(18 June 2008 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: US software major Microsoft has announced the acquisition of Navic Networks, a provider of television ad solutions.

Navic's technologies include campaign management tools that use relevant data to optimise the delivery and placement of targeted interactive television media and through Admira provide a unified ad network for targeting audiences across television ad inventory.

With the addition of Navic solutions, Microsoft's ad platform will be able to facilitate enhanced digital advertising across online and offline environments.

Microsoft senior VP of the Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group Brian McAndrews says, "Television media represents the largest percentage of advertisers and agencies' media budget today. Together Navic and Microsoft will deliver addressable television advertising solutions to help our partners better manage media spend by increasing advertiser reach and ROI, and maximizing publisher yield on television advertising."

Together, Microsoft and Navic plan to consult and work with the constituents in the television advertising industry to better understand how its campaign management and advertising platforms for digital television can help advertisers, content owners and distributors maximize yield and achieve their media objectives.

Navic Networks CEO Chet Kanojia says, "Viewers across North America are engaging with relevant advertising and interacting with their TVs in ways never before possible. Joining forces with Microsoft will enable our common vision of addressable television advertising solutions to continue to flourish and better meet the needs of our industry partners.

"While our current business relationships will continue to grow, we look forward to extending our technology into a vast array of new markets and software solutions."

With this acquisition, Navic Networks becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft and will join Microsoft's Advertiser and Publisher Solutions (APS) Group, the group responsible for Microsoft's ad platform that spans all digital media including television and video advertising.

The APS Group includes Atlas, which offers video-on-demand ad solutions.