Singapore – Baidu’s subscription video on-demand over-the-top (OTT) streaming service, iQIYI, has surpassed the $3b milestone in terms of consumer spending across Apple’s App Store and Google Play, according to the latest estimate reports from data.ai.

According to the data, iQIYI generated a total of $180 million in gross revenue globally during the first half of 2023, securing the sixth spot among the world’s top-grossing OTT entertainment platforms, standing tall among giants like Disney+, which secured the first spot, and Max from Warner Bros. at second.

The data further shows that exclusive content plays have driven adoption. Recorded data identifies August 2021 as a standout month for iQIYI, as the OTT streaming service garnered a combined total of 12.5 million installs across both the iOS and Google Play stores globally.

Top markets for iQIYI are concentrated in the APAC region, and the surge in downloads coincided with iQIYI’s strategic move to cater to a broader viewership base by producing and streaming Southeast Asian shows as exclusive iQIYI originals.

Singapore – Xandr, telco AT&T’s adtech company which offers a global marketplace for advertising, has announced the expansion of its video marketplace in APAC to include inventory from leading Asia-wide OTT platforms WeTV and iflix, Viu, and iQIYI, as well as local platforms SMX, True Digital and Vidio in the region.

The expansion also adds Australia’s premium commercial broadcasters, signing agreements with Nine Entertainment, Seven Network, ViacomCBS/Network Ten as well as SBS and Foxtel Media.

The said platforms in Asia and Australia have signed on to use Xandr’s strategic selling platform Xandr Monetize, bulking up Xandr’s video offering in the APAC region.

Xandr’s Senior Account Director Shilpa Kolte said that the adtech company remains committed to improving the experience for advertisers, content owners, and consumers in the region in a privacy-first and brand-safe environment. 

“We are thrilled to see the region’s leading OTT players coming on the Xandr platform to provide premium video ad inventory at scale. As an innovator at the intersection of TV and digital, Xandr provides an open platform to support the growing demand in CTV buying and selling across multiple verticals,” said Kolte. 

In June, Xandr has also announced a renewed partnership with Microsoft, which will see both working on expanding Microsoft’s ad space inventory. Similarly, Microsoft will also be utilizing Xandr’s sell-side platform (SSP), Xandr Monetize. The partnership also entails Xandr augmenting its marketing spend using Xandr’s demand-side platform (DSP). 

As it bolsters its business in adtech, Xandr is further claiming its part in the ecosystem as it recently launches its industry guide called ‘Shaping the Future of Identity’. The guide aims to prepare buyers, sellers, and market participants for a future without third-party cookies.

As the deprecation of third-party cookies further nears, the guide aims to offer insights from Xandr executives and industry leaders to look at how the identity landscape is changing and what number of solutions are best responses, such as from industry IDs to contextual targeting and curated marketplaces.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Streaming service iQIYI International is extending its partnership with Malaysia’s leading media entertainment group, Astro Malaysia, to offer more local content to its viewers.

The partnership was forged in 2019 and has resulted in the only iQIYI linear TV channel in the region made exclusively available for Astro customers. 

With the extended tie-up, Astro’s collection of top library hits will be made available on the streaming platform including the much-anticipated title, Biar Mereka Cemburu. Featuring an all-star cast of Aiman Hakim Ridza, Nabilah Razali, and many more, it tells a will-they-won’t-they love story. 

The title was released on Dec 1, 2020, and each episode is made available on iQIYI just an hour after the show airs on Astro Ria.

Dinesh Ratnam, iQIYI International’s country manager for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei said, “We aim to be the destination for users who are looking for good quality content, both local and from around the region. In that regard, we will continue to strive in offering more local content to our Malaysian users on top of the already strong collection of Korean and Chinese titles we possess. We started offering local content to our users in July, and the receptivity was overwhelming.”

He added, “Astro has an amazing selection of local content and a good track record of producing great local hits that appeal to a wide range of viewers. To that end, we look forward to adding more high quality, premium content from Astro through the extension of our partnership. There is definitely more to come here.”