ITV

Category: Digital

  • Raj Nayak bets big on bold ideas with ‘House of IPs’ launch in tie-up with Yaap

    Raj Nayak bets big on bold ideas with ‘House of IPs’ launch in tie-up with Yaap

    MUMBAI: Raj Nayak, the maverick media man behind House of Cheer and ex-COO of Viacom18, is back in the game with a fresh innings, ‘House of IPs’, a first-of-its-kind venture studio focused on creating and scaling blockbuster properties in entertainment, sports, digital, and beyond.

    Launched in strategic partnership with Yaap Digital, the new-age content and influencer marketing firm, House of IPs is being positioned as a creative powerhouse for India’s experience economy building original, ownable formats from scratch while also turbocharging existing ones.

    Think of it as a factory for future cult brands: be it music festivals, sporting formats, branded content, or digital-first properties, the studio promises to take bold ideas from pitch decks to packed stadiums and everything in between.

    “At a time when content is fragmented, attention spans are shrinking, and brands are seeking more immersive and ownable experiences, the need for strong, scalable IPs is more urgent than ever,” said Nayak. “This venture is about building cultural properties that connect deeply with audiences while delivering real value to brands and platforms.”

    The tie-up brings together Nayak’s deep industry muscle and storytelling savvy with Yaap’s fluency in the digital matrix and monetisation models. The joint effort will cover content development, strategic brand advisory, commercialisation, and full-stack IP management.

    Atul Hegde, Founder of Yaap, added, “At Yaap, we’ve always believed in the power of IPs to build lasting brand equity. Partnering with Raj  to launch House of IP is a natural extension of our vision. With his creative leadership and our digital-first DNA, we’re excited to co-create iconic, scalable properties that will redefine how brands engage with culture and communities.”

    With offices in the works across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Dubai, House of IPs is betting that in a world hooked to moments and memories, the real power lies in owning the story.

    (If you are an Anime fan and love Anime like Demon Slayer, Spy X Family, Hunter X Hunter, Tokyo Revengers, Dan Da Dan and Slime, Buy your favourite Anime merchandise on AnimeOriginals.com.)

  • JioStar rolls out the red carpet for brands with its CTV playbook

    JioStar rolls out the red carpet for brands with its CTV playbook

    MUMBAI: JioStar Entertainment is turning up the volume on India’s Connected TV (CTV) revolution with the launch of its first-ever CTV Playbook — a glossy, data-rich guide to decoding the premium, couch-loving consumer.

    At a time when the nation’s living rooms are morphing into digital-first, high-attention arenas, the playbook unpacks how brands can ride the CTV wave to deliver deeper stories, smarter targeting, and sharper results. Built in partnership with research giant Ipsos, the report combines national survey insights with platform analytics from June 2025 to offer a panoramic view of India’s CTV surge.

    At the heart of the playbook is the R.A.C.E. framework — Reach, Attention, Connection, and Effectiveness — a four-step mantra that helps brands move beyond vanity metrics into full-funnel firepower. Think targeted storytelling that doesn’t just get seen, but remembered and acted on.

    Watch time on JioHotstar’s CTV platform has exploded by 85 per cent, with 40 per cent of all streaming now happening on the big screen. Average daily CTV viewing stands at over 100 minutes — that’s 1.5x more than mobile. What’s more, co-viewing on JioHotstar clocks in at a staggering 3.1x, with 70 per cent of users watching with family and 66 per cent doing so together.

    And it’s not just quantity, but quality. The report reveals 90 per cent of CTV viewers come from affluent homes, 81 per cent are NCCS AB, and over 60 per cent live in India’s top 8 metros. In short, CTV is where the money is — and where the marketing should be.

    The content ecosystem packs a punch too: 22,000+ titles across 19 languages, 250+ originals, 7,000+ global hits from 10+ international studios. Impressively, 91 per cent of JioHotstar Specials’ CTV viewers are paid subscribers — that’s 50 per cent higher than the platform average.

