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Aidem Ventures: A comeback tale

Published

13 years ago

July 4, 2013

Filling someone‘s shoes is never easy and especially when that someone is the person you‘ve always looked up to. Vikas Khanchandani, director of media outsourcing firm Aidem Ventures, who was part of the founding team humbly acknowledges the fact.

“We all know Raj Nayak the man who started it and had the vision to look at an opportunity keeping in mind the fragmentation that the industry was witnessing. He has left very large shoes for me to fill and I don‘t think it‘s going to be easy doing that. After working with him for 14 years I am glad to make an attempt at fulfilling a dream and I know he is extremely proud of what we have done and continue to do.”

Aidem Ventures was carved out of NDTV Media which ad veteran Raj had set up as a 26:74 joint venture in 2003 with major TV news network NDTV. NDTV Media‘s role was to do ad sales for NDTV (and any other channels it would launch), Mi Marathi and Sahara‘s TV channels. All was well for a few years.

But then NDTV launched a Hindi GEC NDTV Imagine in 2008 and did not hand over ad sales to Raj and his team. He waited and watched for a couple of years for things to change, but nothing did.

Vikas Khanchandani believes obstacles are the best path to take

Hence, in 2010, Raj decided to quit NDTV Media and with the supposed blessings of both Prannoy and Radhika Roy he set up Aidem Ventures taking its entire sales team and business to the new firm in an effort to build a standalone enterprise. Things were hunky-dory, and Raj roped in some senior industry professionals such as Kaushal Dalal, M. Suku to strengthen the organisation. The venture was cruising until a year later when NDTV decided not to renew its contract. It was almost as if the entire floor collapsed under Aidem as NDTV accounted almost 80 per cent of the new fledgling‘s business.
Many of the founding senior management team headed for the exits. Around this time, Raj moved to Viacom18 as the CEO of Colors after finding an investor and well wisher, leaving with the belief that Vikas and team would successfully run with the baton.

Raj also took the efforts to reassure everyone that the company will continue to keep its stakeholders‘ benefit in mind and will work forward to fulfilling its motto.

“But those were tough times,” recollects Vikas. “We scaled down our operations and had to calm clients apart from making sure that our colleagues were absorbed in other companies. We did not lay off anyone.”

The Aidem dream team: Alok Rakshit (regional entertainment & news head), Joydeep Ghosh (eBUS business head, India), Lama Choudhury (business development head)

The investor that came in was none other than a client in his personal capacity: Ashok Gupta of the HDIL group, who was involved in a channel Live India. His entry and financial injection proved to be the proverbial turning point.

From being a near basket case then, the firm has come back very strongly. And how. Today, Aidem has 100 plus employees and 30 clients across broadcasters and publishers nationally and claims to be more experienced in the outsourced model compared to any of its peers. The reason behind this is nothing but years of experience and practice that has built a whole host of services and IT enabled infrastructure that has given it an edge over some of the larger networks.

“We spent two years to create extensive resources to have a robust platform which is web enabled giving people opportunity to feed, view and retrieve information on the go. We have experience across platforms and across genres from news – national and regional, regional entertainment, Hindi entertainment and niche and hence have build extensive knowledge and on pricing and strategy which have immensely helped our partners to improve their yields,” explains Vikas.

He further adds, “We have the finest operations process and teams, something that keeps revenue based errors to negligible levels thereby bringing efficiencies in our service. Aidem also has one of the finest digital sales and operations team offering solutions to our digital publishers. Lastly, we are go-to-market experts, something that we have proven to our technology partners by creating the business model and then executing it as per plan and strategy to create one of the largest service providers in digital delivery of ad commercials within the country.”

Madison Media COO Karthik Lakshminarayan agrees that there is a need-gap in the market and that is when such media-sales organisations have a huge potential to flourish. “Niche and regional channels don‘t have enough revenues to have a specified sales team and hence, such organisations come to their rescue unlike the large networks which have their own set ups.”

