Applications
zeebox gets in Viacom
MUMBAI: zeebox, the TV viewing companion, has signed on Viacom as a strategic partner, joining Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, HBO and Cinemax in backing the universal, cross-channel TV viewing companion app for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, and the Web.
zeebox, which had launched in the US a few days ago, is the brainchild of former EMI executive Ernesto Schmitt and former BBC iPlayer CTO Anthony Rose. It enables consumers to discover what to watch by browsing comprehensive TV listings, social media and personalised recommendations. Viewers can engage with their favourite television personalities directly through zeebox and even buy the products they see on TV. zeebox also automatically displays richer information about each program as viewers are watching.
zeebox CEO, co-founder Ernesto Schmitt said, “zeebox was built as an open platform that programmers and operators can easily use to enhance their brands on the second-screen, engage with fans and build new ways to bring the TV and Internet advertising industries together. The most engaging, compelling consumer experience on the second screen will be driven by the depth of content and the degree of integration with established TV brands – for this reason we‘re delighted to be working with Viacom and its world class entertainment brands.”
Like Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal, Viacom is backing zeebox with investments and promotional commitments, while preparing to enhance their top TV shows on zeebox. zeebox‘s OpenBox API is designed to enable any TV network to enhance its shows on zeebox, distribute exclusive content, and connect directly with fans whilst enabling them to continue using their favorite social media, such as Twitter.
Viacom Media Networks COO Rich Eigendorff said,”Viacom has the most socially engaged audiences anywhere, and we‘re constantly striving to give our fans new ways to discover and connect with our content. zeebox is a powerful new platform to create even richer and more interactive experiences around our programming, and build an even deeper connection between our brands and our fans.”
zeebox‘s 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 synchronised, targeted, relevant advertising and affiliate links.
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.