    “Connected TV is no longer just a screen—it’s becoming the new center of gravity in India’s digital households. With co-viewing at 3.1X, 90 per cent of audiences being affluent, and an 85 per cent surge in watch time, the scale and quality of engagement on JioHotstar’s CTV platform is unmatched. This Playbook is a strategic response to this shift—built to help marketers harness the full-funnel potential of big-screen storytelling. From lean-in attention to measurable business outcomes, CTV offers an unmatched canvas for brands to move beyond impressions to impact. At JioStar, we’re excited to lead the charge in shaping this premium, intent-rich space into a high-performance marketing platform for the future”, said JioStar head of revenue, entertainment & international, Ajit Varghese.

    “The shift toward CTV within the digital ecosystem is a behavioural shift in how families consume, co-view, and even co-decide. Our research with JioHotstar supports what the data shows: CTV audiences are more premium, and more likely to recall and act on brand messaging delivered in a big-screen environment,” said Ipsos managing director – research, Jyoti Malladi.

    Regional storytelling is having its moment too. While Hindi and English dominate, regional languages especially Malayalam are breaking barriers, with over 80 per cent of Malayalam CTV viewers coming from outside the community.

    With the living room now centre stage for digital India, JioStar’s playbook gives advertisers the cues they need to own it, encouraging marketers to #ThinkCTVThinkJioHotstar.

    jiostar

    (If you are an Anime fan and love Anime like Demon Slayer, Spy X Family, Hunter X Hunter, Tokyo Revengers, Dan Da Dan and Slime, Buy your favourite Anime merchandise on AnimeOriginals.com.)

  • To The New scores a hat-trick as Prime Video’s preferred partner for 2025

    To The New scores a hat-trick as Prime Video’s preferred partner for 2025

    MUMBAI: To The New has once again made the cut as Prime Video Preferred Fulfillment Vendor (PFV) for 2025, proving it knows exactly how to package, polish, and push pixels to perfection.

    For the third year running, the digital technology services firm has been handpicked by Amazon Prime Video as part of its global PFV roster, a tightly curated club of partners trusted to handle the heavy lifting of content delivery, localisation, and OTT-ready packaging.

    “TO THE NEW has consistently demonstrated a deep understanding of our content fulfillment requirements,” said Prime Video & Amazon Studios head of global media vendor services, Paul Nguyen. “Their ability to deliver with accuracy, speed, and alignment to our standards has made them a valued partner in our global operations. Their continued recognition in our PFV program reflects our ongoing collaboration and their focus on meeting Prime Video’s expectations.”

    “We are pleased to continue our partnership with Amazon Prime Video as a Preferred Fulfillment Vendor,” said To The New co-founder & CEO, Narinder Kumar. “This recognition is a testament to our team’s deep domain expertise and our unwavering commitment to helping content creators and studios deliver exceptional viewing experiences to global audiences.”

    In the streaming world, where one glitch can trigger mass exits, consistency is currency. To The New brings both blending deep domain expertise with slick, automated workflows that keep content flowing fast, secure, and studio-grade.

    With marquee clients across media and entertainment, the firm has quietly become a behind-the-scenes juggernaut, ensuring your next binge-watch lands glitch-free and grammatically correct.

  • Paisabazaar’s Credit Premier League (CPL) Blends AI spark a credit fitness movement

    Paisabazaar’s Credit Premier League (CPL) Blends AI spark a credit fitness movement

    MUMBAI: Paisabazaar launched the Credit Premier League (CPL), a nationwide contest designed to make credit score tracking engaging, competitive, and fun, and to reward the country’s most credit healthy individuals. As part of the contest, Paisabazaar has introduced a playful Selfie Feature on its App that’s catching the attention of its consumers across the country.

    The selfie feature allows users to take afun, animated selfie with their credit score displayed in a creative, Ghibli-style avatar. Paisabazaar has built the feature using the latest GPT-image-1 model for converting customer selfies into Ghibli-style images.

