Future of Video India
13 April 2023, 9.30am – 6pm IST | Taj Lands End, Mumbai

Monetisation is a big challenge for streaming owners globally as content costs continue to rise, and India is no exception. India currently has ~102 million SVOD subscribers and this number is estimated to increase at a CAGR of 17% to reach 224 million by 2026, according to a 2022 report by Deloitte. But there is still a large number of consumers who do not want to pay for content, so how do streaming platforms capture this group of “unwilling” customers?

With one of the youngest populations globally, how are organisations planning to grow this youth segment? Profitability, ARPU, sustainable monetization models – how are strategies changing today compared to 10, or even 5 years ago? What can organisations do differently to generate more revenue?

The Future of Video India addressed some of these key questions and more as we looked at how business models are changing and adapting in the coming year.

Some of the new session topics for 2023 included:

• How the Bollywood Business is Changing and What is the Role of OTT Platforms?
• Monetisation Models: How can More Revenue be Generated?
• OTT Bundling – Is this the Only Way Forward to Drive Market Growth in India?
• Content Leaders Talk: Making the Right Play
• Unleashing the Potential of Advertising on OTT

Agenda

Press Release

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Speakers Interview

Sajith Sivanandan

Head

Disney+ Hotstar India

It’s been 5 months since you have taken over as the new Head of Disney+ Hotstar. How has the experience been, and what is your biggest priority right now?

It has been exhilarating to say the least. So much has happened in just five months and I remain excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. The digital space, especially OTT, is at such a dynamic juncture right now. Technology is ever evolving, there are changes in customer choice and consumption patterns that represent opportunities to address, and of course multiple entertainment options that compete for a share of time. Our biggest priorities for Disney+ Hotstar right now include giving compelling content catering to our users who cover a very wide swathe of India, continually improve our product experience so that users find Disney+ Hotstar more intuitive to use, and empower and inspire the teams at Disney+ Hotstar to serve our users and partners really well as we continue down the path of building a sustainable business.
Some would argue that over the last couple of years we have experienced whiplash, from irrational exuberance regarding media companies to irrational pessimism. Is this just the view from Wall Street or would you agree with this evaluation? In your opinion, what is the true prognosis of the state of the industry today?

Like nature, industries go through cycles and the entertainment business is no different to this phenomenon. It is true that the industry for the last few years was driven by an urgency to ramp up subscriber numbers which was also a factor spurred on by the pandemic when we saw a huge spike in content consumption on OTT platforms. Now that we are back in a more normal environment, the conversation has veered back to where it ought to have stayed at in the first place – profitability. Let’s not forget that ultimately, every business is established with the objective of generating value for shareholders and OTT is no different.
How do you see the comparative roles of subscription and advertising developing?

It’s not an either or. In a market like India, we will continue to have a hybrid model that will strike a balance between SVOD and AVOD. The SVOD segment in India is currently at just a shade above 130 million, while AVOD is at nearly three times that number. As income and aspiration levels grow, we can expect to see AVOD users migrating to SVOD as they sample high quality content and their viewing habits evolve. The reality is that a hybrid model is healthy for users, businesses and platforms like us as it provides choice and options to all of these three stakeholders.
What are the 2 or 3 things that you see will need to happen in the coming years to secure long term success?

Firstly, with the increase in digital penetration and connectivity, we hope to see deeper penetration of streaming services in semi-urban and rural markets. Second, there has also been significant inflation in content acquisition costs that needs rationalisation – great content is the oxygen that powers user engagement, and it is very critical that producers, artists and platforms like us work closely together to build compelling content that appeals to India and do so in a sustainable manner. This creates long term value and really aids the ability of the industry to serve users who continue to have a growing appetite for great stories and storytelling. Thirdly, our ability to serve users across different segments, age groups and interests is going to be critical. I also think that the experience on the app will significantly evolve as well, driving greater user engagement.

Speakers

Keynote: 
Apurva Chandra
Secretary
MIB
Vikram Sahay
Joint Secretary (Policy & Administration)
MIB
Ajit Pratap Singh
VP of Engineering
Airtel Xstream 
Mitesh Jain
Country Manager – India & SAARC
Akamai Technologies
Sameer Nair
Managing Director
Applause Entertainment
Kaushik Moitra
Partner
Bharucha & Partners
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar
Consulting Editor
Business Standard
Megha Tata
CEO
Cosmos Maya
Minakshi Achan
Head - Network Brand & Creative Communications
Disney Star
Sajith Sivanandan
Head
Disney+ Hotstar India
Karan Taurani
SVP
Elara Capital
Akshat Raizada
National lead — Digital Trading and Investments
GroupM
Prasad Sanagavarapu
Chief Business Officer
Invidi
Deepti Khutal
Senior Director, International Operations
Invidi
Saurabh Sancheti
Group CFO
Jio Platforms
Dimple Kharbanda
Producer/Executive Director
Kangra Talkies
Gavin Buxton
MD Asia
Magnite
Mihir Shah
VP, India
Media Partners Asia (MPA)
Supriya Sobti Gupta
Founder
MOW Productions
Dina D'Souza
SVP - Direct Business and OTT AVOD
MX Player
Gautam Talwar
Chief Content Officer
MX Player
Smriti Mehra
CEO - Business News
Network18
Vynsley Fernandes
Whole Time Director, Hinduja Global Solutions  CEO
NXTDIGITAL
Keerat Grewal
Partner
Ormax Media
Shrishti Behl
CEO
Phantom Studios
Anuj Gandhi
Founder
Plug and Play Entertainment
Nikhil Madhok
Head of Hindi Originals
Prime Video India
Sushant Sreeram
Country Director
Prime Video India
John Martin
Senior Director, OpenWrap
PubMatic
Akila Jayaraman
Head of Sales Strategy
Reliance Jio
Prabhvir Sahmey
Senior Director
Samsung Ads, India
Arghya Chakravarty
COO
Shemaroo Entertainment 
Manish Verma
Head of Technology for SonyLIV
Sony Pictures Networks India
Ranjana Mangla
SVP and Head of Ad Revenue, SonyLIV
Sony Pictures Networks India
Jyoti Deshpande
CEO
Viacom18
Praveen Chaudhury
Director, Retention Engagement & Growth Strategy, DTC Marketing
Warner Bros. Discovery
Divya Dixit
Advisor - Business Strategy & Growth
Clare Bloomfield
Acting Chief Policy Officer
AVIA
Louis Boswell
Chief Executive Officer
AVIA

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Future of Video India
13 April 2023, 9.30am – 6pm IST | Taj Lands End, Mumbai

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Future of Video India 13 April 2023, 9.30am – 6pm IST | Taj Lands End, Mumbai

Speakers Interview

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Future of Video India
13 April 2023, 9.30am – 6pm IST | Taj Lands End, Mumbai