Srinivasan Subramani

The CCI has cleared the merger of Viacom18 and Disney Hotstar, creating India's largest media house. This completes the consolidation of TV channels under Jio as part of the classical diversification of Porter's model. My two questions to all on my network: 1. Will there be usurious monopoly pricing of advertising? Such pricing could make it impossible for smaller brands to get into network channels. This is especially in the context of sports properties around cricket being only with this conglomerate. What is your view? 2. Will this consolidation lead to reduction of divergence of news and views ? Do we run the danger of unidomensional views and news? Is this right for a democracy of 1.3 billion where we have a million views and news daily? What do you think ?

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India's OTT Market: Course Correction and Growth Dynamics The Indian OTT industry is undergoing a significant course correction. After an explosive 20% growth in the audience base from 2021 to 2022, growth slowed to 13.5% last year, as revealed by the Ormax OTT Audience Report 2023. This shift highlights the evolving landscape and challenges faced by OTT platforms in India. Key insights Market Consolidation The merger of Viacom18 and Star India, forming India's largest media network valued at $8.5 billion, marks a pivotal moment in the OTT space. With a reach of 160 million monthly unique visitors, this entity is set to dominate the market with diverse content and strong distribution channels. Consumer-Centric Offerings Jio Cinema's new affordable subscription plans, starting at Rs 29 per month, reflect a trend towards consumer-friendly pricing models. These low-cost options could increase churn rates among competitors and prevent international giants from raising their rates. SVOD vs. AVOD The debate between Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) and Advertising-based Video On Demand (AVOD) continues. While SVOD growth is challenged by India's price-sensitive market, AVOD is expected to increase its market share to 70% in the medium term, despite its low pricing. Bundled Services Aggregators like Tata Play’s Binge and Jio TV+ are gaining traction by offering multiple OTT services as affordable bundles. This model benefits both consumers and standalone OTT players by providing value and retaining customers. Shifting Consumer Behavior The growth drop in OTT can also be attributed to a resurgence in traditional television viewership and a renewed interest in going out for movies. These factors, along with varied pricing strategies, are influencing the overall dynamics of the OTT market. As the industry navigates this transition, balancing revenue generation with consumer satisfaction remains crucial. The future will see more innovation and adaptation as OTT platforms strive to meet the evolving demands of the Indian market. #OTT #Streaming #Media #India #DigitalTransformation #ConsumerTrends

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BARC India's Move to Measure Connected TV: A Game-Changer for the Indian Media Landscape, BARC India, the industry body for TV audience measurement in India, is taking a significant step forward. Connected TV (CTV) viewership This development marks a crucial milestone in the evolution of India's media measurement ecosystem and is poised to have far-reaching implications for various stakeholders in the industry. The Rise of Connected TV in India The decision to measure CTV viewership comes at a time when India is witnessing a surge in CTV adoption. With the increasing penetration of smart TVs and the growing popularity of OTT platforms, CTV has become a significant player in the media consumption landscape. This shift in viewing habits has created a pressing need to accurately measure CTV audiences. BARC India will employ advanced technologies and methodologies to track and measure CTV viewership, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the data.Implications for Advertisers and Brands Implications for Advertisers and Brands Enhanced Targeting: Including CTV measurement in BARC's repertoire will provide advertisers with more granular data on viewer behaviour and preferences. This will enable them to craft more targeted and effective advertising campaigns, potentially leading to higher ROI on their ad spends. Holistic View of Audience: Advertisers will now have a more comprehensive understanding of their audience across traditional TV and CTV platforms. This holistic view will allow for better allocation of advertising budgets and more informed decision-making in media planning. Long-term Industry Impact: Evolving Media Landscape: Including CTV measurement will likely accelerate the convergence of traditional TV and digital video. This could lead to more integrated media planning and buying processes, blurring the lines between traditional and digital advertising. Data-Driven Decision-Making: With more comprehensive viewership data, the industry will likely shift towards more data-driven decision-making in content creation, programming, and advertising. Global Competitiveness: By embracing CTV measurement, India's media industry aligns itself with global best practices. This could enhance the country's global media and advertising landscape position. Source: exchange4media BARC India #media #CTV #advertising #broadcasting #marketing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A)  To Join the Free Media Training Group-Use the link below https://lnkd.in/dADuiDH9 B)  I also conduct Corporate Training sessions. Vishal Khanna(PhD-Scholar-NMIMS) Thesis-Future of Television(TV), Connected TV, OTT & Cross Media Platform measurement. Email- [email protected] M +91 9867300480