    Once a consumer checks their credit score on the Paisabazaar App, they can instantly transform theirselfie into this unique, shareable digital artwork. The fun, Ghibli-style selfie can then be easily shared on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, encouraging friends, family, and others to participate in the contest and check their own credit scores.

    A number of popular influencers, including Chetan Bhagat, RanveerAllahbadia and Rachana Ranade, have already participated in the contest, sharing their credit scores and their fun Ghibli-selfies on social media. Their participation has already generated widespread buzz, encouraging their followers to take part and check their own credit health.

    In addition to making credit score tracking more interactive, the Selfie Feature is designed to spark conversations around financial health, helping raise awareness about the importance of credit score in a fun way.

    Paisabazaar chief product officer Radhika Binani said, “At Paisabazaar, we have always focussed on Bharat’s financial wellness, by building awareness and engagement around key aspects like credit health. With CPL, we aim to build India’s first and largest credit score contest. A key aspect of the initiative is our use of technology, to encourage conversations around credit health.

    Paisabazaar CTO Mukesh Sharma added, “Our technology-driven initiatives are designed to make the experience of checking and understanding credit scores more accessible and engaging. The selfie feature adds a layer of fun and social sharing to an otherwise serious topic, bringing credit conversations into the mainstream.”

  • Samsung Ads and Kantar reveal sharp uptick in purchase intent from big-screen ads

    Samsung Ads and Kantar reveal sharp uptick in purchase intent from big-screen ads

    MUMBAI: Samsung Ads, in partnership with Kantar, has unveiled a revealing new white paper titled ‘Beyond Awareness’, which lays bare the rising clout of Connected TV (CTV) as a performance-driven advertising channel.

    The study, based on over 100 brand lift studies across Samsung Smart TVs, shows that Gen Z viewers, often written off as ad-averse, are in fact proving to be highly engaged and responsive on the big screen. In fact, brand favorability jumped by 9.1 per cent, while purchase intent surged by 8.5 per cent among 18–24-year-olds exposed to ads on CTV.

    The findings challenge long-held assumptions about upper-funnel fluff, revealing that CTV is driving real business impact across the funnel from awareness to action.

    Sharing her insights, Samsung Ads India head, insights and client solutions, Bhavna Saincher said, “The ‘Beyond Awareness’ study emphasises the growing importance of Connected TVs as a pivotal touch point for driving awareness and consideration, all while amplifying visibility and generating positive outcomes for brands engaging with their audience on the big screen. I am confident that the high engagement of the Gen Z signals a major opportunity for brands seeking impact with a digitally-native, decision-ready audience.”

    Among the standout stats:

    . 7.9 per cent average uplift in consideration across verticals from auto to apparel, tech to home solutions.

    . Twice the impact when audiences are reached four or more times, making a strong case for strategic frequency.

    . Strong performance across age groups from Gen Z to the 35+ bracket – confirming CTV’s broad appeal.

    With CTV ad engagement soaring and ROI metrics now in full view, Samsung and Kantar’s report doesn’t just hint at the future of TV advertising, it spells it out: performance lives on the big screen.

     

  • Russhabh Thakkar on cracking India’s CTV code, one immersive ad at a time

    Russhabh Thakkar on cracking India’s CTV code, one immersive ad at a time

    MUMBAI: For Russhabh Thakkar, founder and CEO of Frodoh, held a curiosity back in time about where technology intersects with media CTV, DOOH, and the systems behind how ads really work. He knew that he wanted to build something of his own in that space. Frodoh came from spotting the gap between how people watch today and how brands still plan. The goal was simple, build for the way attention actually works now, not how it used to.

    Perched in his no-frills office in the heart of Lower Parel, Thakkar was all set for a deep-dive chat, coffee brewed and insights loaded. But in true Mumbai fashion, the city’s legendary traffic had other plans. Yours truly arrived fashionably late (read: embarrassingly delayed), much to Thakkar’s polite but unmistakable dismay.

