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CAMM Summit ’22: Adtech is a gamechanger for publishing industry, say experts

Published

4 years ago

April 13, 2022

Mumbai: Advertising and technology have undoubtedly made great strides over the last few years. And to discuss the various cutting-edge innovations in this dynamic space, IndianTelevision.com has organised ContentTech, Adtech, Martech and More (CAMM) Summit and Exhibition 2022. The virtual event took off on Tuesday with a panel discussion on ‘Adtech Landscape: A Gamechanger for Publishing Industry,’ which put the spotlight on how adtech is emerging as a niche that helps publishers efficiently maximise the value of their content or ad inventory.

Moderated by IndianTelevision.com founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari, the guests on the panel were Times Internet chief technology officer Ashish Jaiswal, Pratilipi business and content head Jugal Wadhwani, Malayala Manorama general manager – marketing Boby Paul, Lokmat Media senior executive vice president and head of digital business Hemant Jain, and PubMatic director Harguneet Singh.

The CAMM Summit saw a conversation that is perhaps the most crucial in the age of changing advertising technologies.

Challenges ahead of publishing industry and the possible ways to overcome

Opening the discussion, Wanvari highlighted the increasing fragmentation of audiences between the own platforms of publishers as well as the third-party platforms is becoming a common phenomenon.

“In terms of trying to drive advertising revenue, what are the challenges that publishers are facing?” he asked the panel.

Agreeing with his thoughts, Times Internet’s Jaiswal said fragmentation is clearly happening and the same content being available across platforms is a major challenge for publishers. But being a publisher, he also shared how they are overcoming the challenge.

“What we are doing on our side to overcome these challenges is to stay connected with our audiences across all the platforms. We do not just publish and leave, we ensure that there’s a clear connection between us and our audiences across all platforms,” stated Jaiswal.

Taking ahead the conversation, Lokmat Media’s Jain said, “What demonetisation couldn’t do to digital payments, Covid-19 did to digital media.”

With this statement, he hinted at the enormous growth in terms of audience engagement that publishers have witnessed. Coming to the challenges, Jain said optimising content for small screens is another major challenge.

“It is quite difficult to give the right reading or viewing experience to customers while giving enough space to advertisers also,” Jain noted. “The struggle doesn’t end here. Lack of a large inventory, audience fragmentation and ensuring that the consumer ends up on your platform at the end are also making it difficult for publishers to maintain their growth.”

However, Jain feels that while there are so many challenges, it also keeps you pushing to develop and looking for newer opportunities.

Coming to the opportunities, he suggested that today focusing on one platform is not enough, publishers need to have an open mind and need to create a holistic approach to the business. “At the same time, it is important to have a highly optimised platform that meets users’ and advertisers’ expectations,” he remarked.

He feels that publishers have to accept the fact that the audience who is consuming content on Facebook doesn’t necessarily come to your website too because the content we put on Facebook is already customised in a way that people would love to watch it on that platform only. “If you work hard, each of these platforms will help you revenues apart from your direct sales from the website.”

However, Malayala Manorama’s Boby Paul feels audience fragmentation is a choice. “It happens because you want to put your content out to more and more people. So all you need to do is to keep a close eye on the aggregator platforms and understand which platform is providing you benefits and strategise accordingly,” Paul said. “When you have an audience coming to your aggregator platforms, you should design strategy in a way so that you can entice them to come to your own platform.”

Taking note of the challenges and the possible solutions suggested by the experts, Wanvari asked Paul to highlight the challenges of technology as far as marketing is concerned.

Speaking about the marketing and monetisation part, Paul said that digital publishing platforms are facing major challenges because most of the digital platforms are free to air. “There’s no set framework. But as adtech is evolving, there seems a hope,” he asserted.

Adtech and programmatic: The way forward for publishers

While all the publishers highlighted the challenges and opportunities, PubMatic provides a solution to all these concerns. Harguneet Singh acknowledged the challenges highlighted by the panel and explained how adtech platform like PubMatic comes into the picture and helps the publishers.

“While the challenges are quite evident, adtech platforms like PubMatic come in the picture as a savior to the publishers,” he affirmed.

Suggesting some adtech based solutions, he said that publishers have provided a lot of control to the users in the name of free content which they need to take back immediately. He feels that adtech and programmatic are the key tools for this.

“While adtech platforms enable advertisers, ad publishers, and advertising agencies to create, run, and optimize ad campaigns with minimal human involvement, programmatic advertising uses artificial intelligence and real-time bidding to automate and streamline the ad buying process,” Singh said, adding that, “With the right use of adtech and programmatic, publishers can significantly grow their business and increase CPMs.”

What do users want?

Amid the emergence of adtech and programmatic, it is crucial to understand what users want? Pratilipi’s business and content head Jugal Wadhwani, who closely works with individual publishers, explained that initially all people wanted was social recognition, the concept of revenue was not there really. “But presently, generating revenue is equally important for individual publishers too,” he added.