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👇👇👇👇👇 With OTT penetration at 38 percent, stagnant SVOD and signification traction in connected devices, the report from Ormax Media throws many nuanced insights and actionable marketing strategies in #entertainmentbusiness #mediaandentertainment 📈📈📈 Personally loved the 3 sub classifications in SVOD and 2 in AVOD...a very Indian affair must say..Are we missing any sub segments in this segmentation🤔🤔🤔🤔 Anupama Chopra Santosh K Patra Dr. Satyanarayana Rentala Saurabh Bajaj - Practical Marketer Harsh Pamnani Prof. Ujjwal Anu Chowdhury Dr. Parag Amin Vanita Kohli-Khandekar Rajiv Chilaka What are the meso and micro implications from this macro report. Share your 2 cents 💡💡💡💡 https://lnkd.in/gZAfyVkS

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"Twitter Communications India, now part of X Corp (formerly Twitter), recorded a sharp drop in net profit and revenue in the last financial year, largely due to a collapse in ad revenues after the dismissal of the company's global ad sales team under the new management led by Elon Musk. As per the company's regulatory filings, net profit plunged 90% to Rs 3 crore from Rs 30 crore the previous year. Revenue also fell 90% to Rs 21 crore from Rs 208 crore. Advertising contributes bulk of Twitter's revenue in India where it has an estimated 25 million users. The company trimmed employee benefit expenses by 95% to Rs 6 crore from Rs 130 crore as it fired nearly the entire Indian workforce, which previously comprised over 200 employees. Subsequently, total expenses fell by 89% to Rs 19 crore from Rs 168 crore. Twitter India didn't respond to ET's queries. Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October 2022, eventually rebranding it as X. Following the takeover, Musk implemented sweeping changes globally, including mass layoffs that heavily impacted the ad sales teams, especially in India. The dual blow of laying off the ad sales teams and global brands pulling back from the platform-due in part to disputes with Musk-fuelled a sharp decline in revenue. Sajal Gupta, a digital advertising expert, noted that without an active sales team to maintain relationships with advertisers and attract new business, Twitter's ad revenue in India nosedived, leading to steep declines in profitability and earnings. "This reflects the broader challenges X Corp has faced globally as it tries to implement new strategies under Musk's leadership while managing the fallout from internal restructuring," Gupta said. Under Musk, X has even filed lawsuits against global advertisers like Unilever and Mars for boycotting the platform. According to Kantar research, a net 26% of marketers reported plans to reduce ad spends on X in 2025, the biggest recorded pullback from any major global ad platform. Gupta explained that many global brands stopped advertising in India due to the ongoing tensions with Musk, and even within India, many brands are avoiding advertising on X due to the controversial nature of the platform and concerns over brand safety. "In terms of advertising on social media platforms, X is typically a last priority for advertisers, with YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram taking precedence," he said." https://lnkd.in/e6DT9UCv

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🚀Exciting news for Brands & Marketers! Mindshare India has officially launched its much-anticipated "Content Marketing Report". 📈 In today's digital era, where "Content is King," staying ahead of the latest trends is key. Mindshare India's comprehensive report empowers brands & marketers with the knowledge and tools they need to elevate their content strategies to new heights. 📊 Interesting material for your next big presentation: 🔍 Trends & Insights 🏆 Best Practices 💡 Expert Advice & more This report is a must-read for anyone looking to enhance their content marketing game. Don't wait, get your copy today! 📖 Access the report here: https://shorturl.at/qM148 Amin Lakhani Ajay Mehta Ruchi Mathur Niraj Ruparel Vipasha Bhuptani Makarand N Nidhi Bakhru Aashita Jhamb Devanshi A. Yuvraj Rana Rishi Sharma #ContentMarketing #Mindshare #DigitalMarketing #ConsumerInsights #News #Trends #BrandSuccess

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OTTplay HT becomes one of the first OTT players in India to join Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC) Network Link in the comments T Koshy Avinash Mudaliar #mediabrief #OTTplay #ONDC #digital #ott #media

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Great chatting with industry partners and brand partners at ADGULLY #CMOCharcha about refreshing the marketing narrative for brand and their campaigns. Subhodeep Roy, Parneet Purewal, Souvik Misra, Promita Saha Khan

