"The Line Between Digital and Non-Digital is Blurring": Q&A with Dhanush RL
In this exclusive Q&A with ExchangeWire, Dhanush RL, upper-funnel lead at Zettle and The Wires Global 2021 judge, discusses the importance of digital, and considers the impact that changes to ad tech’s infrastructure has had, and will have, on brands. How important has digital become for brands in the last year or so? Digital has been growing exponentially as a primary mode of advertising throughout the funnel for few years now. Considering that even channels like TV and OOH are moving to programmatic, [...]
ShareChat Reach $2.88bn Valuation; ITV Report Revenue Recovery
In today’s ExchangeWire digest: ShareChat reach a valuation of USD $2.88bn after raising USD $145m in a series F funding round; ITV celebrate gaining higher ad revenues; and Unacademy acquire Rheo TV. ShareChat raise USD $145m, bring valuation to USD $2.88bn Leading Indian social media platform ShareChat have raised a further USD $145m (£104.6m), bringing their valuation to USD $2.88bn (£2.1bn). The announcement, made yesterday (27th July) comes less than 3 months after the company secured a valuation of USD $2.1bn (£1.5bn) [...]
Brand Safety in the Privacy-First Era
In an 18-month period punctuated by a global virus; an especially vitriolic US election which preceded an attack on the Capitol building; and the lumbering boulder of Brexit, concerns over brand safety have understandably been high. While the term “fake news” is now enough to induce Thomas the Tank Engine-levels of eye rolling, awareness of disinformation is also reaching new highs, while at the same time continuing to thrive. The damage to a brand’s reputation from safety violations goes far beyond [...]
China Issue Tech "Rectification" Program; Zomato's Shares Surge After Debut
In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology have issued the nation’s tech firms with a 6-month rectification program to address anticompetitive practices and security threats; Indian food delivery startup Zomato have seen their share value rise after going public last week; and Blackstone have acquired a majority stake in edtech startup Simplilearn. China issue tech giants with 6 month “rectification” program China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) have issued the country’s tech firms with orders [...]
Brand Partnerships: Key Considerations for 2021-2022
In this exclusive interview with ExchangeWire, Harmony Murphy, GM Advertising UK at eBay and The Wires Global 2021 judge, outlines the key elements constituting a successful brand partnership, and how these are set to change over 2021-2022 as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ebb and flow. How did the coronavirus pandemic affect the formation of brand partnerships? What will change as restriction measures ease, and what will remain? At their core, brand partnerships are built around a deep mutual understanding of clients [...]
Paytm to Go Public; Facebook Pledge $1bn to Content Creators
In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: Indian digital payments leader Paytm plan to go public; Facebook pledge USD $1bn to content creators; and Revolut become the UK’s most valuable fintech. Paytm prepare for IPO Indian digital payments leader Paytm are planning to go public, with the aim of raising USD $2.2bn (£1.6bn) in an initial public offering (IPO). According to reports, the tech leader have said that they could raise up to USD $268m (£194.3m) in a pre-IPO funding round, and plan to [...]
Zoom Acquire Five9; Fast Radius Go Public Via SPAC
In this weekly segment, ExchangeWire sums up key industry updates in media, marketing, and commerce, from around the globe. In this edition: Zoom acquire cloud communications company Five9; digital manufacturing company Fast Radius go public via a USD $1.4bn SPAC deal; AT&T rush to sell off Xandr; and YouTube acquire Indian social commerce startup Simsim. Zoom expand cloud operations by acquiring Five9 Zoom have acquired Five9 in an all-stock deal worth USD $14.7bn (£1.1bn). The move marks the video chat service provider’s [...]
The MadTech Podcast Special - the Future of Measurement and the Role of Brand Suitability and Context
Our eighth edition of The MadTech Podcast Special explores the future of measurement, and the role of brand suitability and contextual in a world that puts privacy at its centre. In this episode, Rich Raddon, co-CEO of Zefr and Stevan Randjelovic, director, brand safety and digital risk, EMEA at GroupM, join ExchangeWire CEO Ciaran O’Kane to discuss the fragmented nature of measurement; how the industry can solve the measurement challenges posed by the end of the cookie; the reasons why contextual is [...]
Ditching the Waterfall to Open Up New Monetisation Options
Writing exclusively for ExchangeWire, Alexander Qvitzau Lund, director of ad operations & ad technologies at Upday, and judging panel member for The Wires Global 2021, provides an insight into how the publisher adapted their monetisation strategy to the age of COVID-19. Revenue growth during Corona Throughout the COVID-era we have seen stable programmatic revenues and the post-COVID trend indicates continuous growth – or at least no sign of decline. On the other hand, the traditionally sold bookings (i.e. direct IO business) were [...]
YouTube Acquire Simsim; Tencent Set to Buy Sumo
In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: YouTube acquire Indian social commerce startup Simsim; Tencent are set to buy UK games developer Sumo Group; and Xiaomi have overtaken Apple to become the second-largest smartphone maker. YouTube acquire Simsim YouTube have acquired Indian social commerce firm Simsim in a deal rumoured to be worth over USD $70m (£50.9m). The startup, which is based in the Gurgaon region, was valued at USD $50.1m (£36.4m) in a 2020 series B funding round. Founded two years ago, Simsim helps [...]