The Aidem dream team contd: Neena Dasgupta (digital & international business head), Nikhil Sheth (Hindi entertainment & niche channels head) , Shailendra Shetty (systems head)

Vikas has built a solid team, which is responsible for the Rs 200 plus crore business, Aidem generates across platforms for its clients. Alok Rakshit is the business head across regional entertainment and news. Neena Dasgupta looks after the digital & international businesses as business head. Joydeep Ghosh leads the eBUS Business for India. Nikhil Sheth is business head across Hindi entertainment & niche channels while Shailendra Shetty has been instrumental in devising and developing work flow and system for traffic and sales operations. Lama Choudhury heads the business development team and is actively involved with all commercial negotiations and deal evaluations. He has been with Aidem right from its incorporation.

“Our hierarchy is simple, each business head has people under them looking after different regions,” explains Vikas.

Tamil television broadcaster Jaya Network which has been with Aidem for more than an year is not only content but also thanks it for bringing in more clients (read: revenues). “We started with one channel but now Aidem handles the whole bouquet and within a year we have seen a 30 per cent increase in revenue,” proudly proclaims Jaya TV marketing head S Senthil Velavan.

Similarly, The Economist which is in its second year of association with Aidem never anticipated the results it has got so far. “I knew Neena Dasgupta and when she came with a proposal for our online business, we were open to it. And all I can say is that revenues are now substantial while it was negligible when they came to us,” says The Economist India MD Supriyo Guha Thakurta.

One venture which the organisation feels was a god-send was that of eBus, a digitial delivery and distribution platform for short form TV commercials, which it set up as a joint venture with a Singapore based company (headed by its CEO Carmine Masiello) of the same name in 2010. eBus is arguably one of the largest providers of this service to the advertising and broadcasting industries and was acquired by media logistics company IMD this year. “The acquisition gave us some good cash which has helped us retire all debt,” says Vikas. “But Aidem has the contract to manage it for the next five years. eBus is one of the finest cloud based delivery service and industry swears by it. We have around 300 clients using it.”

Karthik Laxminarayan says outfits such as Aidem Ventures help the smaller players

Like for any other, the journey for Aidem so far has been challenging, trying and exciting at the same breath. Not every client stays and it has had its fair share of losses. For instance, Radiowalla‘s co-founder Anil Srivatsa feels that though they had partnered with Aidem for only six months, the expectations and capabilities didn‘t match. He blames the timing for it, but however hasn‘t struck it off completely and wouldn‘t mind considering it in the future.

Ups and down are a part and parcel of life and keeping that in mind Aidem sees itself as a platform that will create opportunities for many of its partners to grow and in the process grow with them. It has shortlisted some of the growth areas that it needs to put its energies in to and build them into substantial and valuable business over the next three to five years.

“Right now, Aidem 1.0 is about trading while Aidem 2.0 will be about building platforms offering solutions across channels using technology as a tool to scale. We will also be building new business/services verticals using technology as a tool/differentiator that will help bridge some need gap within our industry,” says Vikas optimistically.

He hopes to reduce the revenue dependence on channels too. “We are far better off from the days of the 80 per cent dependency on NDTV for revenues. But I would like it to come down from the 14 per cent to 20 per cent which it is currently. What that means is getting in more channels,” says Vikas.

What was it that kept him going when everything else around him seemed to be falling apart? “It has been touch and go on several occasions,” he confesses. “But for all of us at Aidem: obstacles are the best path to take.”

Maybe the quote by Marcel Proust “We don‘t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us” can sum up Aidem‘s journey.

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Innocean renews global media partnership with Havas

Published

3 days ago

February 6, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Innocean has renewed its global media partnership with Havas Media Network following an internal review across Hyundai Motor Group brands.
The renewed mandate spans Hyundai, Kia and Genesis across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The work will be coordinated with Innocean’s international teams in Seoul, Frankfurt, Dubai, New Delhi and Jakarta.

