AOL has acquired Pictela, a provider of an award-winning global technology platform for serving and distributing high- definition brand content across online advertising and social media.
The transaction brings further scale to AOL’s suite of premium advertising tools for advertisers, agencies and publishers, including the company’s new ‘Project Devil’ display advertising format which AOL intends to roll out further in the UK during Q1 in 2011.
Pictela will remain a separate group within AOL Advertising, based in New York, and will continue to provide its products and services to outside partners.
Deal terms were not disclosed. Pictela joins other strategic acquisitions made by AOL in 2010 including StudioNow, 5min Media, TechCrunch and Thing Labs.
“AOL is committed to providing unique and rich experiences to consumers,” said Kate Burns, Head of AOL Europe. “The addition of the Pictela team will further allow us to lead the way in providing our advertisers with beautiful, content rich, media display formats that meet Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Online Publishers Association (OPA) standards. As we continue evolve the intersection between content and advertising and expand our reach on a global scale, we’re excited to welcome Pictela to our AOL Advertising family.”
Formed in 2009, the Pictela platform delivers videos, photos and applications in real time across the Web in a range of formats that meet IAB and OPA standards. Pictela is certified by some of the world’s largest publishers and is distributed by AOL, Glam Media and Hearst, among others.
“We believe that joining AOL is an outstanding opportunity to combine with a company that is as committed to redefining brand advertising on the Web as we are,” said Greg Rogers, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pictela. “As one of the world’s premium global publishers, AOL will not only be one of our biggest customers, it will also be our greatest resource with the scale, technology and commitment to world-class content to help realize the true potential of the online environment.”
www.pictela.com/platform