iWorld
Integrated video platform: Ooyala to showcase solutions at NAB
MUMBAI: Ooyala, a global provider of video monetisation technology and services, will showcase the full breadth of its video solutions for media and entertainment companies at the NAB Show 2017 in Las Vegas in April.
With its full set of offerings, Ooyala is leading the way towards delivering a fully Integrated Video Platform (IVP) specifically to meet the needs of today’s modern media content owners and production companies. With a common data set to drive insights and inform strategies, IVP is the next generation of OVP, evolving well beyond online video platform capabilities to deliver sophisticated solutions to understand the costs and return-on-investment of video content.
“Publishing video online today is a rather mundane task, but building a sustainable business model around online video is a totally different animal,” said Frost and Sullivan senior director, Mukul Krishna. “IVPs, or Integrated Video Platforms, better reflect the new demands placed on the traditional OVP. An Integrated Video Platform extends traditional OVPs capabilities to include functionality to meet challenges spanning production, distribution and monetisation.”
Ooyala Flex, the company’s versatile and customizable solution for video production and distribution workflows is designed to get content to market faster. It is a cornerstone in Ooyala’s transformation into an IVP, complementing its full set of product offerings across ad tech, analytics and video platform solutions.
With Ooyala Flex’s tight integration with the Ooyala video platform, the solutions can streamline the entire process from creation to syndication and ultimately distribution across devices. Content owners have complete control over their operations, as well as insights into video performance and audience engagement. By combining Ooyala solutions customers are able to:
* Sync metadata across Ooyala Flex and Ooyala’s video platform, simplifying asset search and management
* Transform assets into any format in Ooyala Flex for distribution to any device with Ooyala’s video platform
* Automate transcoding, packaging and syndication using Ooyala Flex to get content in front of audiences faster
* Leverage metadata from Ooyala Flex for more personalised content recommendations with Ooyala Discovery, driving higher audience engagement and monetization
* Understand video performance across properties with Ooyala IQ to inform future content production decisions and distribution strategies
* Benefit from a single provider, versus many, supplying all solutions with aligned roadmaps and integrations
“Ooyala Flex customers see significant time savings throughout their media operations, with some reducing project delivery times by more than 75%. Customers are realizing the return as Ooyala Flex connects silos and integrates systems, teams and processes, providing greater efficiencies and visibility into bottlenecks that are costing time and money,” said Ooyala co-founder and SVP of products and solutions Belsasar Lepe.
He added, “Using simple APIs, Ooyala Flex acts as an integration layer connecting nearly any existing production system or software together, whether on-premise or cloud-based. This includes integrations with Adobe for editorial needs, Microsoft Azure for storage, and tailored integrations with Pebble Beach Systems for broadcast playout, along with a host of other commonly used solutions.”
In addition to Ooyala Flex, Ooyala will provide demos at NAB 2017, including:
Ooyala Pulse – Ooyala’s holistic sell-side video advertising platform, combining the ad server and programmatic trading platforms, designed exclusively for media companies and publishers to make smarter, more lucrative ad decisions. Plus, Ooyala Pulse Unlock, its client-side ad-reinsertion technology. With rich data and analytics, Ooyala Pulse provides unique, real-time insights through customizable reports to improve forecasting and decision-making, while enabling clients to pivot in real-time as a campaign runs.
Ooyala Video Platform – Ooyala’s full set of video technology includes live streaming; live server-side ad insertion (Live SSAI) for seamless TV-like playback and ad-block prevention; its award-winning analytics product, Ooyala IQ; customizable HTML5 player; Ooyala AppStudio for getting OTT apps to market quickly; as well as Ooyala’s full back-end management system and services. At the heart of Ooyala’s video solutions is big data, empowering customers with a complete view of video performance and audience behavior to help strategically distribute video content and maximize ROI.
e-commerce
American Express to acquire AI startup Hyper to boost automation
Deal targets expense management as AI reshapes corporate spending tools.
MUMBAI: From receipts to robots, the expense sheet is getting a brain upgrade as American Express moves to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of corporate spending. The company has announced plans to acquire Hyper, a relatively young but fast-rising startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered agents capable of organising expenses, generating reports, verifying compliance with budgets and policies, and nudging users with timely reminders. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, underscores a growing shift among financial institutions to automate traditionally manual, time-heavy workflows.
Hyper counts Sam Altman among its backers, adding a layer of Silicon Valley credibility to the acquisition. While financial details remain undisclosed, the strategic intent is clear: deepen automation capabilities and sharpen American Express’s position in the competitive corporate spending ecosystem.
The two companies are not strangers. They previously collaborated in 2024 on a co-branded credit card product, suggesting that the acquisition is less a cold buy and more an extension of an existing relationship. With this move, American Express is effectively bringing that capability in-house, aiming to embed AI directly into its commercial services stack.
Chief executive Stephen Squeri had already signalled the direction of travel in a recent shareholder letter, describing AI as a “structural shift” in how businesses operate. The Hyper acquisition appears to be a direct response to that shift, particularly in expense management, where processes such as approvals, compliance checks and reporting remain ripe for automation.
Alongside the acquisition, the company is also expanding its product suite. A recently launched business credit card offers cashback and benefits at an annual fee of $295, with another card expected later this year moves that complement its broader push into commercial services.
Taken together, the strategy points to a future where managing expenses may require fewer spreadsheets and more algorithms. For American Express, the bet is simple, if businesses are rethinking how work gets done, the tools that power that work need to evolve just as quickly.
