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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Yes: technology can add brand imagery to footage after a show or film has been made, without reshooting the scene. Mirriad was the central example in 2021 reporting on this approach, known as virtual product placement. The idea is to create new advertising inventory from existing content; it does not mean every scene can be altered convincingly, cheaply or without permission.
What virtual product placement changes
Traditional product placement is planned during production: a real product or logo appears while a scene is filmed. Virtual product placement instead composites brand imagery into finished footage during post-production. In principle, that image can later be replaced with a different placement, so the same program could carry different advertising at different times or in different markets.
A BBC report published 18 April 2021 showed the concept with a Chinese television scene: one image had an empty area in the upper-left corner, while another had a Coca-Cola advertisement digitally added there. The report said Mirriad technology was being used by a Chinese streaming website and described placements as potentially changeable weeks, months or years later. That is a historical example, not evidence that a particular title or service offers the feature today. BBC News, 18 April 2021
How the insertion is supposed to work
Mirriad CEO Stephan Beringer told the BBC that the system reads an image’s depth, motion and fabric so new imagery can be introduced after filming. This is his description of the company’s technology, not an independent performance test. The broader process is digital compositing: an inserted logo, sign or other image must be made to sit plausibly within the shot as the camera and objects move. The published examples do not establish that every object, angle or scene can be edited invisibly or economically.
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Futurism’s 20 April 2021 coverage of Mirriad also reported Ryff’s claim that placements could be tailored to individual viewers. That is a different proposition from adding a fixed image to a finished scene: individualized targeting would require a system to vary the placement for viewers. The claim should be understood as vendor-reported capability, not a guarantee of broad availability or results. Futurism, 20 April 2021
Why media companies and advertisers are interested
For rights holders, the commercial appeal is the chance to create another advertising opportunity from a media library without arranging a new shoot. Advertisers may gain a placement integrated into a program rather than a conventional ad break. But the placement still has to make sense in the scene, and the people who control the footage must be willing and able to authorize the change.
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The scale of the opportunity should not be confused with a current market forecast. BBC News reported that PQ Media valued global product placement across films, television shows and music videos at $20.6 billion in 2019, with the category’s value up 15% globally that year. Those are 2019 figures, not current market size or growth data. BBC News, citing PQ Media
It is not just one company’s idea
In May 2022, TechCrunch reported that Amazon’s virtual product placement tool was in beta and that Peacock had announced “In-Scene” ads; both were described as digital insertions made after production. These were dated platform announcements and do not establish current status. TechCrunch also reported Amazon’s claimed results for a demonstrated M&M’s placement, but one company-reported example does not prove typical campaign performance or audience response. TechCrunch, 17 May 2022
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Other vendors describe related services. ReelBlend presents a platform using AI and computer vision for post-production insertion into existing footage, including archive films, and displays a Rocket Eyewear example. Rembrand has described a generative-AI placement service and reported an investment announcement made in June 2023. These are vendor descriptions and company-reported history; they do not independently establish scale, inventory, current availability or campaign outcomes. ReelBlend, For Advertisers; Rembrand, company post
Permission, approvals and creative control still matter
Editing technology does not grant the right to alter a film or show. The relevant rights may depend on who controls the footage, the territories and distribution covered, existing contracts, and who can approve a new commercial use. Local rules and existing agreements can also constrain what may appear and where. In a 2022 account of Accenture Song’s virtual-placement work, The Drum described rights, country-by-country regulation, stakeholder balance and scene coherence as barriers to scaling the approach on television. The Drum, 17 May 2022
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Amazon Studios’ production guidance offers one specific example of how a rights holder may govern placements: for the covered Amazon/MGM productions, it calls for advance approvals from creative, production, legal and promotions or partnerships stakeholders, legal review and placement tracking. It also says a placement must not take creative control from the studio and restricts endorsement obligations. This is guidance for the productions it covers, not a universal rule for all studios or a statement of law. Amazon Studios, Production guidance
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The trade-off: new ad space versus the work’s original look
A placement can be technically plausible and still feel wrong. A modern logo in a period drama may be anachronistic; an image that draws the eye can interrupt a scene or change the way viewers experience the work. Film critic Anne Billson raised both copyright and artistic-integrity concerns in the BBC’s 2021 report, asking about the legal position when a copyrighted work is digitally reworked and whether advertisers would need to buy the film before altering it. Those questions underscore that permission and creative judgment are separate from technical capability.
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Production-side enthusiasm is not the same as proof of viewer approval. Henrik Bastin, chief executive of Fabel Entertainment and executive producer of Bosch: Legacy, told TechCrunch in 2022 that virtual placement could let a production finish its cut before deciding where products might fit naturally. That describes a potential workflow advantage for producers; it does not demonstrate audience response or commercial success. TechCrunch, 17 May 2022
What this means for viewers and creators
For viewers, the format could put advertising inside a scene instead of in a break, and the imagery might differ across versions or over time. Whether that feels less disruptive depends on the scene and execution. For creators and rights holders, the decision is not simply whether an image can be inserted: it is whether the altered version is authorized, consistent with contracts and rules, and faithful enough to the work’s intended look.
For advertisers and media owners, this is a business-to-business service and rights question, not a consumer gadget purchase. Historical announcements and vendor pages show that several organizations have pursued post-production insertion, but they do not by themselves establish which catalogs, platforms or campaigns are available now.
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