Fork Media acquires equity in Wi-Fi ad network Spid

With this acquisition, Fork Media aims to leverage Spid's existing technology to offer advertisers and publishers with one of the largest audience platforms

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | October 23, 2015

Ad tech company Fork Media has recently invested in Wi-Fi ad network Spid Info Media. The partnership is in line with Fork's vision of becoming the leading player in the alternate ad inventory space and is synergistic with its vision of broadening its core offerings. Fork Media will leverage Spid's technology for advertisers and publishers by offering them one of the largest audience platforms, targeting on-the-go consumers.

Spid is a leader in Wi-Fi monetisation in India. Currently, it has a bouquet of over 1,200 locations, including all major airports, QSRs like McDonalds, KFC, Starbucks, and Costa Coffee, malls and other retail locations. This number is rapidly growing as it partners with ISPs and telecom providers to help monetise their inventory. Fork Media aims to use the Spids platform to leverage the locational behaviour of consumers and target them for relevant advertising.

Samar Verma

Speaking on the acquisition, Samar Verma, CEO, Fork Media, said, “Having Spid as a part if the Fork Media group is a strategic move for us. We see Wi-Fi as an alternative eco-system – a parallel economy that's growing rapidly. With the onset of 4G, a lot of telecom players are investing in Wi-Fi infrastructure to offset the costs involved in setting up 4G. Additionally, the Wi-Fi ecosystem takes location targeting to the next level by not only delivering relevant content to the consumer in and around a certain location, but also offering destination targeting. We are steering Fork Media to be less device-centric and more consumers centric in our ad solutions. Therefore, this is an extremely important link in the chain for us in the consumer's journey.”

The acquisition of equity in Spid is a part of Fork Media's larger expansion plans. It had recently made its foray into international markets with the launch of its operations in Dubai – targeting the GCC Region. Through its tie-up with Spid, the company is now better equipped to provide well-timed offers that consumers are seeking. Fork Media is now poised to tap the immense opportunity that exists in the digital marketing space in India. By acquiring equity in Spid, Fork Media will be positioned across advertisers, publishers, as well as ISPs.

Harsh Nagpal, CEO, Spid, said, “Our partnership with Fork Media is a marriage of strengths. Fork's reach and expertise in business development will enable us to leverage this unique proposition, further enabling brands to reach out to relevant audiences. With Samar and the entire Fork team's collective experience and expertise, we foresee Spid deriving maximum value and growing manifold.”

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