MAM
JWT and McCann Worldgroup tie at No 1 spot in Gunn Report 2015
MUMBAI: J. Walter Thompson and McCann Worldgroup have scored the most number of awards in India for their creative campaigns spanning across print, digital, film, and AGB as per The Gunn Report 2015.
J. Walter Thompson Mumbai and Bangalore, and McCann Mumbai have their sum totals tied at 10 each, while J Walter Thompson’s South Asia group company Contract Advertising came in at the third spot with a tally of six.
On the whole, India has jumped a position higher from it’s last year’s world rank of 14 to 13 in 2015, as per the GR Creative Ranking.
When it comes to film category, JWT stole the show with the lead score of seven, closely followed by its sister arm Contract Advertising with five.
McCann Worldgroup chairman Asia Pacific and McCann India CEO and chief creative officer Prasoon Joshi said, “I am excited with this outcome, the hard work and dedication that our teams put in has come to the fore with this recognition. I also want to thank our clients who have always believed in us and value ideas and long term relationships.”
JWT South Asia CEO Tarun Rai said, “To have two of our group companies right at the top of the creative charts is really satisfying. This is an unprecedented achievement. I am really proud of the fantastic teams led by Senthil and Ashish.”
J. Walter Thompson India chief creative officer Senthil Kumar added, “It’s a great start to the year with J. Walter Thompson India topping the Global Gunn Report India agency ranking. We have always gone in with all guns blazing for our clients with sharp ideas that strike the bulls’ eye more often than not.”
Contract Advertising NCD Ashish Chakravarty said, “While I am quite happy about the Gunn report rankings, I believe that awards (and, therefore, such rankings) are the by-product of the passion and rigour that we put into our work… so, the many creative awards, new business wins, and rankings, only go to show that we are doing it right. Maybe.”
On the world stage however it was Always #LikeAGirl from Leo Burnett Toronto that emerged as the most awarded All Gunns Blazing in the World advertising campaign of the year 2015, while “Monty’s Christmas” by adam and eve DDB London took away the most number of awards in Film Commercial category. The title for Most Awarded Agency in the World this year was taken away by BBDO, followed by Leo Burnett and DDB.
The Gunn Report 2015
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