The refreshed alliance is designed with a sharper focus on data and technology, aiming to connect the dots across customer acquisition, conversion and retention as the Group’s global audience continues to diversify.

Innocean head of global business Steve Jun, said the extension reflects a shared push for stronger, data-led media performance across key markets. He added that the partnership would focus on creating more connected and effective customer experiences for Hyundai Motor Group brands.

Havas Media Network global CEO Peter Mears, described the relationship as one built on innovation and global scale. He said the next phase would lean on the network’s Converged.AI platform to deliver seamless, data-driven media experiences and drive business outcomes for the automotive brands.

The renewed partnership officially commenced in January 2026.

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Dentsu ad report 2026 flags digital dominance as retail media soars

Published

5 days ago

February 4, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

INDIA: India’s advertising industry is entering a new phase of structural transformation, with digital media now the central growth engine, according to the Dentsu digital advertising report 2026.

Total advertising spends closed 2025 at Rs 1.21 lakh crore, up 8.3 per cent year on year, and are projected to reach Rs 1.40 lakh crore by 2027, implying a compound annual growth rate of over 7 per cent.

Digital advertising accounted for Rs 71,621 crore in 2025, representing 59 per cent of total spends. By 2027, digital’s share is expected to rise to around 70 per cent, with spends nearing Rs 98,034 crore.

The report stresses that this is no longer a temporary shift but a permanent rebalancing of advertising priorities, driven by mobile-first consumption, short-form video, creator ecosystems, embedded commerce and AI-led optimisation.

Retail media has emerged as the fastest-growing segment, with ad spends on e-retail platforms reaching Rs 17,601 crore in 2025: a surge of nearly 56 per cent year on year. Retail platforms are evolving into full-funnel media ecosystems, linking storytelling directly with purchase outcomes through first-party data.

Within digital formats, social media leads with a 29 per cent share, closely followed by online video at 28 per cent, while paid search contributes 23 per cent. Online video is expected to overtake social as the largest digital format over the next two years.

Programmatic buying now accounts for 42 per cent of digital spends, exceeding Rs 30,000 crore, and is increasingly becoming the default media operating layer across video, connected TV and retail platforms.

FMCG remains the largest advertising category at 30 per cent of total spends, followed by e-commerce at 18 per cent, which also recorded the fastest growth.

Dentsu South Asia chief executive Harsha Razdan said the most meaningful industry shift has been in how consumers consciously allocate attention.

Dentsu South Asia president and chief strategy officer Narayan Devanathan, added that the next growth phase will belong to organisations that successfully integrate creativity, data, media and technology.

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Publicis Groupe posts strong revenue as AI drives demand

Published

6 days ago

February 3, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

PARIS: Publicis Groupe is laughing all the way to the bank whilst its rivals scramble to catch up. The French advertising colossus reported full-year 2025 net revenue of €14.5bn, marking its sixth consecutive year of outperforming the industry. Organic growth hit 5.6 per cent, accelerating past its five-year compound annual growth rate of 5.0 per cent.

The secret sauce? Artificial intelligence-powered products and services, which contributed roughly 300 basis points to growth. Arthur Sadoun, chairman and chief executive, has staked Publicis’s future on becoming clients’ “most valuable partner” for what the firm calls “agentic business transformation”—essentially helping companies build enterprise-grade AI solutions that actually make money.

The fourth quarter proved particularly robust, with organic growth of 5.9 per cent despite tougher comparisons. Connected media, which accounts for 60 per cent of the business, surged with high-single-digit growth. Creative and production services delivered mid-single-digit expansion. Only the technology consulting arm stumbled, finishing nearly flat for the year as clients adopted a “wait-and-see” attitude—a malaise afflicting all IT consulting firms.

Geography tells a tale of American dominance. The United States, representing 57 per cent of group revenue, grew 5.2 per cent organically for the year, cementing Publicis’s position as the market leader. Europe managed 4.2 per cent growth, whilst Asia-Pacific posted 5.8 per cent, with China impressing at 6.0 per cent. The most dramatic expansions came from emerging markets: Latin America roared ahead at 18.7 per cent, whilst Middle East and Africa surged 10.8 per cent.