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Recently I had an opportunity to speak at Indiantelevision.com #Vidnet Conference and below are my thoughts. #Attention spans are shrinking, and OTT platforms must act! To boost content consumption, we need to prioritize simplicity and user experience, taking a cue from traditional cable TV - plug and play, easy peasy! Let's focus on making customers' lives easy by: Building seamless platforms Enabling API access for aggregators Fostering collaboration across the OTT ecosystem Inspired by ONDC, let's think long-term: Make content available on aggregator platforms with direct streaming integration Embrace a cost-per-stream model, ensuring creators get paid for their everytime customers stream their content. Let's not focus solely on short-term revenue gains from MGs. Instead, build a robust cost-per-subscriber model, investing in world-class technology and solving distribution challenges by endless bundling opportunities. Remember, customers will pay for quality content. Let's work together to make OTT a seamless and enjoyable experience for all so that we increase OTT paying user matket pie atleast equivalent to PayTV in India. #OTT #streaming #userexperience #collaboration #innovation #contentdiscovery #subscriptions #revenuegrowth Anil Wanvari

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Always believed that Indian languages/dialects are the greatest assets for our M&E industry. In recent days, movie market has been little dull except few blockbusters but television is going strong on regional channels. Streaming market is now getting consolidated. As I mentioned before, regional/niche streaming platforms can sustain & successful if they could avoid direct competition with giants on various levels like content expenditure. Rising content costs are making platforms difficult to stay profitable. If regional platforms can stay within their content budgets & provide engaging content, they could survive. Most of the viewers now are exposed to all sorts of content across all platforms in all forms. They have so many options at any point of time. But the point is they keep comparing the content from various platforms and finally approve on some creator/platform to make it regular watch. To achieve such viewership, the content on the regional language platforms must be way engaging than the big ones. The regional/niche platforms may not be having solid infrastructure including tech, marketing muscle along with production value. Therefore only way to establish is to connect with the audience with relevant engaging content in their own language. Language culture is different than just the language. Using language with respective culture portraying present time stories is important. Human recommendation is more powerful than recommendation engine. Most of the times, recommendations comes from close circle audience, friends and families. This forms the community for the respective platform. Regional/niche platforms must nurture such communities and localize their activities to penetrate deeper into their target audience. Another point would like to make about long term sustenance is, There is no point in 100 platforms jumping in the same language. There would be very little chances to have success. There is a limited room for each language/dialect considering the audience volume. The audience cannot absorb so many platforms. Social media is omni-present. Regional platforms must build entire eco-system of content creation (Producers, Directors, Writers, Actors, Technicians etc.) on the local level that would supply steady flow of quality content in respective language/dialect without spending exorbitant amount. Finding the right talent and training them with right technique is a mammoth task but worth once you prepare teams called 'Units', not just individuals. The term 'Jugaad' is not new to the world now. Even some of the best directors across the globe apply their brains & minds to restrain the budgets and create the spectacular. India has a rich heritage of so many languages, cultures and literature. All we need is 'Innovation', a vision to look at the content with fresh perspective. #content #regional #India #Indian #languages #dialects #innovation #vision #creation #TV #movie #streaming #OTTplatform #media #entertainment

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An iconic interview for many reasons and a must watch master class. -- First and foremost as a marketer it is so heartening to see "Why Building a Mindshare is the Key to Gain a Market Share and Why Mind share precedes Market share". There is no better than some one like Nandan speaking about it. --A man who has built and delivered systems and platforms that have scaled upto the needs of 1.3 Billion Citizens, Using 80 Million times a Day. -- Courage and Conviction to think beyond the normal - Aadhar, UPI, Indiastack, Fastag, Digital Public Goods, ONDC, Bhashini, AI and more. -- The interview again ends with the mantra of Marketing, Articulating and Making the Messaging a Win-Win to sell anything -- Building teams propelled by an audacious goal, a goal that's possible yet ambitious and most importantly staying absolutely secure by remaining hapoy to share, be curious, be willing to see others flourish.. This is about India and i love when he used the phrase to the Power of AI which is some thing that I have been personally championing in the limited canvas that I operate. #cmoinsights #Bharat #Scale #Marketing #tothePowerofAI https://lnkd.in/gBg3cnQa

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Sharing my recent interview with Social Samosa, where I discussed the evolution of brand building in the matrimonial industry and how we're shaping the future at Matrimony.com Limited Our industry is going through significant shifts in perceptions about marriages. Our marketing strategies have continuously evolved to stay ahead of these changes, blending tradition with cutting-edge technology. In this interview, I delved into: - Our data-driven approach to understanding changing customer needs - How we've repositioning our brand to resonate with today's youth - The impact of AI on our marketing strategies - My thought process behind our most successful campaigns It's been an incredible journey of brand transformation, and I'm proud of how we've maintained relevance in a rapidly changing market. #BrandBuilding #MarketingEvolution #MatrimonyMarketing #AIinMarketing

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If you spend hours watching cricket, you should be playing the game or at the very least take a shot at the quiz game on it! Venky Venkatesh Srinivasan is one of India's finest Quiz Masters and his team's quiz content is just as good! So enjoy the Superover equivalent of quizzes, a 10-minute challenge handling 25 yorkers! You will see the registration link below in the post below!

