Ashish Chordia

From Front-Page Jackets to Jio: Bridging the Gap Between High-Trust Print and High-Frequency Digital As an insider who has watched the media landscape evolve from hand-painted hoardings to programmatic bidding, it is clear we are at a tipping point. @Omnicom Media’s recent deal with Amazon and Roku to tackle "ad fatigue" is a solution we in India desperately need. We have all felt it—seeing the same ad for the umpteenth time during a cricket match. It is not just a wasted budget; it is a brand killer. https://lnkd.in/gPmV5xMc In advertising, reach is breadth (new eyes), while frequency is depth (repetition). The West is now using tech to solve the "Conversion vs. Aversion" problem, but in India, the solution requires a more layered "Reality Check". Most of India lives in a "Linear Plus" reality. We have not cut the cord; we have "stacked" it, jumping from cable soaps to app-based thrillers with one click. These "ghost households" are hammered with duplicate ads because digital and TV plans still live in silos. For me, the view from the print side is different: the morning ritual of reading the newspaper over filter coffee is a high-trust, focused moment digital cannot replicate. Notably, India is one of the few markets where print grows alongside digital, albeit not at that pace. Print does the heavy lifting of building trust (top of funnel), while CTV provides a 10-second "hyperlocal" nudge—like a Zepto or Blinkit offer (bottom of funnel). The real end to ad fatigue happens when we link this offline trust with omnichannel data. If a brand knows a subscriber in Mumbai engaged with their print ad in the morning, they should not serve the same 30-second "Introduction" film on Connected TV (CTV) that evening. The future is exciting. Imagine a brand partnering with Jio and a quick-commerce leader. A planner could see a household in Ahmedabad just ordered premium tea via an app; immediately, the TV ad frequency for that home is capped, and the budget shifts to a new family or to the nearby town. In India, the "glue" for this isn't a Roku ID—it is the mobile number (digital journey) linked to our Amazon, Zepto, and Jio accounts. As we dive into rural India, where the phone is often the only screen, this symphony is critical. We must stop buying eyeballs in silos and start managing the household journey across the newspaper, the phone, and the big screen. The tools are catching up. The goal remains: the message should arrive as a guest, not an intruder. Stop counting clicks and start respecting the consumer’s time. #MediaIndustry #PrintMediaIndia #AdFatigue #Omnichannel #ConnectedTV #RetailMedia #IndiaMarketing #DigitalTransformation

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Stop Buying Clicks and Start Building Trust In our world of fast-scrolling and 10 second skips, we have forgotten a simple truth: customer do not buy from ads, they buy from brands they trust. In my previous post, I wrote about the reality check the Indian media industry needs. We have to bridge the gap between the high-trust world of morning newspapers and the high-frequency world of digital screens. ​I was recently reading an insightful piece on Storyboard18 about how the Indian ad industry is finally shifting from an "attention economy," where we shout for clicks, to a "retention economy," where the goal is to be remembered. It struck me that while the industry acknowledges this shift, many brands are still looking for shortcuts. We are seeing a massive rush toward brand ambassadors and influencers to do the heavy lifting. While a celebrity face can get you a quick spike in views, it cannot fix a weak idea. Relying on a famous face often becomes a crutch that kills actual creativity. If you remove the celebrity from the campaign, is there still a story left? ​True impact is not just about who is in the ad, it is about how the ad solves a human problem. Think of HDFC Bank ’s Vigil Aunty. Instead of just hiring a star to say "be safe," they created a relatable character who felt like a clever neighbor. Similarly, the Blinkit and Zomato "Doodh-Kheer" billboards did not need a massive celebrity. They used wit to prove that a clever idea travels better. Even Acko used nostalgia with "Munna and Circuit" to make insurance something customers actually wanted to watch. ​When we treat the consumer as a "target," they treat us as an intruder. But when we lead with insight, we treat them as a guest. This means knowing that a morning print reader does not need to see the same basic "Introduction" ad on their TV that evening. We must stop buying eyeballs in silos. A mobile number should not just be a tracking ID for programmatic bidding; it should be the thread that weaves a consistent story across the newspaper, the phone, and the big screen. ​The tools are ready and the data is there, but without a creative soul, we are just making noise. We need to stop counting clicks and start earning belief. In an age of AI and instant influencers, the brands that win will be the ones that respect the consumer’s time and intelligence. ​Do you think we are over-relying on celebrities and influencers at the cost of original storytelling? ​#AdvertisingIndia #CreativeStrategy. #MarketingInsights #BrandTrust #MediaEvolution #RetentionEconomy ​Read the Storyboard18 article here: https://lnkd.in/g66NURyP ​My earlier post on Print vs Digital: https://lnkd.in/gZ9DWTZu

