iWorld
2016: Hotstar is Apple TV’s & Voot Google Play’s top app
MUMBAI: Hotstar has appropriated the top spot on amazing iTunes as Apple TV’s app of the year for India 2016. The app was launched on Apple TV in August and the recognition comes on the back of a breakthrough year in which Hotstar continued to lead and disrupt the Indian market place. Indiantelevision.com also reported about a similar recognition in the digital space yesterday. In its year of launch, Viacom18’s video-on demand platform, Voot made it to the prestigious -Best Apps of the year 2016 India list on Google Play.
2016 saw Hotstar introduce a host of new tech features and content proposition for its ever-increasing number of consumers, which currently stands at a whopping 130 million downloads.
“India is the only country in the world where a streaming platform like Hotstar exists where the best TV shows from around the world, movie premieres and live sports are available on a single platform. The Indian consumer today is absolutely at the frontiers of mobile video: no consumer in any other part of the world has access to better options than the Indian consumer. Now, we are setting our sights on shaping the connected TV experience in India,” said Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan.
While innovation on live sports streaming continued to draw fans with the deeply engaging coverage of the Vivo IPL 2016, Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Premier League football and Kabaddi World Cup on Virtual Reality, the entertainment offerings were significantly beefed up when Hotstar launched its premium service in April making the best of international shows available in India alongside their US airing.
The lineup on the premium service includes Emmy award-winning TV shows such as Game of Thrones, The Night Of, Westworld, Veep, and American Crime Story that are all exclusively available in India on Hotstar.
Also Read:
Viacom18’s Voot ranked among 2016’s best apps on Google Play
iWorld
Meta launches AI connectors for ads in open beta
Tools enable campaign creation, reporting and insights via AI platforms.
MUMBAI: If ads were once about gut feel, Meta now wants them run on autopilot with AI riding shotgun. The company has unveiled its Meta ads AI connectors in open beta, a move aimed at embedding campaign creation, management and analysis directly into the AI tools advertisers already use. The push reflects a broader shift in digital advertising: from platform-led workflows to AI-assisted, cross-tool execution.
At the heart of the rollout are Meta’s ads model context protocol (MCP) server and a command line interface (CLI), which together allow advertisers to securely link their ad accounts to AI agents. The promise is straightforward real campaign data, not generic prompts, powering decisions across workflows.
The connectors are designed to streamline multiple layers of campaign management. Advertisers can generate detailed performance reports, create and edit campaigns using natural language, manage product catalogues, and diagnose signal quality, all without leaving their preferred AI environment.
Meta is also leaning into ease of adoption. For MCP, the company says setup requires no coding, developer credentials or API integrations, positioning the tools as accessible for businesses of varying sizes and technical maturity.
The launch complements Meta’s existing AI business assistant within Ads Manager, which focuses on recommendations and troubleshooting inside the platform. The connectors, by contrast, extend that intelligence outward into third-party AI tools that marketers increasingly rely on for cross-channel planning and automation.
The underlying strategy is clear: instead of forcing advertisers deeper into its ecosystem, Meta is meeting them where they already work while still keeping its data and ad infrastructure at the core of decision-making.
As AI continues to reshape how campaigns are conceived and executed, Meta’s latest move signals a future where managing ads may feel less like operating software and more like having a conversation.
