In this weekly segment, ExchangeWire sums up key industry updates on ad tech from around the Asia-Pacific region – and in this edition: Opera Software woos China investors with mobile ad biz; Philippine publisher inks audience engagement partnership; Dentsu JaymeSyfu snags Unilever in Philippines; Sizmek hires ANZ head to push programmatic growth; and GroupM creates mobile lead role.

Opera Software woos China buyout with mobile ad biz

The mobile ad platform has received a NOK10.5bn (£847.09m) takeover bid from a Chinese consortium led by Golden Brick Silk Road Fund Management, which includes IT security software company Qihoo 360, mobile games developer Kunlun, and Yonglian Investment.

Opera said in a statement that its board was recommending the offer to its shareholders. The Norwegian company's CEO, Lars Boilesen, said: "There is strong strategic and industrial logic to the acquisition of Opera by the consortium; [which] we believe, with its breadth of expertise and strong market position in emerging markets, will be a strong owner of Opera."

According to the statement, the buyout would enable Kunlun and Qihoo to cross-sell their products and services to Opera's user base as well as tap its mobile ad platform.

Pointing to the growth potential in the mobile ad space, Kunlun chairman and CEO, Zhou Yahui, said: "Opera has made remarkable achievements in recent years in the fields of mobile browser and mobile advertising. Kunlun has always been a pioneer in international growth among its Chinese internet peers and has already obtained a large market share in Asia, Europe and other markets.

"Our partner, Qihoo, operates one of the largest online open platforms with significant expertise in offering online advertising and internet value-added services. By combining Opera with Kunlun, Qihoo, and Golden Brick, the consortium will join forces and solidify our leadership position in the international internet space."

Philippine publisher inks audience engagement partnership

The Philippine Daily Inquirer has signed a partnership agreement with Outbrain in a bid to deliver more relevant content to visitors of its digital portal, Inquirer.net.

The publisher will deploy Outbrain's suite of audience engagement tools, Engage, to manage content recommendations and improve audience engagement through data insights and analytics. The Philippines' largest publisher, the Inquirer touts a local market share of more than 50%, with 2.7 million readers daily.

Inquirer.net COO Gary Libby said: "Content distribution has played a key role in our digital strategy thus far, and we believe we've now found the right partner in Outbrain to help us raise the bar in content and user engagement.

"Outbrain's focus on audience engagement and data analytics was a key driver in our decision to launch this partnership, especially as digital content consumption is expected to skyrocket in the Philippines in 2016 and beyond", Libby added. "Through this partnership, we aim to not only enhance the user experience for our readers, but also maximise our monetisation opportunities, driven by a strategic and relevant native experience, too."

Dentsu JaymeSyfu snags Unilever in Philippines

The Dentsu Aegis Network entity in the Philippines has won the lead and digital services pitch for 13 Unilever brands in the country, securing the first business deal for the agency under the newly merged structure.

Effective from the second quarter, Dentsu JaymeSyfu will manage lead creative initiatives for several homecare and personal care brands, including Surf, Breeze, Eskinol, Magnum, and Domex.

Takaki Hibino, Asia-Pacific CEO of Dentsu Brand Agencies and Dentsu Media, said the Philippines was among the markets the group had "strategically invested in".

Adding that the country was an "important market", the network's chairman and CEO for Southeast Asia, Dick van Motman, said: "We were always expecting magic when we brought Dentsu and JaymeSyfu together. That things are accelerating so fast is a clear testimony that significant international clients are also rightfully buying into this proposition."

Dentsu Aegis Network had acquired the JaymeSyfu Group in December 2015, resulting in the newly formed agency brand.

Imran Masood

Sizmek hires ANZ head to push programmatic growth

The ad tech company has appointed Imran Masood as its new sales director of Australia and New Zealand.

Previously in a similar role at Amobee, Masood comes with 12 years of experience in adverting and sales with various organisations, including Adconion Media Group and the Ten Network.

Having begun his career in television, the Ireland-born executive moved to Australia in 2009 to focus on the digital ad segment.

In his new role, Masood heads sales across Sizmek's four focus areas, encompassing programmatic, mobile, video, and data. His key objectives include driving the adoption of the company's open ad management platform MDX, as well as the programmatic business unit, which was formed last year.

Masood said: "I believe we're in another phase of incredible growth and investment in digital advertising, and brand advertisers are increasingly looking for transparency, performance, and simplicity. The growth in the digital sector is being driven by programmatic and video, and advertisers want to be expertly guided in how to reap the benefits."

GroupM creates mobile lead role

Venessa Hunt has been appointed GroupM's head of mobile in Australia, taking on the newly created role from 15 February, after her current stint as head of mobile strategy and advertising at Yahoo7.

She also previously led Exponential's mobile division, Appsnack.

GroupM's chief digital officer, John Miskelly, said: "Mobility now plays a critical role in an advertiser's communications strategy. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to be ahead of the curve in this space for our clients.

"[Hunt] is without a doubt one of leading thinkers on mobility within Asia-Pacific, and having her on board will help solidify and strengthen our expertise in this area", Miskelly added.