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Tag: Naveen Tewari

  • Glance, Airtel launch AI-powered Glance TV, rivaling Dor TV’s offerings

    Glance, Airtel launch AI-powered Glance TV, rivaling Dor TV’s offerings

    MUMBAI: Imagine walking into your living room after a long day, sinking into your favorite corner of the sofa, and glancing at your TV-not as a blank, lifeless screen but as an AI-powered gateway to a world of interactive wonders. A flicker of curiosity, a spark of excitement, and suddenly, your television transforms into more than a passive device-it becomes an experience.

    This vision of seamless, intuitive engagement has now been made possible by Glance, the brainchild of visionary founders Naveen Tewari and Piyush Shah. With an eye on reimagining how we connect with everyday technology, Glance has taken a bold leap into the future with Glance TV. This groundbreaking platform breathes life into idle connected TV screens, turning them into vibrant, interactive surfaces powered by AI.

    Debuting in India through a partnership with Airtel Xstream and Android TV OS, Glance TV is not just a new product—it’s a revolution in how we perceive home entertainment.

    Glance

    For those who dare to dream big and look beyond the ordinary, Glance TV is here to ensure that every moment spent in front of your screen is worth the glance.

    Glance TV redefines traditional connected TVs by turning passive moments into engaging, real-time experiences. Unlike conventional screens, Glance TV remains always-on, delivering live, personalised, and trending content tailored to user preferences, even when TVs are not actively used.

    In its first deployment phase, Glance TV has already reached over one million Airtel Xstream devices, with users engaging for an impressive average of 200 minutes across three daily sessions. By June 2025, Glance TV aims to expand to four million devices in India, with plans for entry into select global markets soon.

    Glance2

    Glance TV offers live updates across diverse categories, including breaking news, entertainment, sports, finance, technology, and more. Its live sports updates deliver real-time scores, statistics, and detailed scorecards. A weather widget further enhances functionality, ensuring users receive essential updates to plan their day effectively. The platform sources content from leading publishers and currently operates in English.

    Airtel Digital TV, CEO, Siddharth Sharma said, “Customers increasingly seek platforms offering more than traditional entertainment. Our partnership with Glance elevates customer experience by integrating advanced AI technology directly into their TVs, creating an unmatched interactive platform.”

    InMobi co-founder & Glance president & COO, Shah commented, “Glance TV redefines the television experience by elevating screens into dynamic, AI-powered platforms. By blending content with interaction, we transform TVs from mere entertainment devices into intelligent surfaces that engage, connect, and inspire users.”

    As India’s connected TV market crosses 40 million devices, the stage is set for a vibrant battle of innovation and consumer delight. Anuj Gandhi’s trailblazing vision with Dor TV ignited the spark, receiving a warm embrace on its debut. Yet, the plot thickens as Glance TV strides into the spotlight, carving its dominance in the digital age.

    The question now isn’t just who will lead, but how far they’ll push the boundaries of what’s possible. Will it be Dor TV, with its homegrown roots and pioneering spirit? Or will Glance TV’s bold strides cement its place as the visionary leader of this transformation?

    One thing is certain: the journey ahead promises a kaleidoscope of breakthroughs, rivalries, and endless possibilities for the connected future of India.

    The spotlight is on—and the story has just begun.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 59 per cent of mobile web users comfortable with mobile ads: Study

    59 per cent of mobile web users comfortable with mobile ads: Study

    MUMBAI: The appetite for mobile media continues to rise and that the mobile is not just a fundamental part of consumers‘ communication needs, but increasingly the core platform through which they access the Internet and engage with brands online.

    To better understand changing media consumption usage and behaviours across the world, Bangalore-based mobile ad network InMobi has released the findings of its Mobile Media Consumption Report, a study of over 15,000 mobile users in 14 markets across all continents through its global mobile ad network, and research partners Decision Fuel and OnDevice Research.

    InMobi Co-Founder and CEO Naveen Tewari said, “Mobile devices now permeate every aspect of modern life. The study reveals that mobile users are always-on, whether surfing the web while spending time with family (48 per cent), at a social event (45 per cent), commuting (60 per cent) and shopping (43 per cent). This creates a huge opportunity for brands and marketers to engage with consumers throughout the day unlike traditional advertising like print and TV.”

    Mobile interactions increasingly influence buying behaviour: Overall analysis reinforces the shift towards mobile with 50 per cent of the average global mobile web user now using mobile as either their primary or exclusive means of going online. This has resulted in mobile devices becoming an indispensable shopping tool, gaining popularity as a viable shopping channel and now used throughout the research and decision-making process of a purchase.

