Adobe is buying Auditude, an online video ad platform. The deal lets Adobe monetize its video publishing tools, according to ZDNet, by integrating Auditude’s ad server with its digital marketing.
The deal is the latest move into Web advertising from Adobe, which was previously known for its software applications such as Flash and Dreamweaver. In January this year Adobe bought data management firm Demdex, as reported in Adweek. The deal marked a clear step toward monetizing Adobe products through online marketing. Demdex helps advertisers and publishers make better sense of their audience data for ad campaigns.
In 2009 Adobe also paid $1.8 billion for the Web analytics firm Omniture. Adobe vice president Todd Teresi says that purchase was the first clear sign that the company intended to diversify into digital marketing. “We signaled our interest in the marketing side of the content equation when we purchased Omniture,” Teresi told MediaPost. “That product, Adobe Digital Marketing Suite, is now a core offering for Adobe.”
Adobe senior vice president David Wadhwani says Auditude will be a key monetization tool for Adobe. "Premium video publishers want to capitalize on the foundational shift to digital,” he said in a statement. “Adobe can now offer an unparalleled platform for authoring, distributing, analyzing, and monetizing digital video experiences."
The financial details of the deal have not been disclosed. But VentureBeat reports that Adobe paid “close to $120 million” for the startup, “according to sources familiar with the matter”.
