Over-the-top (OTT) services are being heavily demanded as the reach of smartphone devices continues to grow. Consumers can pay for OTT services as opposed to traditional TV services in order to access media via the internet. With the growing adoption of smartphones, the OTT service is expected to accelerate even further. According to data compiled by Technavio analysts, the global OTT market is projected to grow by USD 64.14 Billion, while accelerating at a CAGR of 17% throughout the forecast period from 2018 to 2022. Many…

Adds Neeraj Agrawal, General Partner at Battery Ventures, to Board of Directors Kustomer, the next-generation customer management platform for the people-first enterprise, announced a $35 million Series C round led by Battery Ventures, bringing Kustomer’s total funding to $73.5 million. The investment comes just 6 months after its Series B round in June of 2018. Kustomer plans to use the capital to accelerate its go-to-market strategy, expand internationally, and invest in its platform, launching new products while…

Conversational AI Leader Delivers Record Growth in 2018 with Customer, Revenue and Headcount Increases Kore.ai, a global leader in conversational AI, is preparing for another year of record growth in 2019 after closing 2018 with 300% growth in bookings, and the addition of dozens of new Global 2000 enterprise customers across 7 verticals in Americas, Europe and Asia. “We are at the cusp of a great journey, with conversational AI having already captured market imagination. Our comprehensive enterprise platform…

Industry Standard for 3D Textures and Materials Behind AAA Gaming Titles and Award-Winning Movies Coming to Creative Cloud Adobe announced that it has acquired Allegorithmic, makers of Substance, the industry standard for 3D textures and material creation in game and video post-production. By combining Allegorithmic’s Substance 3D design tools with Creative Cloud’s industry-leading imaging, video and motion graphics tools, Adobe will empower video game creators, VFX artists working in film and television,…

Acquisition of Leading Free Streaming Television Platform Marks Next Step in Viacom’s Evolution Viacom Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Pluto TV, the leading free streaming television service in US, for $340 million in cash. Founded in 2013, Pluto TV streams more than 100 channels and thousands of hours of on-demand content spanning television and movies, sports, news, lifestyle, comedy, cartoons, gaming and trending digital series. The ad-supported, internet-based TV service…

Brands See New Customer Acquisition, Meeting Existing and Future Customers Where They Are as Biggest Opportunities Feedvisor, the AI-driven, machine-learning and big data company that helps brands and retailers optimize their e-commerce businesses with Amazon at the core, unveiled the findings of a first-of-its-kind analysis on the evolving relationships between brands and Amazon. The report, Brands & Amazon: Insights, Opportunities, and Concerns in the Age of E-Commerce, surveyed business leaders from major US…

"AI is an important component of any modern CMS as it offers the opportunity to enhance the customer journey with better targeting and more efficient use of customer data." Tell us about your role at Episerver. As EVP Strategy and Corporate Development and Chief of Staff at Episerver — recently bumped up from CMO to help align the business around the CEO and Board’s strategic agenda — I’m focused principally on product and pipeline and ensuring we’re delivering against both across the organization. With 30 years’…

Global Study Highlights Huge Disconnect Between Retailers and Consumers and the Role of New Technologies in the Shopping Experience People do not want to speak with robots while shopping in-store or online according to a new study conducted by Oracle NetSuite in partnership with Wakefield Research and The Retail Doctor, a retail consulting firm created by expert consultant and business mentor Bob Phibbs. The global study of 1,200 consumers and 400 retail executives across the US, UK and Australia found a huge disconnect…

Investment Will Accelerate Fractal’s Path to a $1 Billion-Revenue Company in the AI Space Funds advised by Apax Partners have announced a definitive agreement to invest USD 200 million for a significant minority stake in Fractal Analytics, a global provider of AI to Fortune 500 clients. The transaction, which consists of a secondary stake acquired from existing shareholders and a primary investment into the business, is expected to close by February 2019. Founded in 2000 with the vision of powering every human decision in…

The Websites People Use Most Varies Among Generations, a New Survey Finds. the Data Shows That Amazon's User Experience Ranks High Among All Generations, Though, and Online Navigation Proficiency Has Improved Overall All but some of the youngest consumers spend most of their social media time on Facebook. For those age 18 to 24, also known as "Generation Z," YouTube is the favored platform, according to a recent survey from Visual Objects, a portfolio website that showcases work from top creative firms from around the…

