ShowHeros Group expands into Asia with acquisition of iVS

Global digital video, content, tech and advertising solutions company ShowHeros Group will be acquiring ad tech company Intelligent Video Solutions (iVS) as part of its Asia expansion, as confirmed to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE by iVS.

Following two acquisitions in the last two years with PlayAd Media Group in the Nordics in 2021 and smartclip LATAM in 2022, ShowHeroes Group now operates in every major global market including the United States, LATAM, Europe and Asia, growing its global team to almost 500 employees. The value of the acquisition is not disclosed.

Meanwhile, Singapore-based iVS serves over 208 million unique users each month through its programmatic marketplace made up of Asia’s independent publishers, advertisers, broadcasters and DooH providers. Through their AVOD platform, proprietary video player and smart technology, iVS leverages machine learning to enable better monetisation opportunities and consumer engagement.

The synergic acquisition will allow ShowHeros to roll out its portfolio of contextual instream video and CTV solutions in Asian markets such as Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan. ShowHeroes’ and iVS’ solutions have synergies on various levels from the tech stack and OVP (online video player) to the instream and innovative video ad formats, according to the release.

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Together, iVS and ShowHeroes offer some of the most effective and reliable video solutions in the Asian market. The strategic benefits for both parties are numerous: ShowHeroes global demand driven by direct sales teams, open market experts and exclusive PMP deals for iVS publishers, ShowHeroes Studios’ in-house video content production, as well as access to ShowHeroes’ one-of-a-kind global network of independent, premium publishers for iVS media clients. iVS’ emerging SSAI technology will be integrated into the ShowHeroes VOD and live-streaming products, while various other features like ad and video player formats will also be consolidated to create a broader offering.

Commenting on the acquisition, Ilhan Zengin, founder and CEO, ShowHeroes Group, said: “It was a natural step to consider combining forces with a leader like iVS to offer top-notch video solutions in this crucial market. We’re no strangers to successfully executing acquisitions and integrations on all organizational levels. On behalf of ShowHeroes Group, I’m very happy to welcome all the new iVS team members into the ShowHeroes family, and especially Milan, Hari, and Ranga who are joining our leadership team.”

As part of the acquisition, iVS CEO Milan Reinartz will take on the role of SVP, APAC. Reinartz said iVS has been ​ in touch with Showheroes Group since the middle of last year and while it entered initial conversations about a strategic collaboration, it quickly became clear that consolidation would create even more value, "The combined video stack and monetisation features more than double the tools in our tech portfolio. ShowHeroes is a global leader in the OVP and independent AVOD world, and we’re immensely excited to be able to fly the flag here in Asia and support our industry peers as a part of the larger group.”

Meanwhile, Hari Shankar, iVS' chief revenue officer, will now take on the role of VP commercial APAC. “This acquisition will further establish iVS as a leading strategic player for video delivery and reinforce our already strong foothold in the premium video ad platform space.” Shankar added, “Joining forces with ShowHeroes, we will have a much stronger premium video advertising product that brings exclusivity to brand advertisers through ShowHeroes’ high-quality video content production capabilities.”

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to iVS for additional information. 

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