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Tag: Glance

  • Glance buys out gaming firm Gambit in NFT push

    Glance buys out gaming firm Gambit in NFT push

    Mumbai: InMobi’s consumer internet division Glance has announced the acquisition of Indian gaming firm Gambit Sports. This will accelerate Singapore-based Glance’s ambition of building the biggest platform for NFT-based live gaming experiences for gen-Z, across markets, it said.

    The acquisition brings together Glance’s scale and lock screen-centric innovation with Gambit’s expertise and understanding of the gaming ecosystem. Glance Games – Glance’s lock screen gaming platform – has over 45 million monthly active users across Asia. Close to 70 per cent are in the age group of 18 to 34, while over 40 per cent of its gamers are female, the company shared.

    Gambit has deep experience in building platforms with high engagement and monetisation. Co-founded in 2015 by Yashashvi Takallapalli, Gaurav Konar, Ranaveer Sankieneni, and Deepak Venkatramani, the company owns and operates Nostragamus (Nostra Pro) – a popular gaming platform with fantasy sports, poker, rummy, quiz, and hyper-casual games. Over 100 million games have been played on the Nostragamus platform, and it has close to 10 million registered users.   

    Glance will leverage Gambit’s expertise to launch engaging live gaming experiences including tournaments, game shows, game streaming and multi-player games on lock screen. Gambit will also enable Glance to launch multiple casual-to-midcore games that can be enjoyed by diverse sets of gamers. In the coming quarters, Glance also plans to launch NFTs in live gaming. This will potentially enable creators, streamers and developers to monetise through assets and NFT-based game creation while giving gamers unique experiences that they love.  
    “Gaming is the most exciting content category across the world today and Gen-Z spends more time on gaming than on any other activity online,” said InMobi co-founder and Glance president and COO Piyush Shah. “Giving users live, connected, interactive gaming experiences on the lock screen is key to Glance’s vision of building the world’s largest live internet platform. We also aim to launch creator-led NFTs for live gaming which will generate unique ‘play-to-earn’ and ‘play-to-own’ possibilities for the entire gaming ecosystem.”

    “We have already started seeing great traction for live gaming on Glance. For instance, over 10 million users watch live game streams on Glance every week now. With Glance and Gambit’s combined strengths and our belief that there is a game for every person, we envision doubling the number of monthly active gamers on Glance Games in the next year,” added Gambit co-founder and CEO Yashashvi Takallapalli. 

    In February 2022, Glance had signed an agreement to raise $200 million funding from Jio Platforms to accelerate its global expansion. The company also entered into a business partnership with Jio through which Glance’s lock screen platform will be integrated into JioPhone Next smartphones. This integration is expected to further boost the reach of Glance Games.

  • Users want interactive, social experiences on smartphones during IPL: Study

    Users want interactive, social experiences on smartphones during IPL: Study

    Mumbai: The mobile users now look for more interactive, social experiences on their smartphones during live IPL matches, according to the report titled ‘IPL and the Second Screen’ released by Glance on Tuesday. 70 per cent of IPL viewers use smartphones during the matches, with the majority consuming cricket-themed content parallelly on various platforms, revealed the study.

    Expert commentary, live watch-along, polls and quizzes, contests, cricket games, and fantasy cricket were amongst top choices for content consumption on phones during the matches. Content-led marketing on the second screen emerged as one of the key strategies for brands to cut through the IPL media clutter, the report stated.

    Close to 70 per cent of respondents identified themselves as ‘die-hard fans’ of IPL, and 72 per cent said that they will be watching every IPL match. Findings further revealed that while 69 per cent watch IPL on television, 61 per cent said that they also watch matches on their smartphones. The study found that content themes that are gaining popularity include live reaction videos of celebrities watching matches, behind-the-scenes snippets, unknown facts about favourite players, and expert match analyses.

    The survey further asked these respondents about the types of content they would like to interact with during the IPL matches. 56 per cent said they would like to take part in live watch parties with celebrities, and 53 per cent said they would participate in social media polls and quizzes on the match. 49 per cent opted for cricket games or fantasy cricket on various apps, while an equal percentage of them said they would bet on live matches. For brands and advertisers, this showed that interactive content formats will be one of the biggest engagement drivers to connect with audiences during the IPL.

