iWorld
Disney+ Hotstar collaborates with MediaMath
MUMBAI: Disney+ Hotstar has collaborated with MediaMath to enable advertisers and agencies to measure reach and frequency on the OTT platform’s programmatic inventory in a trusted, and brand-safe environment.
With this offering, brands can purchase premium inventory on Disney+ Hotstar through programmatic guaranteed (PG) and private marketplace (PMP) deals to reach India’s affluent, urban audiences via a multitude of ad formats that suit their marketing objectives. Disney+ Hotstar currently offers pre-roll and mid-roll ad formats on entertainment content and pre-rolls on sports content for programmatic buying. The streaming platform also offers a wide range of targeting solutions with its audience solution.
Disney+ Hotstar’s massive reach and sharp targeting options extend an incredible opportunity for brands, especially regional players, to tap the right audience whether on live sports or entertainment.
Star & Disney India president Nitin Bawankule said, “We are committed to enabling marketers and agency partners to reach new and existing audiences at scale and build incremental reach. By activating audience-based buying in a private programmatic environment, brands can target precise, highly engaged audience cohorts, exercise more control with transparency, and attain higher visibility of their campaigns. MediaMath offers a cutting-edge technology platform and this association will help us offer efficient programmatic advertising solutions to clients.”
“OTT is a critical and fast-growing channel for driving addressability, and our association with Disney+ Hotstar helps us offer a forward-looking, sophisticated programmatic setup,” MediaMath country manager Pranjal Desai said. “Disney+ Hotstar has already established itself as the largest AR4 player in the OTT space, and this collaboration has been the natural next step in making media buying on OTT a more streamlined, efficient and accountable process.”
Swiggy director marketing Umesh Krishna said, "Swiggy and Disney+ Hotstar have had a long association, especially when it comes to cricket. In fact, food and video-on-demand are categories that go hand-in-hand, and they both cater to similar psychographics. Having tried out programmatic campaigns on the Disney+ Hotstar marketing platform recently, we are extremely pleased about the scale and targeting options that it offers us. I am confident that it can serve our various marketing goals effectively."
Interactive Avenues co-founder & CEO Amardeep Singh said, "We are looking forward to programmatically accessing India’s most premium and brand-safe video inventory on Disney+ Hotstar via MediaMath – the leading independent DSP in the country. This is an offering that the market has been waiting for quite some time now. Interactive Avenues works extensively with both MediaMath and Disney+ Hotstar and we are very excited for this offering which will help us to further augment our promise to our clients to give them the best ROI on their investments."
Additionally, buyers can access other key features such as viewability measurement, frequency-capping, and real-time analytics. With Disney+ Hotstar, brands can reach India’s affluent, urban audiences via a multitude of ad formats that suit their marketing objectives. The platform’s massive reach and sharp targeting options extend an incredible opportunity for brands, especially regional players, to reach the right audience whether on live sports or entertainment.
iWorld
Bluesky’s CEO Jay Graber steps down, Toni Schneider takes the helm
Graber moves to innovation role as interim CEO Schneider steers platform of 40m users
SEATTLE: Jay Graber, the driving force behind Bluesky, is stepping down as CEO and moving into the newly created role of chief innovation officer. Graber, who has been at the forefront of building the open social platform since 2019, leaves the day-to-day running to focus on new ideas and innovation.
Stepping in as interim CEO is Toni Schneider, former boss of Automattic and partner at True Ventures, who has been an advisor to Bluesky for the past two years. Schneider brings a wealth of experience in open platforms, having worked with WordPress, Yahoo’s developer network, and supported companies like Bandcamp.
Bluesky, created by Jack Dorsey as an alternative to Twitter, has grown into a thriving social network with over 40 million users. Its open AT Protocol allows users to own their data and identity, while developers can build apps on top of the platform. Schneider described Bluesky as “a real, scalable foundation for a different kind of internet.”
Graber praised the team she assembled, saying the platform’s success stems from matching people’s passions with their strengths. “Scaling up this company has been a learning experience unlike anything else,” she wrote in a blog post, adding that she is “excited to dig into the next frontier of what decentralized social can be.”
The board has begun a search for a permanent CEO, but for now, Schneider will guide Bluesky through its next chapter of growth, supporting the team, users, and developers alike.
Bluesky’s rise gained attention during the November 2024 exodus from X, formerly Twitter, when changes to the platform prompted users to look for alternatives. With Schneider now at the helm, the platform looks set to continue its journey as a user-focused, open social network.
