Rhythm NewMedia

Rhythm NewMedia, founded in 2005, operated as a mobile video advertising platform focused on smartphones and tablets. The company was established by Ujjal Kohli, who brought extensive experience from his career in engineering, product management, and executive roles at companies like Intel and AirTouch Cellular. Rhythm NewMedia's business model was centered on providing ad-supported mobile content and a suite of advertising solutions for media companies and mobile operators. Revenue was generated through a share of advertising income with content providers and operators.

The company's core service involved delivering targeted, interactive, in-stream video ads within mobile applications, particularly pre-roll ads that played before video content. These ads allowed users to interact—for example, by tapping to visit a website or watch a longer trailer—while remaining within the original application. Rhythm NewMedia specialized in working exclusively with premium publishers and Fortune 500 brands, counting clients like CBS, Fox, Procter & Gamble, and Toyota. Its platform was designed to serve video and rich media ad units in major media apps, offering full-service monetization solutions that included direct sales and CPM-based advertising. This allowed media partners to focus on content creation while Rhythm handled the ad sales and revenue generation.

A significant milestone for Rhythm NewMedia was its acquisition by the internet media platform Blinkx for $65 million in December 2013. This deal was a strategic move by Blinkx to expand its digital video operations into the rapidly growing mobile advertising sector. At the time of the acquisition, Rhythm NewMedia had established relationships with over 50 premium TV and online video providers and had served campaigns for more than 200 brand advertisers in 2012, generating $19 million in revenue. Following the acquisition, Ujjal Kohli remained as CEO. Blinkx later rebranded to RhythmOne, which was subsequently acquired by Taptica International in 2019.

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