    Still, being the sport he is, we squeezed in a zippy 20-minute power convo before he dashed off for an urgent client meet. “No worries,” he smiled, “I’ll put pen to paper or well, fingers to keyboard and send over the rest.” And just like that, what started as a botched in-person interview turned into a digital dialogue packed with CTV gold.

    With the mantra “Don’t just get viewed, get noticed,” Thakkar and his team are helping brands ditch passive impressions for precision engagement. “We saw the gap early,” says Thakkar. “People were watching content differently, but ads hadn’t caught up. Frodoh is built for the way attention works now and not how it used to.”

    According to the FICCI-EY 2025 report, India has over 30 million CTV sets, with viewers clocking 40+ hours per month on smart TVs. But Thakkar believes this isn’t just about reach, “It’s where scale meets intent in real time.” With tier 2 and 3 towns joining the CTV party thanks to affordable smart TVs and bundled OTT deals, the viewing landscape has exploded. But most brands, he says, are “still fumbling with legacy playbooks.” Yes, Frodoh is helping them unlearn.

    Old-school demographics don’t work in today’s CTV ecosystem. Thakkar explains, “It’s not about who is watching, but why, when, and how.” His team helps brands track viewing behaviour, content types, and time-of-day data to serve dynamic creatives, sequential stories, and context-rich moments.

    To supercharge this, they built Frodoh Forge, an AI-powered campaign planner that takes a brand brief, decodes audience signals, suggests channels, and builds a media plan in minutes. “No extra forms. No lag. And everything’s tracked live,” he adds.

    While many still see programmatic CTV as a shiny new buzzword, Thakkar insists it’s “the backbone of how smart media gets delivered today.” As a supply-side platform (SSP), Frodoh curates inventory across niche OTTs, regional OEMs, and long-tail content players—making them DSP-agnostic and giving agencies the flexibility they crave.

    And with India’s ad market pegged to hit Rs 1.64 lakh crore according to GroupM’s TYNY 2025 report, CTV is no longer a footnote. “It’s the bridge between scale and precision,” says Thakkar. “We’re already seeing brands move from testing to long-term bets.”

    Frodoh sees shoppable TV, QR overlays, and pause ads as the next big frontiers—formats that turn the screen into a point-of-sale without breaking immersion. “We’re not just watching CTV anymore, we’re starting to use it,” he says.

    Thakkar is clear-eyed about the road ahead. “India’s CTV shift isn’t a trend, it’s a tectonic change. Some are adapting. We were built for it.”

    With the right blend of technology, talent, and timing, Frodoh World is ensuring brands don’t just survive this bonfire, they shine through it.

  • Ad to the Future Google revs up AI to rewrite the rules of marketing

    Ad to the Future Google revs up AI to rewrite the rules of marketing

    MUMBAI: Who needs a crystal ball when your ads can now predict, create and convert, all thanks to AI? At its annual Google Marketing Live event, Google rolled out a wave of AI-powered advertising tools designed to flip the marketing playbook from reactive to proactive. From smarter bidding and creative generation to shoppable TV and AI-driven search ads, the tech giant is giving Indian marketers a suite of tools to anticipate consumer behaviour, not just respond to it.

    “The purchase journey isn’t a straight line anymore, it’s a maze of swipes, scrolls and searches,” said Google India MD for digital first businesses Roma Datta Chobey. “Our new launches help brands cut through the chaos, scale creativity, and reach the right people at the right time with precision and impact.”

    Here’s what’s turning heads:
    Smarter Shopping, Streamlined Selling

    ●    Shoppable CTV lets users buy products right from their smart TVs using QR codes or “send to phone” options.

    ●    Youtube Masthead is now shoppable on mobile, giving brands high-visibility, click-to-cart impact.

    ●    Ads in AI Overviews will soon roll out in India, inserting Search and Shopping ads directly within AI-generated search summaries.

