MAM
Havas Media Group strengthens Indonesian team
MUMBAI: The largest media group in Indonesia, Havas Media Group, has appointed Pranay Shah Singh as head of strategy for Indonesia.
In his new role, Singh will be responsible for strengthening the strategic output on key clients including, XL Axiata, Danone, AXA, LG Electronics and Kakao Talk. He will also work closely with account leads, innovation and new business teams to drive the adoption of group’s proprietary – meaningful brands research and meaningful connections planning process that helps brands connect with people and create shared value for brands and consumers.
He will report jointly to Havas Media Group APAC chief strategy officer SK Biswas and Havas Media Group Indonesia CEO Riadi Sugihtani.
Biswas said, “In addition to his media expertise, Pranay brings with him a lateral thinking approach to consumer insights, branding and business issues that connects well with the Meaningful Brands approach at Havas Media Group. He has also shown great curiosity and enthusiasm for the market and I have no doubt that he will prove to be an asset to our pool of clients, who are banking on our support to reach the next level in their meaningfulness journey .”
Singh joins the agency with ten years of experience in the dynamic Indian media industry, where he developed an expertise in strategic planning, media research, consulting and content marketing, working with multinational media agencies and boutique consulting. His last stint was with ZenithOptimedia India, where he led communications planning for FMCG companies like Reckitt Benckiser and Nestle. His involvement in social initiatives like Dhriti and recognition as a rising media star in India by Brand Equity magazine, are testament to his interest in the evolution of communications, and how it impacts society and culture.
Singh said, “I am delighted to be a part of the expanding Havas Media Group and exploring new media horizons of Indonesia, one of the giants of Southeast Asia that is witnessing unprecedented consumer growth.”
Last year the group launched its second agency brand Arena in the country, which has been on a winning spree nabbing the business of Indofood and LG Electronics.
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.