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As someone who has spent years fighting for transparency, sustainability and actual monetization in this industry, I can tell you this: Google’s settlement and the potential introduction of RTB Control isn’t a “quiet shift” - it’s a structural warning shot. If a single opt-out switch can remove personal data from bid requests at scale, then we’re finally confronting the uncomfortable truth the industry has tried to ignore: 💡 Programmatic has been built on a dependency the public never explicitly agreed to. 💡 And episodic TV, film and premium publishers have always been the ones paying the price. At View TV Cloud we’ve been advocating for years that studio-grade monetization should never depend on personal data leakage or opaque auctions. When you remove the personal data from RTB, what’s left is the actual value of the content and the audience environment itself - not the surveillance scaffolding that has artificially inflated parts of the ad ecosystem for a decade. So what does this potential shift mean? 🔹 1. The “Performance Black Box” era is ending If identity becomes optional - or worse, fully user-controlled - then the platforms that rely on tracking instead of content value are going to feel it first. 🔹 2. Premium content will finally stand on its own Studios, FAST channel operators and broadcasters should see this as the moment to retake control of their own monetization. At View TV Cloud we’ve already built ad models that don’t collapse when identifiers disappear. 🔹 3. The market will reward real environments, not rented data When RTB becomes less personalized, the strength of the content, the quality of the stream, and the brand-safe environment become the selling point. Exactly how it always should have been. So is this a minor shift? No. It’s a turning point disguised as a footnote. The studios, channels and platforms that recognise this - and move early - will be the ones still growing when the next privacy wave hits. - Jamie Branson - CEO, View TV Cloud Leading the future of sustainable content monetization #AdTech #Privacy #Programmatic #RTB #Google #DigitalAdvertising #AdMonetization #FASTChannels #ViewTVCloud #viewtv

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India’s CTV surge is rewriting the screen hierarchy. The latest Ormax OTT Audience Report 2025 reveals that Connected TV audiences have soared to 129 million, marking an 85% YoY growth. What began as an urban trend is now a pan-India living-room revolution, with 60% of new users coming from non-metros. As CTV overtakes laptops to become the No. 2 streaming device after smartphones, brands and broadcasters can no longer treat it as an add-on—it’s the new premium screen. The future of storytelling, advertising, and audience measurement in India will be defined by how intelligently we merge data, device, and shared viewing.

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Industry projections suggest that OTT revenues for Indian broadcasters in FY26 are likely to grow by 10-15% year-on-year, signaling a market that has moved beyond hyper-growth but continues to expand, driven by evolving viewer behavior and sustained advertiser interest. https://lnkd.in/gtwi8fwc