    The Glance report outlined strategies that brands can leverage to tap into this growing trend of consuming second screen content during the IPL. These included using branded storytelling around cricket, launching customized polls and quizzes, designing watch parties with celebrities, and more, on popular platforms.

    When asked about ads that audiences would not mind engaging with, 54 per cent of respondents chose branded polls and quizzes that test their cricket knowledge, closely followed by ads that involved winning a contest. 48 per cent of users preferred influencer and celebrity-led ads, with an equal percentage voting for ads that lead to good shopping or dine-out deals.

    “IPL is a social phenomenon, both in the offline and the virtual world. People not just love watching cricket, but also love engaging with mobile content that gives them a 360-degree experience of the IPL and allows them to become a part of a community,” said InMobi Group co-founder and president and Glance COO Piyush Shah.“The evolving nature of IPL and the rise of interactive cricket content consumption on second screens, led by smartphones, allows brands to cut through the clutter of IPL, and connect with their audiences in a meaningful and impactful way.”

  • Roposo joins ‘The Battle of Beatboxers 2.0’ as live entertainment partner

    Roposo joins ‘The Battle of Beatboxers 2.0’ as live entertainment partner

    Mumbai: In an attempt to mainstream beatboxing in India, creator-led live entertainment commerce platform Roposo has teamed up with Rawdust as the official live entertainment partner for ‘The Battle of Beatboxers 2.0’ (TBOB).

    The event will also be showcased on Glance, the lock screen platform with over 163 million users in India. Roposo will exclusively live-stream the event to its users. 

    “With this partnership, Roposo aims to provide beatboxers across India an opportunity to expand their fan base by introducing the craft of beatboxing to a much larger audience,” stated Roposo VP and GM Mansi Jain. “Our ongoing effort is to identify different genres, artists and subcultures that will help niche music segments, such as beatboxing, explore new avenues and monetise their talent.”

    TBOB will be hosted by songwriter, rap and RnB artist Shaikhspeare aka Aamir Shaikh and Roposo creator Bhawna Munjal. The event will combine performances along with a special showcase by the judges. Selected participants will get a chance to be part of Roposo’s growing creator community, the platform said.

    The top 32 participants who are selected for the ‘KnockOut Round’ will battle it out for the top two winning titles in Mumbai at YB Chauhan auditorium on 19 February. Popular beatboxers, “Gully Boy” fame D-Cypher aka Gaurav Gambhir, and BeatRawaka Roshan Gamare are the judges along with Dilip Sakhrani who was the first Indian to win an international beatboxing competition.

    The contestant with the highest number of views on Roposo will receive various prizes and benefits from Rawdust. Additionally, the top four participants will receive a unique partnership opportunity with Roposo. These beatboxers will be able to be part of various artist collaborations and live shows on Roposo as well as on Glance, enabling them to live stream at a massive scale, said the statement. 

    “Beatboxing is still an underrated form of music in India. While the first season of ‘The Battle of Beatboxers’ received a great response, we are certain this season will attract new audience as we partner with a prominent live platform like Roposo. This will give beatboxers a platform to become content creators as well, which is a huge plus point for them,” shared Rawdust founder Nikunj Mehta.

    “Only in recent times have genres like beatboxing and rap received eminence in the Indian music industry. Competitions like ‘The Battle of Beatboxers’ helps us find the most talented beatboxers who deserve more listeners”, remarked D-Cypher aka Gaurav Gambhir renowned Indian Beatboxer and judge on The Battle of Beatboxers 2.0. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Roposo, create live content on the platform and increase our fanbase.”

  • Jio Platforms to invest $200 million in AI-powered Glance

    Jio Platforms to invest $200 million in AI-powered Glance

    Mumbai: AI-driven lock-screen platform Glance has announced that it has agreed to raise $200 million from Jio Platforms (“Jio”) in its Series D round of funding. The transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

    The proposed investment by Jio is aimed at accelerating Glance’s launch in several key international markets outside of Asia such as the USA, Brazil, Mexico and Russia. The company is aiming to create the world’s largest live content and commerce ecosystem on the lock screen and will use the funds raised to expand globally. In addition to Jio Platforms, Glance is also backed by technology giant Google and Silicon Valley-based venture fund Mithril Capital.

