, viewers see the TV commercials, just as on air.
Do we need consent from our TV advertisers?
Replacement only affects online viewers; the TV broadcast is unchanged. If the channel has contracts requiring an ad to run online too, we don't replace those breaks.
See also
See your channel live on our platform in one day
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