(L-R) Milan Reinartz (CEO), Eric Koh (VP Operations), Joc Cing Tay (CTO) and Hari Shankar (CRO)
Singapore-based Intelligent Video Solutions (iVS), which was until recently known as iVideoSmart, has announced the launch of its programmatic in-stream video advertising marketplace in Southeast Asia.
The marketplace provides advertisers with a single point of access to in-stream video inventory across premium publishers in the region, whereas publishers get a platform with hosting, transcoding and streaming capabilities.
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“We have a unique opportunity to develop the leading programmatic marketplace for in-stream video advertising in Southeast Asia, which is an unprecedented offering to the market. Building out the demand side function of the business is no small task, so we are primarily looking at getting the right mix of talent and technology in place as we ramp up the operation,” said Milan Reinartz, CEO of iVS.
Established in 2016, iVS is a video advertising platform for both publishers and advertisers in Southeast Asia. The platform uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to enable better monetisation opportunities and consumer engagement.
iVS aims to disrupt the video content industry by increasing video inventory available to online publishers, as well as improving viewer experience and video ads’ effectiveness through the use of embedded (non-invasive) and engaging ads targeted at individual viewer preference.
Today, iVS has over 150 publisher partners across the region, including Kompas Gramedia, Brilio, Tempo, Detik, Kaskus and several others of the Kapanlagi group in Indonesia; GMA, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Summit Media, ABS-CBN, Manila Times, Bohol Chronicle in the Philippines; TantanNews, Sinchew and PocketTimes in Malaysia; and AsiaOne and Mothership in Singapore.
iVS claims it currently serves over 120 million users across over 1.2 billion pages each month and operates in six markets, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and the US.
In March 2019, iVS announced a US$4.5 million Series A+ funding from a host of investors, including Kickstart Ventures (lead), Darwin Ventures, SGInnovate, Monk’s Hill Ventures and EE Capital.
On-boarding new CRO, CTO
As part of its expansion in the region, iVS has also announced the appointment of Hari Shankar as Chief Revenue Officer and Joc Cing Tay as Chief Technology Officer.
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Shankar previously held the roles of CEO at Singapore Media Exchange (SMX), Managing Director at Ecselis (Havas Media Group) and Head of Digital Acquisition (APAC) at PayPal.
Shankar will be responsible for acquiring new publishers and advertisers onto the platform.
“Despite the challenging environment, particularly for advertisers who saw budget cuts earlier this year due to Covid-19, we are seeing a strong rebound in demand for a solution that effectively engages consumers for advertisers and increases video inventory for online publishers,” said Shankar.
Tay was previously VP of Engineering at Appier in Taiwan, leading a team of over 100 engineers.
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Image Credit: iVS
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