    Concurrent with the proposed investment, Glance has also entered into a business partnership arrangement with Reliance Retail Ventures (“Reliance Retail”), providing for Glance’s ‘lock screen platform’ to be integrated into the JioPhone Next smartphones to transform the internet experience for millions of Jio users. This is the latest in a series of strategic partnerships between Glance and global players in the mobile ecosystem. The deal is also expected to lead to further strategic collaborations between Glance, Reliance Retail, and Jio across devices, commerce, content and gaming ecosystem.

    Glance will be integrated into the Pragati OS, which has been co-developed by Jio Platforms and Google, to bring LIVE content on Lock Screen for millions of Jio users. Its entertainment-led commerce platform Roposo will bring the power of live creator commerce to Jio users on their lock screen.

    Jio Platforms director Akash Ambani said, “Glance has grown at a phenomenal pace over the past two years and has given users a truly unique solution by unlocking the power of the lock screen for experiencing the internet, live content, creator-driven entertainment commerce, and gaming. With the help of this investment, Glance expects to launch in several key markets globally as well as to extend the experience to millions of Jio users, further reinforcing our commitment to provide the most advanced and next-level tech and digital ecosystem for consumers in India and beyond.”

    InMobi Group founder and CEO Naveen Tewari added, “Jio’s investment in Glance brings a deep synergy of vision and philosophy. Jio is a truly disruptive company. It made the internet accessible for millions of users, making India one of the largest internet markets in the world. Reliance is now disrupting the smartphone market with the launch of its JioPhone Next smartphones. Jio’s investment in Glance and Glance’s presence on the lock screen of JioPhone Next smartphones will lead to a paradigm shift in how its users experience the internet.”

    “Glance has created a disruptive lock screen-first discovery platform for live content, commerce and gaming in Asia, and we intend to scale it globally going forward,” shared InMobi Group co-founder and Glance president and COO Piyush Shah. “Jio’s investment is a huge validation of this vision and gives us the firepower to take the innovative experience of Glance to surfaces across the world. We look forward to working with Jio to build the content, creator and commerce ecosystem of the future together.”

    Morgan Stanley acted as the exclusive financial advisor and Khaitan & Co. acted as the legal counsel to Glance. White & Case and K Law acted as the legal counsels and Ernst & Young provided accounting and tax due to diligence services to Jio Platforms.

  • Glance’s active user base crosses 160 million in India

    Glance’s active user base crosses 160 million in India

    Mumbai: Lockscreen content platform Glance recorded 163 million active users as of Q3 2021, according to Counterpoint Research’s Quarterly Mobile Application Tracker. Experiencing consistent growth since its inception, its active user base which now consists of 30 per cent of India’s smartphone users, grew by eight per cent QoQ in Q3 of 2021.

    Glance’s presence is highly prominent in the $100- $250 price segment, with nearly two-thirds of the active users coming from this price band. Upper-mid-and-affordable premium ($250 and above) comprises about 20 per cent. Over the past year, the lockscreen content platform has expanded its reach beyond India, and is currently also available on devices across Southeast Asia.

    Glance enables its users to access a wide range of content, including live interactive content, on their smartphone lockscreens. This content is curated from top publishers and developers in India across categories such as sports, current affairs, fashion, travel, food, commerce and entertainment.

     

    Commenting on the development, Research Analyst Arushi Chawla said, “The lockscreen is the most visited real-estate on a smartphone. It is the first screen users see every time when unlocking their smartphone. Being present on this surface, Glance makes content discovery frictionless and improves the opt-in rate for interactive broadcasting, compared to any other in-app event features that require users to login. Glance’s recent foray into Live, interactive content has also helped it to differentiate itself as a platform and has helped boost user engagement levels.”

    “As per our estimates, about a billion smartphones will be sold in the next five years in India, which brings a huge opportunity for a content platform to expand using Hardware as a Distribution (HaaD) model. Being a multilingual, pre-installed application in many leading smartphone OEMs it serves as a gateway to the latest content for many first-time smartphone users,” she added.

