Travel Ad Network debuts video ad platform at LonelyPlanet.tv

Travel Ad Network, a vertical ad network, is integrating video advertising with site content on its 50-site network starting with guidebook publisher and travel Web site Lonely Planet.

In March, Lonely Planet launched LonelyPlanet.tv, which features content from its video library, sorted by topic and area. Travel Ad Network is serving pre-roll video ads to monetize the content.

"According to Screen Digest, a London-based research firm, user-generated video accounted for 47 percent of all online video that was watched in the U.S. during 2006," said Cree Lawson, CEO of Travel Ad Network, New York.

"Furthermore, the firm projects that by 2010 more than half of all the video content consumed online in the U.S. will be user-generated, representing 44 billion video streams," Mr. Lawson said. "Our mission is to help travel sites in our network generate new revenue from advertisers who want to take advantage of the increasing number of video views."

While the ad network has served in-banner video for a variety of advertisers in the past, this is the first time the network has introduced an integrated video product.