Vserv.mobi ties up with Sony Music to monetise Coke Studio app

Mumbai-based mobile ad network Vserv.mobi has tied up with Sony Music Entertainment India Pvt Ltd topublish premium ads on Sony's newly launched Coke Studio app. The app is available on the Android Play Store for free.

Launched by Sony Music, Coke Studio is a television series featuring live music performance by established artists and newcomers, across different genres. The show has recently come up with a mobile app to ensure better viewer engagement.

Powered by Vserv's flagship product AppWrapper, the ads featured on the Coke Studio app will be strategically placed, so as to be non-intrusive. Ads will be shown in a full-screen format only at the start and the exit, allowing advertisers to reach out to mobile consumers through high-impact display. The ad formats in use include video, HTML5 and other rich media formats.

The partnership will soon extend to other premium apps and content properties of Sony Music, thus enabling premium advertising across various genres.

Commenting on the tie-up, Binay Tiwari, global marketing head at Vserv.mobi, said, "We are pleased to partner with Sony Music in bringing the iconic Coke Studio music experience to consumers on mobile. Brand advertisers will embrace this powerful union of premium content with impactful ads, which allows reaching the user every day and everywhere."

Sanujeet Bhujabal, director (marketing) at Sony Music Entertainment India, added, "The launch of the Coke Studio app bears testimony to the growing attractiveness of the mobile medium. We believe that our alliance with Vserv.mobi will give us a chance to provide premium mobile content to millions of mobile consumers and grow our mobile revenue stream."

Vserv Digital Services Pvt Ltd was set up by Dippak Khurana and Ashay Padwal in January 2010. The company had earlier raised $3 million in a Series A funding from IDG Ventures. Prior to that, Ajay Adiseshann, founder and managing director of the mobile payment company PayMate, had also invested an undisclosed amount in Vserv.

The company claims to have more than 10,000 apps listed across Android, WP7 and J2ME platforms from developers such as Glu Mobile, Digital Chocolate, Indiagames (now part of Disney), Nazara and Jump Games, among others, while 150 advertisers are advertising and around 8,000 publishers are connected to the network.

(Edited by Sanghamitra Mandal)