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The next three years will redefine digital media and podcasting in India. We are already the third-largest podcast listening market in the world. Podcast revenues in India crossed $969M in 2024, and are projected to grow at nearly 30% year-on-year. Digital advertising has overtaken television which is HUGE. But the real question is: where is attention moving, and how do we hold it? The shifts I see shaping the next three years: 1)The Attention Deficit Audiences are impatient. If you don’t hook them in the first 30 seconds, you’ve lost them. But while short-form captures attention, it doesn’t hold it. The real opportunity lies in pairing formats: short-form to spark awareness, long-form to build trust. 2)The Hyperlocal Surge Regional and vernacular voices will define scale. The future of reach in India will not be dictated in English—it will be told in the languages of people’s everyday lives. 3)From IP to Ecosystem Shows will no longer live in isolation. The strongest IPs will extend into products, experiences, and communities. A podcast won’t just be an episode—it will be a cultural node that branches into events, collaborations, and even commerce. 4)AI and the Next Medium AI will rewire the value chain—translation, interactive listening, personalized discovery. But the deeper shift is this: AI will turn passive audiences into active participants. The line between creator and consumer will blur. 5)Trust as Currency In a world of infinite content, trust will be the scarcest resource. Audiences and advertisers will no longer chase scale for its own sake; they will back creators who show consistency, credibility, and transparency. So what do people want to consume? Audiences won’t settle for either/or. They’ll want formats that are snackable in the moment but deep enough to return to. They’ll choose voices that feel familiar, not distant. They’ll expect to participate—through remixes, collabs, or community interactions. They’ll reward authenticity over manufactured virality. And they’ll pay for premium experiences—early access, behind-the-scenes, and spaces that feel exclusive. TLDR: The future won’t reward one-off hits. It will reward IPs that compound over time. Retention will matter more than reach—because attention is the only true currency. To scale, vernacular has to be the default, not the afterthought. Ads won’t be enough—multiple revenue streams will be essential. And the strongest moat will be community, because loyalty isn’t something you buy—it’s something you earn, day after day. The future of digital media in India will not be defined by who shouts the loudest, but by who can hold attention with depth, trust, and consistency. I’ve been reflecting on these shifts closely as we build new IPs and platforms at Humans of Bombay. Because the next decade will belong to creators and companies that see beyond the algorithm and build for connection. Thoughts? How do you see the next few years? #digitalmedia #India

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Pocket FM's Creator Economy Reaches ₹300 Crore, Targets 3X Growth to ₹1000 Crore in 2026 As the AI Impact Summit sets the path for India's AI vision, Pocket FM today unveiled data that offers tangible proof of that vision in action. The platform's creator economy has crossed ₹300 crore and is set to reach ₹1,000 crore by 2026. #TycoonWorld #PocketFM #CreatorEconomy #AICreators #AIIndia #DigitalIndia #NarendraModi #AIImpactSummit #IndianStartups #ContentCreators #Storytelling #AudioSeries #MadeInIndia #CreatorFirst #Monetisation #AIInnovation #GlobalExpansion #USMarket #EuropeMarket #IndianIP #ContentExport #1MillionCreators #TechForCreators #FutureOfEntertainment https://lnkd.in/gy5pusEq

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𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗧𝗩 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 Connected TV (CTV) is expanding beyond metro cities, with India’s non-metros leading the charge in its growth. Vedavyas Badri, Deputy VP – Programmatic Buying at LS Digital, shares his insights on the evolving CTV landscape and its significance for marketers. From refined targeting to changes in content consumption, Vedavyas outlines the shifts shaping India’s CTV momentum and why brands must adjust their media strategies to stay ahead. Read the full article on exchange4media to learn more about the rise of Connected TV in non-metros: https://lnkd.in/gj5bhCnP #LSDigital #VedavyasBadri #CTVIndia #ConnectedTV #MediaStrategy #DigitalAdvertising #Exchange4Media #MarketingInnovation #NonMetroGrowth #DigitalBusinessTransformists

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Xperi Q3 2025 Earnings: 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝟮𝟱𝟬 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀, 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟭𝟱% 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲. Revenue of $112, down 16% YoY on a GAAP net loss of $6 million. Xperi grew its TiVo One ad platform MAUs to 4.8 million users, but note that their definition of an MAU doesn’t involve streaming content each month; only that a device “connected" to their service in any given month. TiVo One ARPU was $8.75 (trailing 12 months), which translates to $0.72 per month and includes more than just advertising. Ended the quarter with $97 million in cash and cash equivalents. Earnings slide deck: https://lnkd.in/eD3MzAGb - #xperi #tivo #CTV #streamingmedia #SVOD #AVOD Xperi Inc.

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Shilangi Mukherji, Director & Head of SVOD Business at Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios India, outlines Prime Video’s approach to tiered subscriptions, diverse content formats, and device engagement to drive India’s next wave of digital media growth read more: https://lnkd.in/d5MBX6WX Rajan Navani #CII #Awards #PrimeVideo #Adtechtoday

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