LINE Ads Platform for Publishers Launches in August

2019.07.30 Services for Business

●Revamped ad network covers the LINE messaging app, its related services, and over 4,600 external apps and media including two of Japan's largest video apps for maximum user reach

●Planned launch of original sponsorship program to support publishers grow their business and revenue

 

TOKYO – July 30, 2019 – LINE Corporation ("LINE") will be launching "LINE Ads Platform for Publishers," a new advertising network service centered around the LINE Ads Platform, the performance-based ad platform for the LINE messaging app and related services.

 

Since 2016, the LINE Ads Platform has been serving ads to the LINE messaging app and its related services including LINE Timeline, LINE NEWS, LINE BLOG, LINE Manga, and LINE Points. Since going into operation, over 8,000*1 service providers and brands have advertised on the LINE Ads Platform.

 

*1 As of May 2019.

 

New ad network service primarily centered around the LINE Ads Platform begins distributing ads to over 4,600*2 external media from August

Launching on August 1, the LINE Ads Platform for Publishers is LINE's latest marketing solution centered around its current advertising platform, the LINE Ads Platform.

It allows advertisers to serve optimized ads to partner publishers’ apps by leveraging LINE's rich database of targeting data collected through distribution of ads to the LINE messaging app (home to 81 million monthly active users (MAU)*3) and its related services. The LINE Ads Platform for Publishers serves a variety of advertisements, including performance-based ads and branding ads. Because all ad creatives undergo LINE's strict screening process, partner publishers are ensured that their app users receive highly targeted ads mixed with useful information without hindering their user experience. Furthermore, the LINE Ads Platform for Publishers supports image, video, and many other ad formats to give advertisers more flexibility to serve design-rich, eye-catching ads.

Besides ad locations in the messaging app, advertisers can serve ads to LINE's other apps and over 4,600 external apps to reach up to 46 million more MAU*4. LINE and publishers' mutual efforts to leverage each other's targeting data and browsing histories continuously improves the ad platform's targeting capability to serve the most relevant ads catered to every user's specific needs and interests, in and outside of LINE.

 

*2 As of July 2019.

*3 As of June 2019.

*4 Combined MAU of publisher apps as of May 2019. (Does not include redundancies in the LINE Ads Platform for Publishers.)

 

AbemaTV and TikTok join as partner publishers

 

 

The LINE Ads Platform for Publishers begins operating with two strong partner publishers on board—AbemaTV, a video streaming app operated by AbemaTV, Inc., and TikTok, the leading destination for short-form mobile videos. AbemaTV  boasts 22 million*5 MAU in Japan. As a result of the latest partnership, advertisers serving ads through the LINE Ads Platform for Publishers can use TikTok and a portion of AbemaVideo's inventory (AbemaTV's video-on-demand service) to reach a larger and more diverse audience.

 

*5 As of June 2019.

 

Publisher Growth Program expected to launch in as early as fall 2019 to support publishers grow their business and revenue

Through the LINE Ads Platform for Publishers, LINE plans to start a Publisher Growth Program that aims to help publishers grow their business and revenue and consequently expand the ad platform.

The original program provides marketing support using the LINE Official Account such as helping account owners increase their number of friends and send better messages from their account, and tailored support to help every publisher resolve their own unique issues such as using LINE Points to increase app downloads, acquire more users, and improve user retention.

 

*6 Enrollment for the Publisher Growth Program expected to begin in fall 2019. The official schedule will be announced separately.

*7 Publishers must pass a separate screening test to be invited to the program.

 

 

By offering a variety of solutions and making constant improvements to its platform, LINE will continuously provide valuable information touchpoints for both businesses and users, and explore new and diverse ways to serve as communication infrastructure.

 

 

About AbemaTV

AbemaTV is an online TV streaming service that provides free over-the-top video streaming. Completely free of charge, AbemaTV distributes 20 channels offering a variety of programs including original live content, news, music, sports, and drama. The service has been consistently growing its user base since going into full-scale operation in April 2016. As in turning on a television, users can enjoy watching programs on their smartphone, PC, or tablet device without the need to subscribe. Users can also watch their favorite programs anytime, anywhere using the on-demand entertainment feature, AbemaVideo. AbemaVideo has the largest collection of original episodes among all Japanese video streaming services (as of June 2019 based on an internal survey), and offers more than 20,000 episodes at any given time. In addition to supporting the Amazon Fire TV series, Android TV, and other mainstream digital media players, AbemaTV is continuously striving to improve its user experience with convenient functionalities such as a data saving mode that reduces data consumption by half, and a chaser mode that enables anyone joining a program mid-way to start watching from the beginning.