Mumbai: At APOS 2024 in Bali, Indonesia, Viacom18’s CEO of broadcast entertainment Kevin Vaz shared his insights on the future of video in India.
The global media and entertainment industry is advancing at a rapid pace, and India is no exception. In fact, India is at the cusp of an entertainment revolution, driven by technology, diverse content, and evolving consumer behaviour. And at the forefront of this revolution, leading the charge, is Viacom18. Over the last year, we’ve made significant strides not only in expanding our reach but also in reshaping how audiences consume content across the country. It’s been an exhilarating ride, and we’re just getting started.
When I look back at the past year, I’m proud to say it’s been nothing short of transformative for us. Our first priority was assembling a world-class team with the vision, drive, and grit to execute on our ambitious goals. With that foundation in place, we made targeted investments in key brands like Colors, Colors Kannada, and Colors Marathi, and the results speak for themselves. Colors has grown by 35 per cent in less than a year, getting closer to securing the top spot in the industry. Nickelodeon, our kids’ portfolio leader, just celebrated a decade as the number one brand in its category. And in the regional space, Colors Kannada reigned as the top channel during primetime for three months, while Colors Marathi saw an astonishing 150% growth in the last three months alone, putting it in fierce competition for the second spot.
In the non-fiction space, we’ve continued to lead with iconic properties like Bigg Boss and Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi, and we’ve added to that list with Laughter Chefs, India’s biggest comedy reality show to date. This homegrown success is a testament to our ability to create world-class content tailored to local tastes. For smaller screens and connected TVs, we launched JC Premium, bringing Hollywood’s best, top-rated web series, and 24/7 live streams of our reality shows to Indian households.
Looking at consumption trends in India, it’s clear that audiences are more dynamic than ever before. There’s this notion that viewers are either glued to their TV sets or completely immersed in their phones, but the reality is far more fluid. A show like Bigg Boss is watched on Colors at its scheduled time, then consumed further on JioCinema’s 24-hour live feed, and even discussed on social media. This multi-screen experience is where the future of entertainment lies.
India’s daily media consumption—combining both large and small screens—currently stands much lower than developed markets, but the potential for growth is immense. Large screens currently have around 60% penetration compared to 85-90% in other major markets, giving us significant headroom for growth. India is an ‘AND’ market, where both TV and digital are thriving in tandem, creating endless opportunities for content creators and distributors.
Family entertainment has always been at the core of what we do, and we’ve ensured that our content seamlessly transitions between TV and digital. Bigg Boss, for example, saw 25% of its viewership last season coming from digital platforms, while some of our fiction shows are experiencing significant digital engagement alongside their TV broadcasts. It’s all about offering the consumer flexibility and choice.
One of the most exciting trends we’re witnessing is the rise of local language content. India’s cultural and linguistic diversity is unparalleled—22 official languages and over 58 socio-cultural regions. This diversity presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Audiences today crave authenticity; they want stories that resonate with their own experiences. We are already serving content in 10 languages and aim to eventually cover all 22, making local content not just the present but the future of entertainment in India.
When it comes to advertisers, we are uniquely positioned to deliver value across both large and small screens. Television continues to be a powerful medium, with a reach of around 900 million people in India. Given that over 95% of households have just one TV, families gather to watch together, creating shared experiences and deeper emotional connections. TV advertising remains one of the most effective ways to reach multiple demographics in one go—parents, kids, grandparents—all engaged in a single viewing experience.
On the digital front, Viacom18 is home to the largest curated content platform in India, with a monthly active user base of around 300 million. This creates a safe, immersive environment for brands to connect with consumers, especially during drops of prime-time shows or live streaming of sports events, when engagement is at its highest. Whether it’s long-term brand building or short-term performance goals, our value proposition for advertisers is unparalleled.
Viacom18 is at the forefront of the entertainment revolution in India – across large screens, small screens, and every format in between. We have the scale, expertise and experience to deliver results. The future of entertainment in India is bright, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of it.