However, Wadhwani feels that once the publishing platform becomes a hit, distribution is not that big of a challenge, it is the discovery that they are actually looking for and platforms like Pratilipi come into the picture to help individual publishers.

On being asked how things are working on the audio side, Wadhwani said that audio advertising is very low right now in India. “The numbers are rising, but there is no significant development on the audio front so far.”

Coming to the subscription models and how paywalls work, Wanvari asked how conventional news publishers ensure that users buy their subscription instead of just reading the free version.

Lokmat’s Jain explained that India is a ‘sachet-driven country,’ so they need to come up with small offerings. “If publishers really need to sell high valued subscriptions, they need to build high-quality unique content rather than a generic piece,” he remarked.

“Over the last 10-years, journalism in India has evolved and produced unique content which helped the subscription model to become common. One of the most successful players in this field is The Hindu, which has built a very robust subscriber base,” noted Jain.

How will the removal of cookies impact the publishers?

Google announced it will not build alternate tracking identifiers with similar cross-site tracking abilities after phasing out third-party cookies. This change will be made by Google in late 2023. While this announcement may not have come as a surprise, many advertisers find themselves confused about how to manage the situation.

“How will publishers collect user data without cookies which is crucial for audience profiling?” Wanvari asked.

Jain thinks that with the removal of cookies, profiling or identifying customers, which is extremely important for running a digital publishing business, would become difficult. “With this, targeting customers offsite will become impossible.”

Suggesting a way for publishers after the removal of cookies, Jain said that in such a situation, targeting users on-site seems one possible solution. “To target them on-site, publishers really need to come up with relevant content.”

Times Internet’s Jaiswal thinks that in a cookie-less world, trust-building will become crucial. “Publishers will have to ask users to fill out forms to manually provide their data, maybe we can call this idea a ‘profiling paywall.’ But to ensure that they really fill out the form, provide their email address and mobile number, publishers need to work a lot on trust-building.”

Jaiswal suggested that publishers can win trust with unique content.

Adding to the conversation, PubMatic’s Singh said adtech will play a really important role here. “Right technology and the right technology partner who has good sense will have great opportunities to work with publishers,” he averred.

Concluding the discussion, all panelists agreed that adtech provides tools for both publishers of content and advertisers to efficiently navigate the appropriate price points and trading techniques to connect inventory with digital ad buyers.

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Netflix India names Rekha Rane director of films and series marketing

Streaming giant bets on a seasoned marketer who helped build Amazon and Netflix into household names

Published

1 week ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Netflix has put a proven brand builder at the helm of its films and series marketing in India, naming Rekha Rane as director in a move that signals sharper focus on audience growth and cultural cut-through in one of its most hotly contested markets.

Rane steps into the role after seven years at Netflix, where she has quietly shaped how the platform sells stories to India. Her latest promotion, effective February 2026, crowns a run that spans brand, slate and product marketing across originals, licensed content and new verticals such as games.

A strategic marketing and communications professional with roughly 15 years’ experience, Rane has spent much of her career building technology-led consumer businesses and new categories, notably e-commerce and subscription video on demand. She was part of the early push that introduced Amazon.in, Prime Video and Netflix to Indian homes, then helped turn them into everyday brands.

At Netflix, she most recently served as head of brand and slate marketing for India from March 2024 to February 2026, leading teams across media and marketing for global and local content portfolios. Before that, as manager for original films and series marketing, she led IP creation and go-to-market strategy for titles including Guns and Gulaabs, Kaala Paani, The Railway Men* and The Great Indian Kapil Show, spanning both binge and weekly-release formats.

Her earlier Netflix roles covered product discovery and promotion in India and integrated campaign strategy to drive conversations around the content slate, product awareness and brand-equity metrics.

Before Netflix, Rane logged more than three years at Amazon in brand marketing roles in Bengaluru. There she handled national and regional campaigns for Amazon.in, worked on customer assistance programmes in growth geographies and contributed to the go-to-market strategy for the launch of Prime Video India.

Her career began well away from streaming. At Reliance Brands in Mumbai, she worked on retail marketing for Diesel and Superdry. A stint at Leo Burnett saw her work on primary research for P&G Tide, mapping Indian shoppers’ paths to purchase. Earlier still, at Orange in the United Kingdom, she rose from sales assistant to store manager, running a team and owning monthly P&L for a retail outlet.

The arc is telling. As global streamers fight for attention in a crowded Indian market, executives who understand both mass retail behaviour and digital habit-building are prized. Rane’s career sits at that intersection.

For Netflix, the bet is simple: in a market spoilt for choice, sharp marketing can still tilt the screen. And with Rane now leading the charge, the streamer is signalling it wants not just viewers, but fandom.

