More on SoundTag

• SoundTag was formed in 1999 at the behest of the Television Programmers Assn Of Latin America and shares the same ownership as TRAKSTAR LLC.
• Cable networks had identified a strategic threat to their business operations from unscrupulous local cable operators suspected of blocking (replacing) network originated commercial spots with local Ads.

• Timely, Accurate, 24/7, "third party" Verification of Advertising & Program Clearance. Other uses of the system include tracking and documentation of program piracy and monitoring the quality of the "received" signal.
• SoundTag was created at the direction of the Television Programmers Association - Latin America ("TAP-LA") in reaction to the demands of the Ad community for a more timely and accurate Ad verification system. SoundTag client list includes ESPN , USA , MGM & FOX and The Weather Channel.

• SoundTag inserts an inaudible watermark into the audio portion of the content being monitored. This watermark can be inserted in individual Spots or programs or applied to an entire feed just prior to the uplink or broadcast. SoundTag can also be applied to TV / Radio content by program providers, production house, Ad agencies, etc.
• The watermarking algorithm we use was approved for use by TAP-LA and Disney / ESPN which assigned the task of completing the technical review on their behalf..

How Does SoundTag Monitor?

• SoundTag maintains "Field-Monitoring Sites" where "decoders" essentially "listen" to TV or radio, record the presence of the watermarks (or lack thereof) and report back to a central database. Thirty days of audio are recorded for forensic purposes. This data is combined with data gathered from the Traffic & Play-out systems at the media outlet to create reports.

• Argentina: Buenos Aires , Mendoza, Rosario
• Chile: Santiago
• Mexico: Mexico City , Guadalajara

• Canal FOX
• FOX Sports
• Fox Kids (Disney)
• ESPN
• MGM
• USA

• SoundTag generates multiple, separate feed reports for each of these Nets that reflect their Ad Sales priorities. In some cases, watermark encoders are made available to regional sales so that local insertions may be monitored and reported within the same reports as those spots placed pan-regionally.
• Examples of separate feed reports include: East & West, North & South , Chile Only, etc.

• The pan-regional Networks at the behest of the Agencies sponsored SoundTag. The Agencies defined the original form of the reports before the system was built. (SoundTag Advisory Council then chaired by Starcom).
• SoundTag is a fully automated, 24/7 monitoring system that is not subject to human errors of omission or misidentification. The forensic level of evidence it supplies adds credibility to purchase & sale. inexpensive: $11-$16 per/day, per system + initial set up.
• SoundTag's clearance reports look like "orders", enabling the network & agency personnel who manage clearances and "make-goods" to see their data in the "order" context. As SoundTag systems are integrated with the Traffic & Play-out systems at the media outlet. Its data supports what was actually received in the markets as well as what was actually aired by media. SoundTag determines why a particular spot was blocked or time-shifted and delivers forensic evidence required by the networks to credibly "discourage" spot blocking.