Three MCNs Launch YouTube In-Stream Ad Network

## Three MCNs Lead Innovation in YouTube In-Stream Advertising: Direct Targeting Network Launched Korea's major MCN (Multi-Channel Network) companies, Treasure Hunter, Collab Korea, and Sandbox Network, have joined forces to launch a new in-stream advertising network specifically for YouTube channels. This heralds an innovative shift from Google's existing automated ad auction system, allowing advertisers to directly select specific YouTube channels to run in-stream ads such as pre-roll and mid-roll. The new network provides advertisers with unprecedented targeting accuracy. Now, a sports drink brand can display ads only on channels of creators specializing in sports, or deliver messages more precisely to their audience in conjunction with branded content and performance marketing, ensuring desired exposure during the campaign period. This maximizes ad efficiency and, at the same time, offers the significant advantage of executing ads while ensuring 'brand safety' within the highly trustworthy environment provided by MCN partner channels. For creators and MCNs, opportunities to significantly increase channel ad value and generate stable revenue are expanding. Song Jae-ryong, CEO of Treasure Hunter, emphasized that the launch of this network will be "a significant turning point leading the qualitative growth of the domestic digital advertising market," and expressed expectations for substantial future sales performance based on successful references, such as Collab Korea's Lim Young-woong channel in-stream ad case. The advertising industry is warmly welcoming this collaboration, evaluating it as having "opened a new horizon for YouTube ad execution." In addition to increasing ad efficiency, it is expected to bring positive ripple effects across the entire creator economy through the vast pool of channels held by the three MCN companies. Advertising specialists like KT Nasmedia and Havas Korea have expressed expectations that this change will be a major turning point for the domestic digital advertising industry. Furthermore, this advertising network is wide open to all YouTube channels, including domestic and international production studios and independent individual channels, not just those affiliated with the three companies. As active participation is expected from channels that had difficulty with their own ad sales, it is anticipated to continuously expand the network and further enrich the ecosystem of the domestic digital advertising industry.