Brands

Orient Beverages pops the fizz with steady Q3 gains and rising profits

Kolkata-based beverage maker reports stronger revenues and profits for December quarter.

Published

1 week ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: A fizzy quarter with a steady aftertaste that’s how Orient Beverages Limited, the company that manufactures and distributes packaged drinking water under the brand name Bisleri closed the December 2025 period, as the Kolkata-based drinks maker reported improved revenues and a healthy rise in profits, signalling operational stability in a competitive beverage market.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2025, Orient Beverages posted standalone revenue from operations of Rs 39.98 crore, up from Rs 36.42 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 33.53 crore in the same quarter last year. Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 42.24 crore, reflecting consistent demand and stable pricing across its beverage portfolio.

Profit before tax for the quarter came in at Rs 3.47 crore, a sharp improvement from Rs 1.31 crore in the September quarter and Rs 0.39 crore a year ago. After accounting for tax expenses of Rs 0.79 crore, the company reported a net profit of Rs 2.68 crore, nearly three times the Rs 0.99 crore recorded in the preceding quarter.

On a nine-month basis, the momentum remained intact. Revenue from operations for the period ended December 31, 2025 rose to Rs 117.66 crore, compared with Rs 106.95 crore in the corresponding period last year. Net profit for the nine months climbed to Rs 5.51 crore, more than double the Rs 2.18 crore reported in the same period of the previous financial year.

The consolidated numbers told a similar story. For the December quarter, consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs 45.06 crore, while profit after tax came in at Rs 2.06 crore. For the nine-month period, consolidated revenue touched Rs 133.57 crore, with net profit of Rs 4.49 crore, underscoring the group’s improving profitability trajectory.

Operating expenses remained largely controlled, with cost of materials, employee benefits and other expenses broadly aligned with revenue growth. The company continued to operate within a single reportable segment beverages simplifying its cost structure and reporting framework.

The unaudited financial results were reviewed by the Audit Committee and approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting held on 7 February 2026. Statutory auditors carried out a limited review and reported no material misstatements in the results.

In a market where margins are often squeezed by input costs and competition, Orient Beverages’ latest numbers suggest the company has found a reliable rhythm not explosive, but steady enough to keep the fizz alive.

MAM

Washington Post CEO exits abruptly after newsroom cuts spark backlash

Leadership change follows layoffs, protests and a bruising battle over trust.

Published

1 week ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: When the presses are rolling but patience runs out, even the editor’s chair isn’t safe. The Washington Post announced on Saturday that its chief executive and publisher Will Lewis is stepping down with immediate effect, bringing a sudden end to a turbulent two-year tenure marked by financial strain, newsroom unrest and public backlash.

Lewis’s exit comes just days after the Bezos-owned newspaper announced sweeping job cuts that triggered protests outside its Washington headquarters and a wave of anger from readers and staff. While newspapers across the US are grappling with shrinking revenues and digital disruption, Lewis’s leadership had increasingly come under fire for how those pressures were handled.

The Post confirmed that Jeff D’Onofrio, a former Tumblr CEO who joined the organisation last year as chief financial officer, has taken over as CEO and publisher, effective immediately. In an email to staff, later shared by reporters on social media, Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside.”

The leadership change follows the announcement of large-scale redundancies earlier this week. While the Post did not officially confirm numbers, The New York Times reported that around 300 of the paper’s roughly 800 journalists were laid off. Entire teams were dismantled, including the Post’s Middle East bureau and its Kyiv-based correspondent covering the war in Ukraine.

Sports, graphics and local reporting were sharply reduced, and the paper’s daily podcast, Post Reports, was suspended. On Thursday, hundreds of journalists and supporters gathered outside the Post’s downtown office in protest, calling the cuts a blow to public-interest journalism.

Former executive editor Marty Baron described the moment as “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organisations.”

Lewis defended his record in his farewell note, saying “difficult decisions” were taken to secure the paper’s long-term future and protect its ability to publish “high-quality nonpartisan news”. But his tenure coincided with growing scrutiny of editorial independence at the Post.

Owner Jeff Bezos faced criticism for reining in the paper’s traditionally liberal editorial page and blocking an endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 US election. The move was widely seen as breaking the long-standing firewall between ownership and editorial decision-making.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, around 250,000 digital subscribers cancelled their subscriptions after the paper declined to endorse Harris. The Post reportedly lost about $100 million in 2024 as advertising and subscription revenues slid.

While the wider newspaper industry continues to battle declining print advertising and the pull of social media, some national titles have stabilised. Rivals such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have managed to build sustainable digital businesses, a turnaround that has so far eluded the Post despite its billionaire backing.

As Jeff D’Onofrio steps into the role, the challenge is stark, restore confidence inside the newsroom, win back readers who walked away, and prove that one of America’s most storied newspapers can still find its footing in a brutally competitive media landscape.