Digital
Driven by global momentum, PubMatic brings activate to APAC
Mumbai: PubMatic (Nasdaq: PUBM), an independent technology company delivering digital advertising’s supply chain of the future, has announced the availability of its newest offering, Activate, in the Asia-Pacific region. PubMatic’s new end-to-end supply path optimization (SPO) solution allows buyers to execute non-bidded direct deals on PubMatic’s programmatic platform, accessing premium video and CTV inventory at scale.
Since launching in the US and EMEA in May, Activate has gained traction across every region, with an active pipeline of more than 50 advertisers, agencies, and campaigns live through multiple global agency holding companies. Following this success, the solution is being launched in the Asia-Pacific region with partners including dentsu APAC, iQIYI, KINESSO India, Madison Digital, and Wishmedia.
Activate represents a new industry paradigm by creating a single layer of technology that directly connects buyers and sellers of digital media. Activate allows a smooth shift from conventional direct transactions to programmatic private marketplace (PMP) or programmatic guaranteed (PG) deals. The platform gives media buyers more control over their omnichannel video investments by facilitating transactions across PubMatic’s premium CTV and online video inventory within a unified platform.
“PubMatic’s launch of Activate in the Asia-Pacific region marks a significant milestone in our efforts to revolutionize the industry’s programmatic marketplace,” said PubMatic CEO & co-founder Rajeev Goel. “Activate is an extension of our successful SPO strategy that addresses advertiser demand for solutions that deliver a better return on video and CTV investments.”
“At dentsu, we prioritize adtech maturity, focusing on transparency and control in the programmatic supply chain for efficient, high-quality media delivery. Our partnership with PubMatic plays a pivotal role in our supply curation and SPO practices,” said dentsu APAC chief product officer Sunil Naryani, who supports the Carat, iProspect, and dentsu X agencies in the region. “With PubMatic’s Activate, we anticipate delivering enhanced value to our clients by bridging the gap between buyers and sellers and further streamlining the supply chain, unlocking opportunities to maximize working media for their video and CTV investments.”
“iQIYI is a long-time partner of PubMatic. Together we are committed to delivering innovation in the CTV ecosystem,” said iQIYI international business development & general manager of sales operation Andy Sun. “We’re excited to be a launch partner for PubMatic’s Activate solution and look forward to continuing to work closely together to drive effective programmatic CTV advertising.”
“PubMatic is a key player in the programmatic ecosystem, and we’re excited to explore how Activate can benefit our CTV clients,” said KINESSO India business head Paras Mehta.
“PubMatic is a valuable partner across India, helping us deliver transparent and effective solutions for advertisers,” said Madison Digital general manager & head of programmatic Suchi Jain. “We’re excited to see their continued innovation in streamlining video and CTV buying for our clients.”
“Wishmedia is dedicated to providing advertisers in Korea with best-in-class digital advertising solutions,” said Wishmedia COO Meejoo Na. “We’re thrilled to be a launch partner for PubMatic’s Activate and look forward to our clients benefiting from a more efficient digital supply chain, and greater ROI on their video and CTV spend.”
Non-programmatic insertion orders are expected to account for almost 60 per cent of CTV and 18 per cent of online video transactions by the end of 2023, according to industry estimates. Activate represents a nearly $65 billion expansion of PubMatic’s total addressable market.
Built leveraging technology from PubMatic’s 2022 acquisition of Martin, Activate is fully integrated into PubMatic’s growing software suite, including the PubMatic Sell-Side Platform and Connect.
Digital
Ethical AI must benefit society, not dominate it, says WFEB chief Sanjay Pradhan at IAA event
At Mumbai event, ethics expert urges businesses and governments to shape AI responsibly
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence may be racing ahead at lightning speed, but its direction must still be guided by human conscience. That was the central message delivered by Sanjay Pradhan, president of the World Forum for Ethics in Business (WFEB), during the latest edition of IAA Conversations held in Mumbai.
The session was organised by the International Advertising Association (IAA) and the Artificial Intelligence Association of India (AIAI) in association with The Free Press Journal at the Free Press House on 7 March. Addressing a packed audience, Pradhan called for stronger ethical leadership to ensure AI remains a tool that benefits humanity rather than one that governs it.
“Artificial intelligence has rapidly become one of the most powerful technologies humanity has created,” Pradhan said. “It is unlocking breakthroughs in medicine, science and creativity at a pace unimaginable just a few years ago.”
But he warned that the same technology carries serious risks. AI, he noted, can amplify disinformation faster than facts can travel, compromise privacy, deepen discrimination and disrupt millions of livelihoods. Referencing concerns raised by AI pioneers such as Geoffrey Hinton, often called the godfather of AI, Pradhan stressed that the real challenge is not whether AI will shape the world, but whether humans will shape it with ethics and wisdom.
Structuring his talk around four guiding questions, why, what, how and who, Pradhan introduced the audience to WFEB’s emerging AI Ethics Partnership, a global platform aimed at advancing responsible artificial intelligence. He outlined four priority concerns that demand urgent attention: disinformation, bias and discrimination, data privacy and job security.
To make the idea of ethical AI easier to grasp, Pradhan offered a simple metaphor. Ethical AI, he said, is like a three layered cake. The outer layer represents the visible value ethical AI creates for businesses and society. The middle layer is organisational culture that moves ethics from written codes to everyday practice. The innermost layer, however, is the most crucial, the conscience of individual leaders.
Drawing from Indian philosophical thought through WFEB co-founder Ravi Shankar, Pradhan noted that while artificial intelligence can reproduce stored knowledge, true intelligence is boundless and rooted in conscience, creativity and compassion. Practices such as breathwork and meditation, he suggested, can help leaders develop the calm clarity needed for ethical decision making.
The event also featured a discussion with Maninder Adityaraj Singh, chief of staff and head of innovation at Rediffusion Brand Solutions Pvt Ltd, and Yash Johri, lawyer, Supreme Court of India.
Opening the session, IAA India chapter president Abhishek Karnani, highlighted the need for industries to understand and engage with AI responsibly.
“AI has to be befriended and understood,” added Rediffusion managing director and AIAI national convenor Sandeep Goyal. “Its ethical use will determine whether it becomes a friend or a foe.”
As AI continues to reshape industries and societies, Pradhan ended with a simple but powerful call to action. Businesses, governments and individuals must work together to ensure that the algorithms shaping the future reflect human values rather than just cold logic.
