MAM
Nagesh Alai, Sandeep Seth, Richard Murphy to head APAC Effie Awards 2016 jury
MUMBAI: The Asia Pacific Effie Awards has named three more heads of Jury for the 2016 Awards in FCB Worldwide vice chairman – global Nagesh Alai, SK-II global brand director Sandeep Seth and McDonalds CVP digital, growth & foundation markets Richard Murphy .
Alai has been part of the APAC Effie Jury for the past two years and is currently a member of the APAC Effie Committee. A key force behind the Group’s sound fundamentals & success, he has been with FCBUlka Group for 25 years now. Between 2006 and 2011, FCB Worldwide handed over to Alai the finance and operational responsibilities of Asia Pacific & Africa region and prior to his recent assignment, he was group chairman of FCBUlka Group in India.
He is also actively involved with the industry having been the president of Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) from 2010 to 2012. He currently serves as an executive member of the Confederation of Asian Advertising Agency Associations (CAAAA), various committees of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).
Alai said, “Advertising is all about creating awareness about a brand and triggering a behavioural change in the consumer. Effies platform recognises this truism. Hence, it’s an honour to be associated with APAC Effies it as a Head of Jury and help in selecting the best of the best advertising in the region.”
Seth has almost two decades of marketing experience across nine countries in APAC and Greater China, and a deep expertise in the Beauty and Prestige industry. He currently heads SK-II’s global marketing and commercial operations. He is also leading P&G Asia’s marketing talent rejuvenation movement.
“I feel extremely honoured to be on a Head of Jury for APAC Effie. Brands and advertising is a huge passion area. We are in a new era of advertising as the digital revolution has completely transformed how brands and consumers interact. It is an exciting time and I am looking forward to be inspired by the great work that everyone has been leading in the industry,” Seth said.
Murphy, with a brief to drive digital transformation at a market level, covers some 90+ countries across the globe and includes setting and aligning the agenda for digital, ensuring that markets are clear about the expectations the business has of them and to help drive a modern approach with customers.
“I am delighted to be invited as a Head of Jury for APAC Effie. Effectiveness is the core of the advertising business and what we strive to achieve. I’m glad to play a part in Effies in championing marketing effectiveness and am excited to see the great works from the region,” Murphy added.
This completes the Heads of Jury line-up for the 2016 Awards.
Awards chairman Cheuk Chiang said, “I’m absolutely convinced that with such a distinguished and experienced group of practitioners, the Effies in APAC will redefine and set new standards for effectiveness. It comes at a time when marketers want greater accountability and stronger results but fail to do this consistently. Inspiration will come from the best and most effective work that has been interrogated, scrutinised, evaluated and judged by the best in the business. There will be something to learn for all of us and it’s truly an honour to be working alongside such a distinguished and experienced group of thought leaders.”
Finalists will be announced in March 2016, with the Awards Gala set to take place in Singapore end April 2016.
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.
