Times Audience Network and Monsoon Ads partner for digital video advertising

According to the deal, the digital video arm of the Times Group will have exclusive rights to sell ads for Internet portals and mobile applications in the Monsoon video advertising network in India

Times Audience Network (TAN), the digital video arm of the Times Group, has entered into a strategic partnership with online video advertising network, Monsoon Ads. According to the exclusive online and mobile video advertising sales partnership, TAN will own the rights to sell ads for Internet portals and mobile applications in the Monsoon video advertising network in India.

The revenue sharing model of the partnership could not be ascertained.

The network, which includes both advertisers and publishers, will benefit from the partnership, with the ads reaching audiences across Indian portals and the Times Group sites as well. Monsoon Ads' network includes portals such as Bollywood Hungama, Eros on Demand and Rajshri, among others.

On the other hand, TAN syndicates and monetises digital video content for top tier online video publishers that include Times Now, Zoom, ET Now, STAR News, Aaj Tak, India TV and Headlines Today.

Commenting on the partnership, Rishi Khiani, chief executive officer, Times Internet, says in a press statement, "Both publishers and advertisers in the space have been dealing with sub-standard monetisation solutions, primarily because of limited options. This partnership brings to the fore the cream of India's online video publishers, with best of breed ad-formats, innovations and analytics to delight our advertisers."

The digital medium has long been seen as a significant vehicle to reach out to target customers. In the case of Internet video advertising, the advertiser is only billed for an ad seen by a viewer, as opposed to being billed for the perceived reach of other media.

Monsoon Ads, offering a large network of video sites to advertisers looking to reach Internet users from the Indian and NRI market, also leverages user location and demographic data to provide brands an opportunity to make sure their ads target the right customer.

Harsh Nagpal, director, Monsoon Ads, says, "The partnership with the Times Audience Network allows us to capture and monetise the online/mobile video market in India, unlike any other video advertising network. We intend to provide unprecedented monetisation to all our Internet and mobile partners and create the most effective video advertising network for India."

With the arrival of 3G in the country, on-demand video consumption on mobile platforms is also expected to rise significantly, says Nagpal.