IVS consolidates SEA in-stream video inventory with marketplace launch

Intelligent Video Solutions (IVS), formerly known as iVideoSmart, has launched a programmatic in-stream video marketplace in Southeast Asia and announced two senior hires.

Hari Shankar, formerly CEO of Singapore Media Exchange, has joined IVS as chief revenue officer. A longtime digital-media leader in the region, he was formerly with Havas Media Group's Ecselis and PayPal. He will be responsible for acquiring new publishers and advertisers for the platform. The other new hire is Joc Cing Tay, previously VP of engineering at Appier in Taiwan, who joins as CTO.

The new in-stream marketplace will provide advertisers with a single point of access to in-stream video inventory across premium publishers, and will provide publishers with hosting, transcoding and streaming capabilities, the company said.

"There is no in-stream programmatic marketplace anywhere in the region as far as I know," Shankar told Campaign Asia-Pacific. "We are the only one. And every other marketplace is either a consortium or a loosely put together alliance.

"IVS is a video player/adtech platform which transformed itself by adding the marketplace offering over the core tech products. All leading publishers in Indonesia and the Philippines use our video player in their website to stream video content, and we help with monetising in addition to the publishers' own sales."

Shankar added that the in-stream marketplace solves inefficiencies for both advertisers and publishers in Southeast Asia at a time when there's "a strong rebound in demand for a solution that effectively engages consumers for advertisers and increases video inventory for online publishers".

The company says it has more than 150 premium publishers on its platform in markets including Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore. These include Kompas Gramedia, Kapanlagi Group, Detik, MediaPrima, ABS-CBN, Summit Media, GMA, Mothership and The Asian Parent.

IVS also boasts new advertiser clients including Unilever, Wrigley’s, Spotify and Grab, and claims long-term partnerships with GroupM, M&C Saatchi, Dentsu International, Havas and IPG.

The in-stream platform will help brands hit reach and frequency goals while delivering the high completion rates inherent with in-stream video ads, said Gavin Buxton, Asia MD of SpotX, a supply-side platform that works with IVS.

IVS's focus continues to be on growing its premium publisher network, according to CEO Milan Reinartz, but the the launch of the in-stream video advertising marketplace is also an important step. "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," he said.