    Mobile advertising‘s proving to be effective across the entire purchase funnel:

    • 75 per cent of respondents admitted that they‘d been introduced to something new via their mobile device
    • 67 per cent feel that it had provided them with better options
    • 46 per cent said that they had made purchases using their mobile device
    • 45 per cent said it has influenced their in-store purchase

    Opportunities for brands to engage with consumers through mobile apps: Mobile apps can offer brands opportunities to engage with consumers on a more personal level all across the globe. The findings of the research reveal the accelerated usage of mobile apps and found that the average consumer actively uses 6.5 apps throughout a 30-day period.

    Encouragingly, 54 per cent of respondents reported that they had noticed ads while engaged in an app. In fact, a considerable 80 per cent of respondents were influenced by a mobile ad to download an app and 67 per cent went on to visit a brand‘s website immediately afterwards. Mobile advertising is not only helping to drive app downloads but also increase website traffic.

    Ad format preferences are emerging for different user segments : The research found that 59 per cent of mobile users are now as comfortable with mobile advertising as they are with TV or online advertising. Whilst mobile ads in apps are the most noticed among mobile users, the study highlighted those different formats of mobile ads appeal to different segments of consumers. Globally, 54 per cent of users discover mobile ads via apps, 40 per cent on a search engine, 27 per cent on a retailer website and 23 per cent on a video website.

    Mobile commerce surges: M-commerce continues to evolve and consumer adoption is high with 66 per cent of consumers surveyed having spent money on an activity via a mobile device. This will continue to increase significantly as 80 per cent of consumers plan to conduct mobile commerce in the next 12 months, a 21 per cent increase from where we are today.

    Tewari concluded, “This study reiterates the industry stats on the mobile media consumption boom. With consumers now being increasingly receptive to mobile advertising and in-app ads, there has never been a better time for brands to embrace the use of mobile technologies. Finally, it highlights the fact that there is a real need for the industry to continue to rapidly innovate the ad experience and deliver rich, relevant, and timely content to the user.”

  • InMobi acquires UK‘s Overlay Media

    InMobi acquires UK‘s Overlay Media

    MUMBAI: Bangalore-based mobile ad network InMobi has announced the acquisition of UK-based Overlay Media, a context aware computing company.

    Overlay Media, which comprises a team of data scientists, have built the Context Engine technology to deliver personalised content to mobile users.

    InMobi founder and CEO Naveen Tewari said, "We are excited to add amazing talent to InMobi. This acquisition, along with Metaflow Solutions and MMTG Labs, will help us to continue to be at the forefront of delivering highly engaging content to consumers globally."

    "At Overlay Media, our goal has been to develop technology that enables mobile devices to provide a highly personal and immersive user experience. We are excited to join InMobi to further their position as a market leader in mobile advertising", Overlay Media CEO Dr. Ian Anderson added.

    The Overlay Media team will be based from InMobi London EMEA HQ.

  • InMobi appoints Shrikant Latkar as global marketing VP

    MUMBAI: Bengaluru-based mobile advertising network InMobihas has appointed Shrikant Latkar as vice president, global marketing.

    Latkar comes in from innovation and technology services company Aricent Group where he was responsible for marketing all products and solutions for the product engineering services, carrier services and solutions units.

    Latkar will be based at the InMobi San Francisco office in the USA. He will be responsible for leading the various marketing related aspects for InMobi which includes aligning the marketing strategy and brand positioning.

    Latkar brings to the table over 18 years of experience in the technology industry and has held leadership roles in marketing, product management and engineering at firms like Juniper Networks, Avaya and Lucent Technologies.

    Latkar said, “InMobi has enjoyed rapid growth and has helped to shape the success of the mobile advertising industry as it stands today. Its ability to offer enormous global reach, combined with a unique rich media platform – Sprout, for building and delivering HTML5 rich media ads to mobile devices gives it a significant advantage over the competition. I look forward to leading InMobi‘s marketing during such an exciting time in the industry.”

    InMobi founder and CEO Naveen Tewari said, “Shrikant joins InMobi as we continue to expand globally and offer the latest innovation to customers. We are very focused on creating global synergies across our products and solutions, and Shrikant‘s appointment is central in helping us to achieve this. With his vast experience in successfully bringing products to market and effectively communicating them, Shrikant is the ideal person to help us achieve our goals and create a cohesive offering on a global scale.”