In comScore’s monthly ranking of video advertising properties, AOL reached the top spot for the time. It  ranked #1 in video ad reach, serving ads to 53.8 percent of the total U.S. population in October. BrightRoll Platform came in second with 52.3 percent reach, followed by LiveRail with 52.1 percent, SpotXchange Video Advertising Platform with 51.6 percent and Q1Media – AdExcite Video Platform with 50.5 percent.

In a separate ranking of the popularity of video properties, AOL came in third behind Google (YouTube) and Facebook, with 86 million unique viewers.

Both rankings only calculate desktop use.

For AOL’s ad ranking, the increase has come largely as a result of the company’s move into programmatic advertising – providing a platform for both publishers (outside of AOL) and for advertisers.  In its last earnings report, the company said that most of its income is now coming from its programmatic operations.

BrigthRoll, which has held the top spot in the comScore rankings for some months, was just acquired by Yahoo.

Recently, we sat down with Bob Lord, CEO Of AOL Platforms, to talk about the factors leading to the explosive growth in programmatic advertising.   We have republished that interview today.