Factual
Discovery acquires assets of ad-tech company Zedo
Mumbai: Discovery Inc on Wednesday announced that it has acquired the assets, technology and intellectual property of Zedo, an advertising technology company based in both the United States and India.
The acquisition will bring Zedo’s technology in-house and enable faster innovation across Discovery’s ad solutions. This acquisition brings key ad technology platform capabilities, including a supply-side platform (SSP) and real-time bidding (RTB) capabilities, which enhances Discovery’s global direct-to-consumer (DTC) platforms, improves the consumer experience and drives monetisation, said the media company in a statement.
As part of the acquisition, Discovery will also onboard employees of Zedo based in India and the United States, it added.
“This deal will bring the Discovery and Zedo teams together to enhance the overall consumer ad experience, as well as help push new innovation by integrating Zedo’s capabilities with our global direct-to-consumer platform,” said Discovery Inc executive vice president DTC – global technology Sudheer Sirivara. “We are excited to welcome the Zedo team to the rapidly growing technology presence in our India development center, which is a strategic priority for us to build talent and expertise across the country to help scale globally.”
“Discovery entered the streaming space with the launch of discovery+ and quickly became an industry leader,” said Zedo co-founder and chief executive officer Roy de Souza. “With the acquisition of Zedo’s assets, Discovery will have its own proprietary real-time bidding (RTB) platform and SSP to sell advertising programmatically. Discovery’s advertisers will soon have one place to buy advertising on a high-quality set of streaming platforms and reach Discovery’s vast global audiences.”
The Zedo asset acquisition builds on Discovery’s acquisition of AdSparx’s assets in 2020, which brought server-side-ad-insertion (SSAI) capability to Discovery’s global tech platform. The combination of Zedo’s technology with Discovery’s SSAI and global video platform will deliver unparalleled video and ad experiences to our consumers worldwide.
MUMBAI: India’s most famous hot seat is about to welcome an unlikely first-timer. For the first time on Hindi general entertainment television, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla will appear on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the iconic quiz show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.
The special episode marks a rare meeting point of boardroom heft and prime-time television, bringing one of India’s most influential business leaders face to face with the country’s most enduring screen legend. It is a crossover that blends intellect, leadership and popular culture, all under KBC’s familiar spotlight.
Birla’s appearance dovetails neatly with the show’s current theme, Jahaan Akal Hai, Wahan Akad Hai, which celebrates the confidence that comes from clarity of thought and knowledge. His presence lends weight to the idea that sharp thinking and conviction are as vital in life as they are in the quiz chair.
In a thoughtful conversation with Bachchan, Birla shared an upbeat view of India’s economic journey, pointing to the nation’s rapid growth and the scale of opportunity opening up across industries and communities. He spoke of momentum, ambition and a future shaped by enterprise and ideas.
The episode is not all serious talk. In lighter moments, Birla confessed his long-standing admiration for Bachchan, calling him his favourite actor and admitting to a touch of nervousness at answering questions in front of the Shahenshah himself. The candour adds a human touch to a man more often seen in headlines than on television sets.
The special episode airs on Monday, 29 December at 9.00 pm on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV.
