Digital
mediasmart and TCL forge a global strategic partnership for enhancing CTV advertising
Mumbai – mediasmart, an Affle company, today announced a strategic partnership with TCL, the world’s largest Android TV manufacturer, to integrate their inventory with advertisers on Connected TV (CTV). By seamlessly integrating TCL’s expansive inventory with mediasmart’s cutting-edge programmatic advertising solutions, the partnership aims to unlock a multitude of advertising opportunities for brands, while democratizing the rapidly growing CTV space beyond the Walled Gardens.
The global partnership marks significant progress for CTV advertising, providing brands worldwide with extensive access to valuable advertising opportunities, including the coveted Home Screen placements and the vast array of Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST) channels. This includes high visibility solutions for product launch, drive views for specific content on any video and OTT platform, drive traffic for CTV app installs, and live event promotions. By offering solutions on TCL’s Home Screen, advertisers will benefit from leveraging premium placements to reach specific audiences. mediasmart and TCL will also co-create solutions on Home Screen allowing brands to advertise based on their brand objectives. One of the key product offerings as part of this would be their “TV+ offering” that specifically helps advertisers to target consumers moving from Linear television.
Commenting on this partnership, TCL’s Global business development manager, Matt Ding, said, “The way audiences experience television content has drastically changed. And it has been our aim to offer more to the viewers. Together with mediasmart, we aim to drive synergies that go beyond the conventional, exploring new avenues and possibilities in the CTV space. mediasmart has made CTV advertising more measurable and impact-driven through their technological prowess. Combining our strategic and technological forces, we hope to bring unparalleled opportunities for more brands to connect with their audiences in meaningful ways.”
Advertisers on TCL and mediasmart would be able to enhance the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and drive better engagement. They will also be empowered to expand their targeting by choosing specific audiences on TCL’s 135+ FAST channels across 14 key genres like News, Lifestyle, Food, and Entertainment, to enable greater affinity-based targeting and improve advertising experience. Additionally, they can also integrate with mediasmart’s proprietary CTV Household Sync technology that helps maximize engagement and interactivity of CTV with synced re-engagement ads on mobile devices in the same household.
mediasmart chief growth officer Nikhil Kumar said, “As the world increasingly turns to CTV for entertainment, information, and connectivity, the potential for businesses to engage with their audiences in meaningful ways has never been greater. mediasmart is a leading omnichannel programmatic platform, with measurable CTV advertising being a core focus for us. With our partnership with a leading manufacturer like TCL, we want to leverage our expertise to co-create innovative and large-impact solutions to elevate the CTV advertising landscape. We’re committed to expanding the horizons of what advertisers can do on CTV, and this partnership is a step in the direction to bring more advertisers to experience CTV’s potential.”
Digital
OpenAI’s Stargate lead Peter Hoeschele exits with two senior leaders
Trio behind compute push set to join new startup amid leadership reshuffle
SAN FRANCISCO: Peter Hoeschele, a key figure behind OpenAI’s early Stargate data centre initiative, has exited the company, according to a report by The Information.
The departure is part of a broader leadership shift, with two other senior executives, Shamez Hemani and Anuj Saharan, also set to leave in the coming days. All three are expected to join the same new startup, although details about the venture remain under wraps.
The trio played a central role in OpenAI’s Stargate effort, an initiative aimed at building large-scale data centre capacity in-house to reduce reliance on external infrastructure providers. Their exits mark a notable moment for the company’s compute strategy as it continues to scale rapidly.
OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to The Information, “We’re grateful for the contributions Peter, Shamez, and Anuj have made to OpenAI and wish them the very best in what comes next.” The company also pointed to the recent appointment of Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute organisation, signalling continuity in its infrastructure roadmap.
OpenAI has indicated that it does not plan to directly replace Hoeschele’s role, suggesting a possible restructuring of responsibilities within the team.
As competition intensifies in the race to build next-generation AI systems, leadership changes in core infrastructure teams are likely to draw close attention. For now, the spotlight shifts to what this departing trio builds next, and how OpenAI adapts as it scales its ambitions.
