MAM
Instream largest video ad inventory on the net
MUMBAI: US video ad network Instream has announced that it has emerged from its Beta period as one of the largest sources of managed video advertising inventory on the Internet.
Instream president and CEO Tom MacIsaac says, “Some have said there is a shortage of quality in-stream video ad inventory on the Internet — the truth is there is a shortage of quality managed video ad inventory. Instream aggregates high quality Internet video sites onto the leading video advertising technology platform, forming a new, high quality, high reach, single source for brand advertisers embracing video advertising. We believe that, after the major portals, Instream is the single biggest source of managed video ad inventory on the Internet.”
The company says that when advertisers venture beyond the few places with sophisticated in-stream video ad management capabilities, such as the major portals and a handful of other leading video internet sites, they have little control over the delivery of their ad campaigns in terms of targetting, frequency capping, session management, ad unit standardisation (such as a synchronised IAB banner) and other requirements.The reporting they receive back is equally limited.
Advertisers who buy the Instream network can receive not only state- of-the-art ad delivery but also get consolidated, rolled up reporting including the enhanced reporting requirements emerging for Internet video such as closed loop auditing and per cent-of-ad-played reporting.
Instream says that it is able to deliver such highly managed inventory because its technology platform is built on the best-of-breed Lightningcast video advertising platform, which is also used by AOL, Microsoft, ABC News, Scripps Networks, A&E Networks, The Employment and Career Channel and others.
As a result, Instream has the opportunity to leverage the Lightningcast network to provide remnant inventory sales for Lightningcast technology customers.This platform also enables dynamic ad insertion into live streams and downloaded content as well as on-demand streams.
Instream claims to have experienced strong demand from publishers and advertisers. Since the launch of the Publisher Beta in July, Instream has been delivering more than 100 million video streams per month and anticipates total monthly volume of more than 500 million monthly streams by early 2006.
Since the launch of the Advertiser Beta in September, Instream claims to have been embraced by major brand advertisers, and has more than a dozen other advertiser campaigns planned for Q4 2005 and 2006.
Carat Fusion media supervisor Christine Peterson said, “Video advertising has become an important part of our clients’ digital media strategy. We are excited about the growth in high quality managed video advertising inventory such as that amassed by Instream”.
MAM
MSM Unify appoints Rohit Kumar to lead India campus business
Ex CollegeDekho COO to drive partnerships, scale campus engagement in India.
MUMBAI: From classrooms to boardrooms, the campus playbook is getting a new chief architect. MSM Unify has appointed Rohit Kumar as founding member and president of its India Campus Business, signalling a sharper push into one of the world’s fastest-evolving higher education markets. In his new role, Kumar will oversee the company’s India business vertical, taking charge of institutional partnerships, campus engagement strategy and domestic growth. The mandate is clear: build scalable, technology-led models that connect Indian universities and colleges with global academic and career pathways, while staying grounded in local campus realities.
Kumar brings over 24 years of experience across telecom, IT services and education technology, an unusually broad mix that mirrors the convergence shaping modern education platforms. Most recently, as co-founder and COO of Collegedekho, he helped scale the business into a Rs 300 crore enterprise, delivering a 67 per cent CAGR over five years and building partnerships with more than 2,000 institutions nationwide.
That growth journey also saw the platform expand into adjacent verticals including learning, marketing services and overseas education, backed by multiple funding rounds from investors such as Girnarsoft, ADQ, ETS and Man Capital.
Earlier in his career, Kumar held senior roles at companies including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications, Sify Technologies, Indiatimes and Videocon, where his work spanned revenue growth, operational efficiency and market expansion across key regions including Maharashtra.
His appointment comes at a time when India’s higher education ecosystem is undergoing structural shifts driven by digitisation, global mobility and increasing demand for outcome-linked education. For MSM Unify, the opportunity lies in bridging domestic institutions with international pathways through a more integrated, tech-enabled approach.
As the race to own the student journey intensifies, Kumar’s task will be less about building from scratch and more about connecting the dots between campuses, careers and a rapidly globalising education economy.
