MAM

Is the Indian edtech boom beginning to go bust?

Published

3 years ago

September 8, 2022

Mumbai: The Indian edtech industry has witnessed a dream run in the past two years. The pandemic turned out to be a boon in disguise for the fledgling sector, which saw blockbuster growth with schools and educational institutes switching over to the online mode. This paved the way for the rise of numerous ed-tech startups, with the space attracting a slew of investors and funding, helping several of them script success stories.

However, now with the reopening of schools and offline institutes accompanied by an inflation-induced “funding winter,” edtechs face an uncertain future. Questions are being raised about the effectiveness of online learning as consumers become more sceptical of the digital learning model and the additional costs it entails. Several established companies in the space, including Unacademy, Vedantu, Lido, and Byju’s WhitehatJr., have had to resort to layoffs to avoid taking a big hit to their revenues or simply to stay afloat in the aftermath of the pandemic-driven edtech boom.

So is the edtech bubble in the country finally starting to burst? Let’s find out.

Customer acquisition- a major hurdle

In the post-pandemic scenario, student retention and customer acquisition have become more and more of a challenge for e-learning companies, according to industry experts. There is no denying that, currently, all the firms in this sector are facing huge problems in acquiring fresh customers and retaining their existing ones, says Optiminastic Media head of business development and partnerships Aditya Pandey. “After offline centres and schools have been resumed, the registration count of new customers has lowered by a significant degree. Despite big funding and marketing promotions, edtech firms are still struggling to convince parents to adapt to the new services these firms have to offer.”

Over 4,450 edtech startups were launched between 2014 and 2019, of which nearly 25 per cent have been shut down while the rest have been acquired by the big players in the sector, according to Pandey.

Cutting down on adspends

To curb the challenge of customer acquisition, edtech firms—which were one of the largest spenders on advertising during prime television properties such as IPL last year—have drastically dropped their ad spends on all platforms. According to experts, the cost of acquiring a single customer and converting that customer during the sales cycle has become too high for many edtech startups, and this is the primary reason why they have significantly reduced their ad spend.

Be it digital, TV, or print, these startups are not spending as they used to during the pandemic, notes Pandey, adding that the prime reason for taking this step is to reduce the cost of customer acquisition, which was very high during the pandemic.

“Compared to traditional institutes that spend 10 per cent of their total revenue, the edtech firms were spending more than 25 per cent on advertisements and promotions. In the post-pandemic period and due to some negative reviews by the customers, there was a big drop in the revenue, which forced them to reduce their current ad spending,” he continues. Instead, these edtech firms are revamping their pricing and working to regain the trust of the lost customers by adding value to their products and services, he adds.

Taking the Hybrid road

Many edtech companies are looking to launch physical centres as they prepare themselves for a new battle in the new normal as competition heats up in the offline space. In May this year, SoftBank-backed edtech unicorn Unacademy announced a plan to set up offline tuition centres.

Edtech major, Byju’s is also pivoting to a hybrid model as the next stage. Since February, the conglomerate has opened 100 Byju’s tuition centres nationwide that combine both in-classroom learning and online tuition. It expects to roll out 400 more this year.

Both online and offline education have their own set of advantages, where online education provides an excellent option for students who are unable to enroll in traditional classes due to financial constraints or other factors, says PhysicsWallah chief strategy officer Abhishek Mishra.

We have seen the rise of e-learning as a result of advanced technology in recent years, but have never intended to replace the entire nature of traditional education with online learning, he says, adding that the company aims to provide quality education at affordable prices through both online classes and offline centres.

CivilsDaily founder Sajal Singh agrees that both modes have their advantages and disadvantages. “Just as offline teaching cannot hide the dynamic benefits of online learning, it is undeniable that online coaching cannot replace traditional teaching methods.”

Most edtech companies are adapting hybrid models, and I believe this will be the accepted way forward, says media tech startup FC Play CEO Arti Gudal. “As corporates, we believe the physical mode will always remain predominant with the online edtech companies complementing it, hence the hybrid model can and will work better for edTech.”Customer acquisition does not have to be through a single mode, it can be managed offline and online, she adds.

The roadmap ahead

Education is a long-term investment with lifelong returns, and people don’t want to compromise on their educational aspirations, believes Athena Education co-founder Poshak Agrawal. “Against expectations, we have seen a sharp increase in student queries for applications to elite universities in the last two years, and we think these aspirations are here to stay,” he adds.

While the pandemic definitely accelerated the integration of technology into education and gave a boost to the adoption of educational technologies across all socioeconomic strata, now that parents and students have experienced the conveniences of online learning, there may be no going back, believes BrightCHAMPS founder and CEO Ravi Bhushan.

Consumer acquisition is no longer the daunting challenge that it once was, he asserts. “The convenience of learning from anywhere and anytime in the world; greater control over their learning journeys through personalisation; global exposure and learning from a faculty that comprises subject matter experts from around the world at affordable price points; savings in terms of time and money; and the safety that comes with learning from your own home—an increasing number of parents and students are now opting for online classes.”

In a service like ours, word-of-mouth is the best marketing strategy, Bhushan continues, adding that controlling customer acquisition spending is what has allowed the startup to maintain a long runway and safeguard them at such a time.

The challenge for edtechs going forward, and possibly the only way forward, is to ensure customer stickiness and achieve sustainable growth while avoiding making misleading claims and unsustainable promises in their advertisements and marketing promotions.

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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

5 days 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

5 days 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

5 days 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.