MAM
Eyeblaster’s new version of rich media platform
NEW YORK: Eyeblaster, which claims to be the leader in rich media delivery and management, has announced the launch of Eyeblaster 5.3. This is the latest upgrade to its rich media platform.
Eyeblaster 5.3 includes enhancements that make it easier for online advertisers to create, manage, and track rich media campaigns directly, and produce more effective online campaigns. One such enhancement is the ability to serve larger file-sizes of up to one megabyte (1 MB).
An official release informs that AOL UK will use the new technology to launch a 1 MB rich-media ad for its AOL Music Sessions@AOL.
Sessions@AOL is the AOL-produced, exclusive in-studio performance and interview series that spotlights some of the biggest names in music, including Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, LeAnn Rimes. The ad, using Eyeblaster’s expandable banner ad format, will combine music video segments from various artists in a fast-moving Flash MX-based environment upon user interaction.
The 1 MB limit can be used for Flash files in all seven Eyeblaster ad formats, including floating ad, commercial break, interstitial window ad, and full-page overlay formats. AOL UK’s senior label relations manager Sarah Western commented, “It’s our goal to make AOL Music the premier music destination on the web, and Sessions@AOL is integral to that. Eyeblaster gives us the perfect vehicle to show how entertaining and engaging Sessions@AOL performances and interviews really are.”
Web publishers who have stayed away from ads with large file sizes in the past have often done so as a result of concerns about their affect on website usability, as well as poor experiences with older video streaming methods. Eyeblaster removes those concerns by combining best-of-breed solutions in one platform, which results in surprising creative power and a user-friendly viewing experience.
These solutions include the following:
* Data streaming is now combined with Eyeblaster’s polite download, so the rich media portion of the ad can download quickly without affecting the website user’s experience.
* Automatic and manual “buffering” controls for the streaming process have been added to maximize the user experience and the number of ad plays. The buffer, which is the amount of the ad that loads before the ad begins to play, can be adjusted in the new product version based on bandwidth, ad file size and agency and publisher preference.
* Closer integration with Flash MX allows all popular video formats to be imported into a Flash video and easy creative set up.
Eyeblaster CEO Gal Trifon said, “Technology that supports web content created for broadband users, including advertising, is vitally important now that broadband usage is substantial. With our latest platform enhancements, Eyeblaster has created the easiest system for creating and delivering bandwidth-targeted online ad content. The possibilities for richer, more visually creative ads have expanded dramatically.”
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