New Web Agent Built on Dynamics 365 Channel Integration Framework Provides Omni-Channel Contact Center and Dialogue Management Capabilities from a Single Dynamics 365 Window Workstreampeople, a global leader in contact center solutions for Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams, announced the introduction of the Anywhere365 Web Agent for Microsoft Dynamics 365. Based on the Dynamics 365 Channel Integration Framework (CIF) the Web Agent is nested in the Dynamics 365 interface and provides users with Anywhere365’s…

Family of Technology Companies United Under New Corporate Name, CM Group CM Group — a family of marketing technology companies including Campaign Monitor, Delivra and Emma — announced the acquisitions of Sailthru and Liveclicker, adding nearly $60 million in revenue and 540 new customers, including Bloomberg, Samsung and Fashion Nova. Sailthru, a cross-channel experience management platform, and Liveclicker, a provider of real-time email personalization solutions for marketers, bring easy to use, effective and scalable…

Tellables, a publisher of voice apps, is set to launch virtual human storytellers at The Alexa Conference. The digital characters, which tell original stories and understand spoken language, will be on display at the Alexa World's Fair in Chattanooga, TN from January 15–19, 2019. Virtual human storytellers are an addition to the current Tellables lineup of conversational, voice first story apps. Amy Stapleton, CEO and founder of Tellables, explained consumers with Alexa-enabled devices can access audio stories by…

Unified Mixed Reality Collaboration for Microsoft Hololens, Magic Leap and Vr Headsets Arvizio Inc., announced the expansion of their MR Studio enterprise mixed reality software platform to include Magic Leap One and virtual reality (VR) headsets in addition to new features for Microsoft HoloLens. Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) firms as well as those in the energy, engineering and mining industries can now engage in combined mixed reality and fully immersive VR experiences while sharing design reviews,…

Representing 580% Growth over the Next 4 Years A new study from Juniper Research has found that revenues from VR-specific games will reach $8.2 billion by 2023, rising from an expected $1.2 billion in 2019. It argued that development of smartphone VR content is essential to increase consumer confidence in VR across all platforms, following a disappointing year of hardware sales in 2018. “Revenues from VR-specific mobile games will exceed $4.6 billion by 2023, however average revenue per mobile VR games user will be the…

In 2019, we expect a dramatic AdTech transformation powered by new platforms for set-top box and automated content recognition (ACR) data processing. A leading player in the TV advertising and OTT, VideoAmp acquired IronGrid Data Services, Inc., followed by an announcement to launch a Data & Emerging Products Division. Currently, VideoAmp’s marketing investment platform measures linear TV, OTT and digital media investment across various AdTech platforms, including Programmatic and non-Programmatic channels. The leading…

What opportunities and challenges did you and/or Uberflip identify at the start of 2018 and manage to conquer by now, or plan to soon? We saw a real need for a platform that wasn’t just focused on the creation of content. So often, marketers think that if they keep churning out content, it will result in more conversions, ROI, etc., but that’s just not the case. We’re simplifying the web for marketers by helping them create personalized content experiences at scale under one roof. You know the motto “work smarter, not…

Global Agency Accelerates International Expansion, Signs World Renowned Clients & Unveils Rebrand The BMF Media Group – now, simply BMF– the award-winning global integrated experiential marketing agency, announced the celebration of its 15th anniversary with a series of significant milestones. BMF was founded in 2003 with just two employees and two clients: Maverick Records, founded by pop icon Madonna and now owned by Warner Music Group, and Kiehl's, the leading naturally inspired skincare, body and haircare…

"If you are going to be in this space, you need to innovate and compete because tomorrow there will be something new and the deck will get reshuffled." Tell us about your role and journey into technology. What galvanized you to start Fluency? My first computer was the Commodore 64. I was hooked instantly. There seemed to be unlimited potential in front of me that I couldn’t even imagine and it sparked my interest in technology. I started college as an Environmental Engineer but finished with a degree in Engineering…

Expands AR Market for Everyone with NO Coding Skills PlugXR, Inc., an Augmented Reality (AR) /Virtual Reality (VR) /Mixed Reality (MR) Silicon Valley startup based in San Jose, California (USA), Sweden (Europe) and Hyderabad (India), announced its flagship AR Authoring Platform, PlugXR Creator (Beta), the Fastest and First-of-its-kind AR App Creator for Android/iOS mobiles to develop powerful AR apps in Minutes. PlugXR announces Augmented Reality Creator (Beta) to create fastest Mobile AR Apps for Free “We…