Telekom Slovenije has begun selling advertising airtime on international linear channels AMC and BBC to Slovenian brands, using ad regionalisation technology from video software vendor Synamedia.

The service, announced on 30 September, replaces international ad spots on those channels with locally sold commercials for Slovenian audiences. TSmedia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Telekom Slovenije, manages the operation. Until now, that airtime was effectively locked away from the local market: international channels carried ads sold abroad or none at all, leaving Slovenian advertisers no route into the inventory.

The commercial logic for the operator is straightforward. Telekom Slovenije already delivers these channels to its TV subscribers, and the Synamedia Iris deployment monetises reach it has already built. According to Synamedia, the deployment works within the operator's existing TV architecture — no changes to viewers' set-top boxes are required, and TSmedia can plan and schedule local campaigns through its existing advertising workflows rather than a parallel system.

That last point matters for operators weighing similar moves. Ad insertion projects often stall on integration costs: new middleware, truck rolls to swap boxes, retraining of sales teams. Synamedia's pitch is that Iris avoids both, letting an operator treat international channel inventory as an extension of what it already sells.

Igor Gajster, Managing Director of TSmedia, framed the launch as part of a broader advertising build-out. "Our goal is to provide advertisers with access to high-quality audiences and premium content environments. Synamedia Iris enables us to effectively connect international television content with local advertising opportunities," he said. "With AMC and BBC, we are expanding our TV advertising offering and giving brands new opportunities to engage viewers through relevant and effective campaigns. This marks an important step in the development of our advertising ecosystem, bringing together linear television, digital media and targeted advertising solutions."

Guy Southam, Senior Product Director for Synamedia Iris, positioned the deal as evidence of a wider shift among operators. "International channels have traditionally been difficult for local advertisers to access. We're now seeing operators find new ways to turn the reach of their TV services into valuable local advertising opportunities," he said. "Telekom Slovenije and TSmedia are a great example: creating new value from their existing infrastructure while giving local advertisers new ways to reach premium TV audiences. Synamedia Iris makes this possible with a flexible approach that works within operators' existing TV architecture rather than requiring them to rethink it."

The launch gives TSmedia a foothold in premium international content — the kind of brand-safe environments that command higher CPMs than general local inventory — with just two channel partners at launch. AMC and BBC are the starting set; the model is designed to extend to further international channels as TSmedia signs distribution and ad-sales agreements.

For Synamedia, the Slovenian deployment adds a named European reference for Iris at a time when operators across the region are under pressure to grow ad revenue as an offset to flat connectivity income. The vendor did not disclose contract value or subscriber figures for the deal.

TSmedia says it will continue developing the service as part of its wider advertising ecosystem, combining linear TV, digital media and targeted advertising solutions for Slovenian brands.