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Today, Nishit Kanchan, Samsung Ads shared insights on how smart TVs are transforming the advertising landscape at the iMedia Brand Summit in Jaipur India. With millions of smart TVs across APAC, the rise in adoption and streaming opens new doors for advertisers, such as premium, brand-safe content through native ads and free ad-supported streaming services. Nishit, spoke about not just the technologies such as how ACR (Automatic Content Recognition) technology in smart TVs provides real-time insights into viewer behavior, but also about how interactive ad formats enhance viewer interaction and drive commerce. Smart TVs are revolutionizing advertising on the biggest screen and offering new ways to connect with audiences and achieve better outcomes. Change the way you CTV #SmartTV #Advertising #CTV #DataDrivenMarketing

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Zomato recently announced their acquisition of Paytm's entertainment ticketing business. How does one make such strategic choices? ❓ The first question in strategy is "where do we play?". ❇ In this case Zomato is exploring the space of "going-out" business. ❓The next question in strategy is "why do you want to play here?" ❇ The first reason is they want to expand their share of consumer wallet spend unlocking new growth avenues. ❇ Given they want to expand their share of wallet, there are many places they could get their share of wallet from - health & wellness, fuel, services & utilities etc. ❓Which then brings us to the third question in strategy "What are Zomato's strengths and where is the adjacency most natural?" ❇ There are multiple dimensions on which we can evaluate Zomato's strength. 👉 Zomato's core audience profile, the power users and therefore where do they most likely spend money. 👉 Zomato's infrastructure which consists of delivery fleet, network of restaurants, network of dark stores. 👉 Zomato's brand which stands for customer centricity, great user experience etc So given these aspects certain businesses lines don't fit in naturally, say for e.g fuel, education etc. It narrows down to a smaller subset - shopping, travel, movies&events, health & wellness, medicines etc. Given these choices, Zomato could have considered say medicine delivery, which leverages its infrastructure, warehouses etc with a deeper integrated play. Instead I hypothesise Zomato's lens for picking new playgrounds is focussing on what their core TG aspires to spend on and placing a bet on the growing population size of such a TG which is also more premium. That narrows down the focus to categories like shopping, travel, movies etc. ❓Which brings us to the next question, "What is the sequence of prioritisation & how to win?" Here looking at some macro trends help. ❇ According to a razorpay report on how India spends its money in FY23-24, AirTravel saw a 2.4x spike whereas movie tickets saw a 2.7x spike. For the sake of simplicity let's assume a choice was to be made between AirTravel and Movie Tickets ❇ Dimensions of evaluation can be frequency of event, margin structures, complexity of supply, competitive landscape et all. ❇ Airtravel could be anywhere between once a quarter to once a year. Whereas movies could be anywhere between once a week to once a month. ❇ Airtravel has more competition from makemytrip, cleartrip, ease mytrip et all whilst in the movie ticketing space BookMyShow has a ~55% marketshare and PayTM insider has ~45% marketshare. Purely from a frequency stand point, movie & entertainment tickets make for a better bet. Now Zomato has the option to either build this by themselves or buy. Content continued in comments section.... #strategy #business #productmanagement

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Think Sports: How India’s advertisers score new wins with sports viewing trends In India, the evolving nature of sports viewership is fueled by two behavioral trends. The first is the prevalence of dual-screen viewing — audiences today are glued to two screens at the same time. They’re watching a match on one screen and simultaneously engaging with related sports content on another screen. The second trend is viewers engaging with sports events beyond the actual game time. Even before the live event starts, they’re searching for related sports information online. After the event ends, they continue to watch associated digital content. Some go as far as playing fantasy games to savor the event. These trends matter to all brands, regardless of category, because they’re rooted in fundamental audience behaviors. Understanding how these viewing behaviors play out can help brands reach new audiences and build strong customer connections. For example, audiences in India experience sporting events on two screens. While watching a live cricket match on a mobile phone or connected TV, 71% of live sports viewers tune in to similar content on a second device. YouTube, accessible on various screens, including connected TV (CTV), is the go-to platform for 44% of viewers to watch sports videos alongside live sports on TV. Sports videos on YouTube can include interviews with athletes or play-by-play analyses of ongoing matches. #SportsViewing #DualScreenViewing #SportsAdvertising #AudienceEngagement Decathlon Sports India Girias Finnable

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