Applications
Zeebox debuts in the US
MUMBAI: TV viewing companion zeebox has launched in the US in partnership with Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, HBO & Cinemax.
zeebox is a universal, cross-channel TV viewing companion app for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, and the Web. This marks an important beginning, with further partners expected to be invited in due course.
The company is the brainchild of former EMI executive Ernesto Schmitt and former BBC iPlayer CTO Anthony Rose. It launched in the UK last year. zeebox enables consumers to discover what to watch by browsing comprehensive TV listings, social media and personalized recommendations.
zeebox‘s cloud-based app recognises the context of what its users are watching and enhances the viewing experience with relevant content and experiences from across the Web, TV programmers, social networks and advertisers. Viewers can engage with their favorite television personalities directly through zeebox and even buy the products they see on TV. zeebox also automatically displays more in-depth information about the programmes as viewers are watching.
Through their strategic partnerships, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal are taking the lead in the TV viewing companion app market by bringing their customers and tens of millions of viewers across hundreds of channels.
zeebox CEO, co-founder Ernesto Schmitt said,”We are proud to launch with this game-changing roster of partners who recognize the importance of fully meeting web-empowered consumer expectations. As consumers continue to flock to social media and the web to experience a program beyond what is on the screen, zeebox gives content owners and programmers a direct line of communication, feedback and engagement that has never before been possible.”
As strategic launch partners, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal are backing zeebox with investments and promotional support, and are preparing to enhance hundreds of their top TV shows on zeebox, including the likes of The Voice and Notre Dame Football. zeebox‘s revolutionary OpenBox API allows content owners to enhance their shows and channels on the zeebox app in a matter of hours, distributing exclusive content to consumers, connecting directly with fans through live interactions and social engagement, and monetizing the second screen alongside TV commercials through synchronized, targeted, relevant advertising and affiliate links.
HBO is the network partner of zeebox, bringing shows such as ‘Boardwalk Empire‘ and ‘True Blood‘ to the social discovery platform.
NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke said, “We‘re excited to team with zeebox on their US launch. As the Olympics demonstrated, the second screen experience has become an increasingly important platform to engage audiences. We think the zeebox technology presents tremendous opportunities for our viewers and our advertisers”.
Comcast Cable CEO Neil Smit said, “zeebox is a really compelling second-screen companion viewing platform, and we‘re excited to join such a strong group of industry partners in its launch. Zeebox will offer a unique nationwide TV companion experience that will make viewing live TV more engaging, compelling and fun.”
HBO co-president Eric Kessler said, “Our audiences have demonstrated a clear commitment to connecting with HBO and Cinemax programming on a deeper level. Zeebox offers a unique, comprehensive platform that drives discovery, engagement and conversation around our most beloved programs and stars.”
zeebox‘s proprietary consumer research confirms that up to 70 per cent of US television viewers are interested in the unique feature set that Zeebox provides. In the past year, the market for second-screen TV apps has been evolving rapidly but remains highly fragmented. Consumers today are using different apps and web services for discovery, social engagement and interactivity. zeebox brings all these features together in a single app that drives increased viewership of programming by making the live TV experience even more compelling.
zeebox launches with features including:
– A seven-day TV program guide across all major US TV channels, enabling the configuration of customized channel line ups and booking of future TV show reminders
– Integration with Facebook and Twitter to enable social discovery of TV content, and engagement with friends and celebrities across live TV
– Information about shows, talent, topics and products mentioned on TV – synchronized second by second with the live show
– Ecommerce links to relevant digital and physical products related to shows and the content of shows, with direct links to VOD content to come in the near future
– Optimised for the new iPhone 5, four-inch Retina display and on iOS 6 including Smart App downloads within zeebox and Facebook single sign on.
Applications
Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