    Glance continues to come up with engaging ways to create stickiness on the platform. With the launch of Glance Live, and a rise in interactive, real-time content, it is progressively bringing newness in content delivery. Content from Roposo’s top creators onto the Glance lockscreen platform has increased content uniqueness as well.

    India is a price-sensitive and highly competitive market for OEMs. In many cases, it directly affects their operating margin and ability to maintain their market position. As the market dynamics are moving from hardware-level competition to providing an overall holistic experience, most of the OEM’s strategy will concentrate on maximising the customer’s lifetime value. In such a scenario long-term loyalty and value creation will depend on providing differentiating over-the-top services. Content will certainly play a key role in developing brand stickiness.

    (The findings are based on a sponsored survey to better understand the brand’s presence in the Indian smartphone market.)

  • Ekta Kapoor and Roposo launch creator-led consumer brand EK

    Ekta Kapoor and Roposo launch creator-led consumer brand EK

    Mumbai: Entrepreneur and entertainment industry personality Ekta R Kapoor and Glance-owned Roposo on Wednesday announced the launch of home decor, home furnishing and wellness brand, EK. This is the first label to be launched by Roposo through Glance Collective, a joint venture company between Glance and Collective Artists Network.

    EK’s catalog includes home furnishings (bed linens, cushion covers, drapes, table runners), home decor (wall art, vases, serving ware), and spiritual and wellness products (dhoop burner, hamsa, evil eye jewellery) reflecting Ekta Kapoor’s unique style.  

    “EK is my way of empowering local artisans, who are striving to preserve Indian heritage and culture through their art,” said Kapoor. “The partnership with Roposo is very exciting since it will ensure that their work reaches consumers in every corner of the country through the technology, scale, and distribution backbone of platforms such as Glance and Roposo. It will also help in amplifying the deep knowledge of wellness our country possesses, making it relevant and accessible in today’s world.”

    The EK collection is inspired by India’s rich cultural heritage and wellness traditions and has signature products that incorporate both traditional and contemporary design elements. Crafted with the intent of filling the buyer’s home with positive energy, these products are made with soothing materials, fabrics, motifs, fragrances, and colors that are known to have positive emotional effects on their users, said the statement.

    Many of EK’s products are created in collaboration with local artisans across the country, as part of the mission to promote and preserve the legacy of India’s fine craftsmanship, it added.

    “Our intention is to partner with celebrities and creators in the creation of brands that reflect their unique persona, and that is what we are doing with EK. We are delighted to be associated with Ekta Kapoor and to be launching the first label in this vertical,” said InMobi Group (which owns Glance) founder and CEO Naveen Tewari. ”Through the combined user base and live commerce technology of platforms like Glance and Roposo, EK will reach millions of consumers in India.”   

    “Ekta is a defining personality in pop culture and has majorly influenced trends with her content over several years. Her authentic style, backed by the scale of Glance and Roposo Platforms makes this collaboration a truly unique and exciting proposition for consumers,” added Collective Artists Network group CEO and founder Vijay Subramaniam.

    The products are available on worldofek.com, Glance Lock Screen, and Roposo.

  • Roposo launches live entertainment commerce

    Roposo launches live entertainment commerce

    Mumbai: With an intent to disrupt the mobile and online commerce space, Roposo on Thursday announced the launch of a digital destination for creator-led, live entertainment commerce. According to a statement, the new offering will enable consumers to shop for top-notch products in real-time within a live, virtual mall environment.

    Shoppers on the Roposo will now be able to discover products recommended by creators through entertaining live streams, visit hundreds of creator-led pop stores, and get up close and personal with some of their favourite stars. While shopping across categories such as fashion & beauty, health & fitness, electronics, home décor, and lifestyle, they can simultaneously attend live events by some of Gen-Z’s favourite creators. Roposo will enable multiple features for social interactions on both sides of the screen in its live streams, the platform said in a statement.

    Going forward, creators can also have the opportunity to monetise their expertise by conducting paid masterclasses, and through ticketed live shows such as music concerts, stand-up comedy, talk shows, and fashion shows. 

