In this weekly segment, ExchangeWire sums up key industry updates on ad tech from around the Asia-Pacific region – and in this edition: Telstra unveils online video platforms; MediaMath brings training programme to APAC; Datalicious sets up APAC HQ; Dentsu establishes digital business; and Adform opens offices in Singapore and Istanbul.

Telstra unveils online video platforms

The Australian telco has introduced two cloud-based online video platforms touted to help digital media companies stream, deliver, and distribute online video content more effectively.

Its Video Monetisation Solution (VMS) and Online Video Solution (OVS) operate on Ooyala's platform and further boosts its professional and digital media offerings, Telstra said.

Telstra's head of broadcast services Trevor Boal said: "As the world's thirst for online video content continues to grow exponentially, so too does the desire for a more personalised and higher quality viewing experience. However, for many media customers, [including] large-scale broadcasters and smaller publishers, the complexity of delivering an on-demand service from scratch can seem daunting, due to the associated technical challenges and costs.

"This means an increasing number of media customers are looking to new platforms that incorporate data analytics services to deliver enhanced and more targeted video content to audiences across multiple devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and games consoles", he added.

The VMS was designed to help broadcasters, content owners, and pay TV operators push high-quality video content with "studio-grade protection, rights management, and flexible monetisation options", such as advertising and subscription-based or transaction-based models.

The new offering would allow these companies to create a customised video experience, including transcoding and publishing workflows, as well as tap analytics and near real-time reporting to enhance viewer experience, Boal said.

"Customers can entice viewers with content recommendations, based on their consumption history and behaviours, to drive more engaging, personalised experiences, and reduce churn", he said. "Additionally, these insights can be used to identity the most valuable content, enabling more effective rights negotiations and reducing content acquisitions costs."

Launched in Australia last year, OVS would now be available globally and was targeted at publishers and companies looking to deliver tailored video content.

MediaMath brings training programme to APAC

The ad tech company has introduced its education and training unit, New Marketing Institute (NMI), in Asia-Pacific, offering courses and certification programmes for marketers.

The training initiative would include different levels of digital marketing proficiency, as well as programmatic techniques and technologies, according to MediaMath.

NMI would feature a localised approach, designed to fit cultural nuances across various Asia-Pacific markets, and encompassing in-person classroom training in Singapore and live online courses accessible by students in all markets.

While more marketers were realising the importance of programmatic-enabled campaigns, there remained a significant gap in skillsets and knowledge in the advertising industry. This had prompted MediaMath to set up NMI in the US in 2012, it said, adding that it aimed to also fill the skills void in Asia-Pacific, as programmatic adoption continued to increase in the region. Some 9,000 professionals have received training from NMI since 2013, the company said.

MediaMath's Asia-Pacific managing director, Rahul Vasudev, said: "Newer advertising practices, and rapid advancements in data and media technologies, especially programmatic, are regularly disrupting the industry. However, during this constant evolution process, media and marketing professionals have very few avenues to stay abreast of the changing ecosystem. This is creating a significant talent gap in the industry.

"By establishing NMI in Asia-Pacific, MediaMath is committed to giving back to the industry and helping grow the entire space", he said.

The training scheme would offer modular courses to cater to students on their current career path. It would include a basic to intermediate curriculum in digital marketing and programmatic, as well as technology-focused modules such as omnichannel and certifications for MediaMath's TerminalOne platform.

The first class is scheduled to commence April 26, 2016.

Antony Wilcox

Datalicious sets up APAC HQ

The data analytics agency has opened an office in Singapore, which will serve as its regional headquarters.

Led by Asia regional director Antony Wilcox, the Singapore office will coordinate activities with the company's other outfits in Bangalore, Manila, Jakarta, and Seoul. New executive appointments in Indonesia and Thailand also will be revealed soon, according to Datalicious.

Wilcox will be responsible for expanding the agency's presence in Southeast Asia, India, and South Korea.

Highlighting that the time was right to boost its presence in Asia, he said: "Data has proven to be the most effective in delivering relevant experiences to consumers with the right message, at the right time, on the right device.

"That's true around the world; but in Asia, marketing can be heavily influenced by the technology available. Some markets are heavily reliant on mobile and, in others, certain social platforms are more dominant than others. In [some markets] broadband access can be very fast, while others have very low penetration", he noted.

Dentsu establishes digital business

The Japanese agency group has formed a new specialist digital marketing company, Dentsu Digital, to push the company's growth in this space in its domestic market.

Slated to commence in July this year, the new business entity would focus on meeting demand for digital marketing and offer services, such as consulting, development, and deployment of marketing initiatives, and operational support in clients' digital transformation.

Working alongside other Dentsu Group companies, Dentsu Digital would also help its clients develop integrated customer journey services and build platforms to support such initiatives.

The group's integrated digital marketing division would be moved into the new business entity, as well as wholly-owned subsidiaries Dentsu E-marketing One and Nextage Dentsu.

Adform opens offices in Singapore & Istanbul

The ad tech vendor has opened new offices in Singapore and Istanbul to support its clientele in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions, including media agencies, trading desks, brands, and publishers.

Its Asia-Pacific operations will be led by Rohit Kumar, who joins Adform from Sociomantic Labs, where he had served as Singapore managing director. Kumar will work to localise Adform's platforms for key markets in the region and build a local leadership team in Singapore.

Adform CMO Martin Stockfleth Larsen said: "Adform's approach to digital ad tech is particularly important to the Asia-Pacific market. We offer a seamless digital advertising experience that eliminates the need for numerous point solutions [and] manual interventions, and reconciliation of the discrepancies that occur when working across multiple platforms, regardless of whether you're on the sell side or buy side."

According to Adform, growing local demand for digital advertising had driven its expansion into Turkey, where programmatic spend climbed 82% last year. The company's commercial operations in the country are led by Cem Eroglu.