MAM
Contract Advertising promotes Rohit Srivastava to chief strategy officer
Mumbai: Rohit Srivastava has been named chief strategy officer at Contract Advertising. He will develop and integrate the strategic planning capabilities.
Srivastava has been with Contract Advertising for 23 years and is being recognised for his role and responsibility, especially his strategic skills and capabilities.
He will help deliver on Contract’s creative vision and partner with Contract India COO Rana Barua to create the best value proposition for its clients.
“Rohit has been one of the biggest strengths Contract has had over two decades. As he takes over the role of the chief strategy officer across all verticals of Contract, he will partner me in fortifying client relationships and ensure the future growth of Contract”, Barua said.
Srivastava will continue to lead Core Consulting, the marketing and strategic consulting division of Contract. As the head of the strategic planning function Srivastava has worked closely on a wide portfolio of brands including Asian Paints, Crompton Greaves, Dabur, Dominos, Godrej, HSBC, Kraft-Cadbury (Mondelez), NIIT, Shoppers Stop, Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance, Marico, Aditya Birla Group, Prudential, Franklin Templeton, Honda, Emami, Britannia, Louis Philippe, Hypercity and ICICI Bank.
MAM
Bitmovin adds server-guided ad insertion to boost streaming revenue
New SGAI support promises smoother, smarter and more personalised ads
VIENNA: Bitmovin has introduced support for server-guided ad insertion, or SGAI, across its playback products, marking a step forward in how streaming platforms deliver advertising.
The update leverages HLS interstitials, a standardised format for signalling ad breaks, allowing smoother coordination between playback systems and ad technologies. The aim is simple. Make ads less disruptive for viewers while giving platforms more control and flexibility.
SGAI blends the advantages of client-side and server-side ad insertion, enabling real-time ad decisioning and more personalised targeting. Because HLS interstitials are widely supported across devices, the feature is expected to deliver consistent ad playback across a broad range of screens.
For streaming services, the benefits go beyond viewer experience. The technology can help lower infrastructure costs, extend DVR windows and support more dynamic ad formats such as picture-in-picture, side-by-side and squeeze-back ads, opening up new monetisation opportunities.
Bitmovin senior director of product management James Varndell said, “Ads are now a primary revenue stream for video services, and SGAI is set to take ad-supported streaming beyond current capabilities. We’re excited to support SGAI across our playback products and look forward to seeing how our customers use it.”
The company is also offering extensive configuration options, allowing video providers to fine-tune both user experience and business strategy around ad delivery.
Bitmovin will showcase the new capability at the upcoming NAB Show in Las Vegas later this month.
As streaming platforms continue to balance viewer satisfaction with revenue goals, Bitmovin’s latest move suggests the future of ads may be less about interruption and more about integration.