    AI-Powered Creativity with “Generated for You”

    ●    Set to launch in Product Studio later this year, this tool will generate images and videos based on product catalogues, trends, and brand identity no design skills required.

    Performance Max Retention Only Mode

    ●    In beta in India, this lets brands focus solely on re-engaging existing users. Swiggy tested it and saw a two-thirds reduction in cost for bringing users back to the app.

    AI Max for Search

    ●    Now live in India, it’s a one-click booster that learns from your site and existing keywords to serve smarter, more relevant ads. Cashify reported a 15 per cent conversion bump in early trials.

    Smart Bidding, Smarter Insights

    ●    A major bidding update now helps brands uncover less obvious conversion paths, with testers reporting an 18 per cent increase in new query categories that convert.

    Meridian Gets an Upgrade

    ●    Google’s open-source Marketing Mix Model (MMM) will now include a dynamic scenario planner and more frequent access to key reach/frequency data via API.

    AI Agents in Ads & Analytics

    ●    New “agentic” AI tools will soon help with campaign setup, keyword strategy, and performance reporting inside Google Ads and Analytics, using conversational prompts and visuals.

    For early adopters like Swiggy, the tools have already shown impact across the funnel from creative acceleration to better cost efficiency and growth in new user cohorts.

    As marketers juggle non-linear journeys across screens, platforms and attention spans, Google’s AI arsenal aims to give them not just tools, but an edge where insights spark action, and creativity scales without compromise.

    In the race for attention, Google isn’t just offering ads. It’s offering answers.

  • Ram Madhvani takes a virtual leap of faith with India’s first mythological AI-VR universe

    Ram Madhvani takes a virtual leap of faith with India’s first mythological AI-VR universe

    MUMBAI: Ram Madhvani, the maverick behind Neerja and Aarya, is swapping film reels for headsets with the launch of Equinox Virtual — India’s first AI-powered spiritual and mythological VR content universe. Kicking things off is a jaw-dropping AI-driven adaptation of the Bhagavad Gita, already in private preview and promising to teleport audiences straight into the heart of the Kurukshetra battlefield, all without leaving their living room.

    But this is no one-off experiment. With 24 more films in the pipeline and an audacious target of 100 VR titles by 2028, Madhvani is building what could be the most ambitious fusion of technology, tradition, and theology ever attempted in Indian entertainment.

    “In theatres, we experience magic. At home, we have scale and comfort. But in personal viewing, we are often watching stories on split screens, sharing attention with emails, calls, or messages,” said Equinox Virtual co-founder Ram Madhvani. “With VR, especially powered by AI, we have a chance to restore the sanctity of immersive storytelling—even in a solitary experience. And what better canvas than our own epics that have lived through centuries—spiritual texts that remain culturally resonant to this day?”

    The Equinox slate isn’t just myth for myth’s sake, it’s a meditative deep-dive into spirituality, devotion, and Indian culture, designed for the headset generation. Think cosmic narratives, AI-built temples, immersive meditations, and Gita verses wrapped in digital wonder.

    Known for his Cannes Lions, National Awards, and a knack for turning ideas into impact, Madhvani is now scripting what may be his boldest chapter yet, one where Ram meets RAM, and dharma goes digital.

    (If you are an Anime fan and love Anime like Demon Slayer, Spy X Family, Hunter X Hunter, Tokyo Revengers, Dan Da Dan and Slime, Buy your favourite Anime merchandise on AnimeOriginals.com.)

     

  • Maaza celebrates everyday wins with new AI-powered digital platform

    Maaza celebrates everyday wins with new AI-powered digital platform

    MUMBAI: In a world obsessed with big wins, Maaza just hit refresh by bottling up life’s tiniest triumphs with a mango twist. Maaza, Coca-Cola India’s beloved homegrown mango drink, is sweetening everyday life with its new digital platform, “Meri Chhoti Waali Jeet”, an AI-powered celebration of the little wins that often slip under the radar. Whether it’s nailing that elusive recipe, finishing a book you started last year, or finally fixing that leaky tap, Maaza thinks it deserves a round of applause and a sip of mango joy.

