Star India’s leading mobile streaming platform Hotstar is partnering with technology company Zapr Media Labs to improve the targeting of mobile advertising for consumers and brands in India. The partnership, announced today, will give the two companies the opportunity to overcome some of the hurdles that have constrained mobile marketing in India.
“In the transition from the broadcast world to the digital world, advertisers got a data bonanza but in the process had to give up the ability to engage consumers who are actually paying attention to what they are saying,” said Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan. “Hotstar has the opportunity to build the world’s first platform on digital where consumers are engaged and immersed while at the same time delivering deep audience understanding that allows brands to talk to individuals rather than segments. We believe that we have a shot at creating the world’s premier truly personalized advertising service, which benefits both brands and consumers.”
The announcement heralds a new stage of maturity for Hotstar, which had more than 60 million users in January. The largest premium streaming platform in India, boasting more than 100,000 hours of drama and movies in nine languages, continues to enjoy significant increases in its user base.
The strategic partnership includes a minority investment in India-based Zapr Media Labs from Star. Zapr Media Labs’ proprietary technology platform analyzes television viewership across more than 600 channels in India, yielding targeted analytics and insight into offline consumption behavior. The company plans to invest further in research and development as well as expand its teams in cross-platform data sciences, analytics and product management.
Read more about the partnership between Hotstar and Zapr Media Labs.