    “While we have several big celebrities, the real hero for Roposo will be creators; be it the young fashion designer from Mangalore who wants to live-stream her collection on the platform and sell nationwide through her own pop store, or the indie rapper from Punjab who wants to reach millions through a ticketed concert,” stated Roposo vice president and general manager Mansi Jain. “We intend to be the platform of choice for enterprising creators, who are not only great entertainers, but are experts in their domain, have authentic connections with their audience, and are skilled at influencing buying decisions.”

    For its creators, Roposo will integrate a wide range of monetisation levers on the platform. Besides creating live experiences, they will be able to run their own multi-brand pop stores on the platform. With opportunities to go live on Glance lock screen, they can potentially have access to Glance’s user base of over 150 million in India alone, said the statement.

    In June this year, Glance had acquired the full-stack e-commerce platform Shop101. A business unit of Glance, Roposo intends to leverage Shop101’s technology, comprehensive supply chain infrastructure, and vast experience in managing end-to-end digital shopping to drive its commerce proposition. Glance also recently launched Glance Live which brings users some of the best of live content from across the internet on the lock screens of their smartphones. Roposo will be one of the major content developers on Glance Live. 

    “Our intent is to build the largest platform for creator-led live shopping in India, and take it to Southeast Asia and the USA in the coming quarters. There is rising global demand for immersive shopping experiences that closely replicate the offline world, online,” stated InMobi Group co-founder and Glance president & COO Piyush Shah. “As we have seen in other markets, live streaming commerce, conducted by talented creators, is becoming a successful way to meet that demand. With Roposo’s popularity amongst creators, the scale and Live stack of Glance, and the e-commerce infrastructure of Shop101, we are well poised to take this new Roposo experience out in a big way.”

  • IPL 2021: Short video app Roposo & Glance partner with CSK

    IPL 2021: Short video app Roposo & Glance partner with CSK

    MUMBAI: InMobi-owned short video app Roposo and lock screen content platform Glance have partnered with Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as its official lock screen partner and official short video app partner, respectively. The team will be live-streaming special shows on Glance, and post original short videos on Roposo, throughout the ongoing IPL 2021 tournament that kickstarted on 9 April.

    As part of the deal, cricket enthusiasts can also share uploaded short videos by their favourite players from CSK, on Glance and Roposo apps.

    “With the CSK team all set to livestream their exclusive and original content, we are primed to offer the users of Glance and Roposo an unmatched experience throughout this year’s tournament," said Glance vice president – marketing Bikash Chowdhury.

    “CSK has been among the tournament’s top contenders, year after year, just as Glance and Roposo have been going from strength to strength with each passing year. We are proud to bring 120 million Indians closer to a dream team like CSK, both on Glance’s lock screen and through their short videos on Roposo." Chowdhury added.

    The MS Dhoni-led team has already set up its official profile on Roposo. The company said that fans will get a chance to engage with players and take part in challenges to show their support for CSK.

    “Being a team built on loving fans, we always look for new ways to reach out to our supporters. This partnership with Glance and Roposo provides an exciting opportunity to engage with our fans on different digital platforms," said Chennai Super Kings chief executive K S Viswanathan.

  • Indian short-video platforms score funding from global investors

    Indian short-video platforms score funding from global investors

    KOLKATA: When one door closes, another opens. The ban on TikTok resulted in a wellspring of similar short video format platforms which became home to India’s considerable content creation community. Josh and Roposo are among these homegrown video sharing apps which rode the vocal for local wave and expanded their market shares post the government cracking the whip on Chinese apps. They quickly racked up several million downloads and an active user base within days of launch. Now, their growth trajectory has piqued the interest of top-notch global investors.

    TikTok copycat Josh’s parent company Bengaluru-based VerSe Innovation has raised nearly Rs 740 crore ($100 million) from investors like Google, Microsoft, AlphaWave. VerSe Innovation is valued at more than around Rs 7,400 crore ($ 1 billion) following the investment. Additionally, Roposo’s parent company Glance InMobi has just concluded a Rs 1,070 crore ($145 million) investment round from Google and Mithril Capital.

    Google is optimistic that the investments in leading Indian start-ups will enable them to further scale the availability of relevant and engaging content in different formats across various Indic languages.

