Roposo's owner Glance announces JV with Collective Artists Network

Glance Collective will be the first-of-its kind strategic alliance for global content creator and commerce platform

Glance, the world’s largest lockscreen-based content provider and owner of video-platform Roposo, on Tuesday announced it has entered into a joint venture (JV) with Collective Artists Network, India’s largest talent management agency and pop culture marketplace.

The JV, Glance Collective, will co-create and operate multiple unique brands in partnership with some of India’s biggest digital creators, which include top celebrities and social media influencers.

This is a first-of-its-kind strategic alliance in India, where a global content creator and commerce platform has partnered a leading talent management network.

Mansi Jain, general manager, Roposo, and commerce at Glance, said with this JV, the company is planning to launch 100-150 celebrity- and influencer-led brands in the next two years. It is gearing up its play to take on global players like Instagram and TikTok.

Earlier this month, Glance had announced it was acquiring full-stack e-commerce firm Shop101 as part of its foray into influencer- and celebrity-driven mobile commerce.

When asked about further acquisitions in this space, Jain said they are planning to be an aggressive player in the creative commerce and live commerce space. “We are looking for artificial intelligence-led capabilities for creations. We will also be interested in technology (tech) that can enhance our offerings,” she added.

The JV combines Glance and Roposo’s tech and global reach with Collective Artists Networks’ deep understanding of the celebrity and influencer world. This new entity will generate scope for creators to earn revenue through part ownership of the brands, while also giving them access to global markets, through Glance and Roposo’s combined worldwide user base.

“We are creating a unique ecosystem for creator-led, discovery-based live commerce, and are confident that our partnership with Collective will make us leaders in this rapidly growing market,” said Piyush Shah, co-founder of InMobi, and president and chief operating officer of Glance.

Even though it is still at a nascent stage in India, creator-led, interactive and live commerce is expected to become a $40-billion opportunity in the country by 2025.

“In terms of initial categories that will be launched, we will start with lifestyle as a key category with apparel and beauty and going ahead I think, we will also get categories like health and fitness,” said Jain.

Vijay Subramaniam, group chief executive officer and co-founder at Collective Artists Network, said nowhere in the world has a tech platform tied up with a creative platform to maximise the commerce aspect. “What we aim for from this is sustainable brand, maximum distribution muscle, and resources required to put the content out there,” he added.

Jain also shared that the JV will tap into international markets as well. They will begin with Southeast Asia in the next few weeks and take it to the US markets by next year. 

Collective Artists Network has over 70 per cent share in the talent management market. Its clients are A-list celebrities across pop culture, including Bollywood and South India’s entertainment industry, as well as top social/digital media influencers.

Glance has over 125 million daily active users and delivers content in over eight languages in India and Southeast Asia.

Roposo, which is a leading short-video talent platform, has over 100 million downloads and offers content in 12 languages