    Developed by Ogilvy India, the campaign invites users to upload a photo and describe their proud “chhoti jeet” moment. In return, the platform creates a custom Maaza-style animated video, turning mundane Mondays into mango-minted memories ripe for sharing online.

    The campaign is a juicy follow-up to Maaza’s repositioning earlier this year as a reward for small, impromptu wins, tapping into a generation that seeks joy in the now. And who better to embody that vibe than real-life couple Genelia and Riteish Deshmukh, who lead the campaign with tales of parenting highs, creative pursuits, and everyday magic.

    “For me, teaching my kids a new dance step or finally finishing a painting is the real win,” said Genelia, calling the campaign “a sweet way to celebrate victories that mean everything, even if they look like nothing.”

    Riteish agreed: “Learning a football trick or nailing a dish at home feels like a gold medal moment. Maaza gets that. It’s about lifting spirits, not just glasses.”

    Backed by OpenX from WPP, the platform reflects what Ogilvy India CCO Sukesh Nayak calls “a digital ode to the ordinary.” It’s storytelling with soul and a splash of Alphonso mango. Users have until 31 July to join the celebration and get their tiny triumphs animated into Maaza memories.

    Coca-Cola director of marketing & nutrition category, India & Southwest Asia, Ajay Konale summed it up best: “As our consumers’ digital lives evolve, Maaza evolves with them celebrating not just the big chapters, but the small footnotes that bring happiness.”

    From mini milestones to animated mementos, Maaza’s platform proves that life’s sweetest stories are often just one sip and one small win away.

    (If you are an Anime fan and love Anime like Demon Slayer, Spy X Family, Hunter X Hunter, Tokyo Revengers, Dan Da Dan and Slime, Buy your favourite Anime merchandise on AnimeOriginals.com.)

  • Truecaller dials up the drama with ‘Play’

    Truecaller dials up the drama with ‘Play’

    MUMBAI: Truecaller Ads is turning up the volume on mobile advertising with the launch of Truecaller Play, a shiny new toolbox of rich media ad formats designed to captivate consumers in a mobile-first world. This isn’t your standard banner fare — it’s high-impact, high-recall, and built to feel native in a user’s everyday digital rhythm.

    Touted as the next evolution in brand storytelling, Truecaller Play lets advertisers serve video-first, interactive creatives right inside the app’s daily touchpoints. With users already engaged and distractions at bay, brands now have a golden opportunity to grab attention where it matters most — during moments of pure, undivided focus.

    The new offering compliments Truecaller’s existing heavy-hitters — the 3 billion daily Roadblock and the Truecaller Masthead — by offering an added layer of creative freedom, all powered by the platform’s enviable trove of first-party data. With over 10,000 advertisers on board and more than 5 billion daily brand impressions, the scale is nothing short of staggering.

    Truecaller VP, global ad sales business, Hemant Arora said, “At Truecaller ads, we’ve always believed that trust and utility are the cornerstones of meaningful engagement. With Truecaller Play, we’re not just introducing another ad product; we’re offering brands a rare opportunity to connect during moments of genuine user focus. It’s about placing your story exactly where attention is highest and distractions are lowest. That’s the power and promise of Truecaller Play.”

    What’s in the playbook?

    ●    Custom rich nedia formats: From snackable videos to cinematic ad experiences, tailored to drive everything from awareness to conversions.

    ●    Native integration: Ads that feel like part of the flow, not an interruption.

    ●    Creative in tow: Truecaller Ads’ in-house team helps brands craft thumb-stopping visuals.

    ●    Precision at scale: Target users with laser accuracy, thanks to proprietary user data.

    Whether it’s a D2C disruptor or a legacy FMCG giant, Truecaller Play gives brands the creative arsenal to move beyond static displays and into the age of mobile magic — all while keeping users, well, on the line.