    “We’re also eager to support the wider ecosystem in India, particularly local startups innovating in this space. When we shared details of the India Digitization Fund in July this year, we identified enabling affordable access and information for every Indian in their own language, whether it’s Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, and more as a key pillar in order to drive forward India’s digitisation,” Google said in a blogpost.

    VerSe Innovation has joined India’s unicorn club on the back of this latest round of funding, which will be deployed towards the augmentation of local language content offerings, the development of content creator ecosystem, and innovation in AI and ML along with focusing on Josh. The app currently has more than 77 million monthly active users and 36 million daily active users and plays over 1.5 billion videos per day.

    On the other hand, Glance will use the new investment to deepen its AI capability across Glance and Roposo, expand its technology team, and launch services on the platform. The app has more than 33 million monthly active users and has been downloaded more than 100 million times on Google Play Store.

    Back in September, ShareChat (behind the short video format app Moj) also raised roughly Rs 300 crores ($40 million) from investors including Twitter Inc and Lightspeed Ventures. According to a recent report, short-form videos have emerged as the fastest-growing content category in India with 180 million users in the financial year 2020.

  • A Glance at sports TV globally during Covid2019

    A Glance at sports TV globally during Covid2019

    NEW DELHI: In a year mostly devoid of outdoors action, it came as no big surprise that when live sports resumed in the form of the IPL 2020, it set new viewership records. In a similar fashion, season seven of the ISL is also performing very well, further speaking to the love of football in India.

    But how did sports television fare in other parts of the globe? How did sports buffs in other nations get by for months when live sport was a no-no?

    The 2020 edition of the Yearly Sport Key Facts will give you a clue. Brought out by Glance, a specialist of international TV markets, the report states that months into the Coronavirus pandemic, sports fans are eagerly awaiting the return of sports on television and that the year will forever be an unprecedented season in the history of worldwide sports.

    “The broadcast sports offer during the 2019-20 season has logically declined, but audience successes have also been recorded in many countries, particularly with the resumption of competitions after lockdown,” said Glance sport director Yassine Berhoun.

    She should know: her agency provides official TV ratings for over 7,000 channels in more than 120 territories.

    As all the sports competitions from March to June were cancelled, right holders and broadcasters were left with no option but to reinvent themselves to offer attractive content to sports enthusiasts during lockdown.

    Some channels in European countries showed reruns of the greatest triumphs of their national teams. In France, the L’Equipe channel broadcast several matches from the 2018 World Cup, including France’s win in the final against Croatia, which attracted more than 600,000 viewers.  Similar strategies were adopted in Germany and Spain.

    Virtual events were also set up to make up for the absence of live sports. In northern Belgium, the broadcast of the virtual Tour of Flanders on EEN, where 13 riders were facing each other on a cycling simulation, was watched by more than 600,000 viewers with an audience share of 56 per cent.

    In the United States, the ESPN channel aired The Last Dance documentary series about the final season (1997-98) of the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan’s basketball team. The eagerly awaited documentary created a buzz and was watched on average by more than 6.7 million TV viewers for an average audience share of 7.8 per cent, the biggest audience in history for an ESPN documentary.

    The games have returned, but are still being played behind closed doors. One of the first football competitions to resume was the Bundesliga, the German league which was broadcast by the Sky Group in Germany. The first post-lockdown day broadcast thus achieved an audience of more than 2.5 million fans.

    In Italy, the final of the Coppa Italia between Napoli and Juventus in June achieved the best audience of the season with 10.2 million viewers and a market share of 39.3 per cent on Rai 1, which is three million more viewers than the 2019 final.

    Another highly anticipated competition, the Champions League, made its comeback in August in a new format. The final between Paris Saint Germain and Bayern Munich got the best sports audience of the season in France and Germany.

    In the 2019/20 season, six of the top ten sports audiences of the season were for Coppa Italia games, according to Glance.

    The winter sports narrowly escaped the lockdown, with only a few final events cancelled at the beginning of the health crisis. In Austria, Slovenia, Norway, Poland and Sweden, TV viewing of winter sports accounted for over 40 per cent of all sports viewed between September 2019 and August 2020. 

    LINK TO THE REPORT : https://www.glance-mediametrie.com/en/yearly-sport-key-facts-2020