Grabyo, the leading social video management platform, today announced its expansion into North and South America with the opening of its new headquarters in New York and appointment of sports and entertainment executive Mike Kelley to serve as the President of the Americas. The move will enable Grabyo to capitalise on the growing demand for cloud video technology among TV rights owners, sports leagues and media companies in the region as they look to build audiences on popular digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

“The rapid rise of social video and live streaming is dramatically changing the media, marketing and advertising industries,” comments Mike Kelley, President of the Americas. “Grabyo has been a disruptive force in the European market and I look forward to growing the business with content owners and brands in North America as well as expanding our partnerships with the top social media companies.”

The company is already working with a number of prominent rights owners in the United States including beIN Sports and Rugby International Marketing, which owns the The Rugby Channel OTT service. By launching in New York, Grabyo will be equipped to accelerate its international expansion and grow its premier client roster, which also includes La Liga, the English Premier League, BT Sport, Real Madrid CF, Wimbledon, Formula E Racing and Universal Music Group.

Grabyo’s cloud-based platform removes the traditional complexities and costs of professional video production, editing, and distribution. Thanks to its intuitive design and simplified workflows, content owners can capture, stream, edit and publish live video from any location to multiple social channels within seconds.

“We’ve been impressed with the speed and usability of Grabyo’s video platform and have had considerable success with instant highlights on our social platforms. We are also excited by the opportunity to monetise instant highlights and live streams, providing our advertisers with another attractive vehicle to reach our viewers and fans” comments Carlos Chaves, Digital Media Director at BeIN Sports.

Mike Kelley previously led business development and strategy for OTT platform company NeuLion – with clients such as the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLS, among others. He also led business development for leading interactive TV provider Ensequence and served as VP of Marketing for Yahoo!’s Media & Entertainment division, having led its partnership with FIFA for the 2002/2006 World Cups.

Grabyo has forged strong partnerships with the world’s preeminent media and technology companies, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Periscope and Snapchat. It is also an official partner for Facebook Live and supports all new and emerging monetisation opportunities including Facebook Branded Content, Twitter Amplify and driving subscriptions for OTT services.