Operating margin improved to 18.2 per cent from 18.0 per cent, delivering 50 basis points of operating leverage. Crucially, Publicis reinvested 30 basis points—totalling 230 basis points overall—into AI capabilities, talent upgrades and new business development. The remaining 20 basis points flowed straight to the bottom line. Michel-Alain Proch, chief financial officer, called it “the highest operating margin in the industry”.

Free cash flow before working capital changes reached €2.03bn, up 10.6 per cent from an already-record 2024. The firm deployed roughly €1bn on bolt-on acquisitions targeting identity resolution, pharmaceuticals, influencer marketing and sports marketing. Client retention remained stellar at 98 per cent for top-100 clients, whilst new business wins exceeded $8bn.

Headline earnings per share climbed 6.6 per cent at constant currency to €7.48. In dollar terms—increasingly relevant given Publicis’s American dominance—EPS rose 7.0 per cent to $8.45. The board proposed a dividend of €3.75 per share, up 4.2 per cent, representing a payout ratio of 50.1 per cent, which Publicis claims is the highest in the industry.

The financial fortress looks impregnable. Net debt turned into net cash of €548m by year-end, down from net cash of €775m the previous year after funding acquisitions. The firm maintains €2bn in undrawn committed credit facilities and €4bn in cash and marketable securities. Average net debt to EBITDA stood at a negligible 1.0 times.

Industry sectors showed divergent fortunes. Consumer goods clients increased spending by 20 per cent, whilst automotive rose 14 per cent and financial services climbed 11 per cent. Technology clients, however, cut budgets by 7 per cent, and telecommunications spending dropped 2 per cent.

Publicis’s AI strategy extends beyond client services to internal transformation. The firm is “agentifying” processes using AI agents, equipping all 100,000-plus employees with AI tools through its Marcel learning platform. The goal: make everyone “AI-fluent” whilst boosting productivity and results. The company reckons AI-powered capabilities grew 20 per cent organically in 2025.

Looking ahead, Publicis guided for 2026 organic growth of 4.0 to 5.0 per cent—marking a potential seventh consecutive year of industry outperformance. Operating margin should tick “slightly” higher from the already-elevated 18.2 per cent whilst maintaining “high levels” of investment. Free cash flow is targeted at roughly €2.1bn, based on an exchange rate assumption of €1.20 to the dollar, earmarked for dividends, maintaining a stable share count and more bolt-on acquisitions.

The firm’s longer-term ambitions border on audaciousness. Management projects annual net revenue growth of 6.0 to 7.0 per cent and earnings-per-share expansion of 7.0 to 9.0 per cent, both at constant currency. The logic: AI is fragmenting the marketing landscape, with no top client spending more than 4.0 per cent of budget on any single platform. Publicis reckons its “unique connective tissue” positions it perfectly to orchestrate this complexity.

The advertising world has witnessed a decade-long reshaping. Since 2017, when Publicis began its data and technology pivot, the firm has invested €14bn integrating capabilities whilst rivals dithered. That first-mover advantage in AI has compounded. Publicis now claims the number-one position in global media billings, including in the crucial American and Chinese markets. Its market capitalisation exceeds the combined value of its next two competitors.

Yet competition is heating up as everyone piles into AI. Omnicom’s proposed merger with IPG would create a formidable rival. Technology giants are muscling into advertising with their own AI platforms. And clients are becoming more sophisticated, building in-house capabilities and squeezing agency margins.

Publicis is betting the farm that complexity favours the orchestrator. As marketing technology proliferates and AI agents multiply, companies will need partners who can connect the dots. Whether that vision proves prescient or hubris will determine if Sadoun’s transformation becomes a case study in strategic brilliance or just another expensive pivot that failed to justify its price tag. For now, though, the numbers suggest Publicis is winning the AI arms race in adland—and widening the gap with every quarter.