MAM
PALM Mumbai 2014 successful in all categories exceeding market expectations
MUMBAI: The 14th successive PALM expo organised by Diversified Communications India fulfilled the scope and potential of the largest ever show in India. The internationally supported PALM India features the maximum number of manufacturers and leading brands ever – including Yamaha, Sennheiser, Shure, JBL, AKG, Soundcraft, Martin Lights, Robe, KV2, TOA, Prolyte, Bose, Bosch, Osram, Sonodyne, Phillips, Neutrik, among others.
All International Brands’ Senior Management expressed complete satisfaction with the PALM organisation, in providing satisfactory and very high standards in all services, from registration process to a very high percentage of interested visitors of professional background.
“Participation is meaningful for international high quality manufacturers only when we meet personally very knowledgeable professionals from the local market, who are also important buyers, in this respect PALM show gets full marks” these responses assure of the PALM attraction to the entire segment of the professional industry in stage light and sound, music production and AV integration.
The highlight of the PALM Expo as in the past years is the HARMAN Live Arena, which was once again a huge attraction. The creation and construction of the Demo Qube exhibit at the PALM was a winner with the target delegates as this novel idea and its successful delivery at the PALM exhibited a tremendous effort and solution for the pro light and sound industry to provide original demo environment. “The Qube was very productive and leads to business and contributes to the growth and development of the market in India. The PALM deserves Kudos for fulfilling a need for professional demo space.”
The PALM 2014 and its unique features covered a gross space of 18,000 sqm. Stage Sound and Lighting equipment + DJ Gear + Music Production and AV Install was showcased in Hall 1, the Qube Ground, Line Array Compound and Hall 5 Annex featuring the Harman Live Arena. Hall 2A was specially dedicated to registration of 18,000 attendees and visitor services including the PALM Souvenir Store. The Conference was held in the International Lounge. Concurrently the Music Expo was held in Hall 2B + 2C.
Visitor Profile
PALM 2014 marked a dramatic increase in turnout of pre-registered delegates and the highest growth for day one visitor registration at 57% with 6,353 visitors, with “very high quality profile”.
Total attendance increased 28% to 20,966 trade visitors.
The 14th Consecutive PALM show this year brought out not only the highest turnout ever but the largest component of industry buyers and professionals. Predictably the Stage Sound and Lighting + Event Production and DJs comprised 55% of visitors, this includes rental companies, entertainment media and event management.
A trend was visible in the second largest visitor profile registered, from the AV Install and Systems Integration segment, comprising 31% of 18,000 visitors. This segment was from House of Worship, Education, Hospitality, performance Venues – Malls, Theatres, Auditorium, Theme Parks.
Music production and studio segment comprised of 12% including the project studio category.
Industry Awards
The 8th IRAA (Indian Recording Arts Awards) ceremony was hosted at the PALM 2014 in the Features Hall. The renowned Andy Munro received the Global Innovation in Studio Design, applauding him was the largest gathering of sound engineers and studio owners. Daman Sood was awarded the IRAA Life Time Achievement Award.
The 3rd PALM Sound and Light Awards were hosted at the PALM Exhibitors’ reception party. The 4th DJ Championship was held in the Features Hall with its highest participation. The DJ Soundscape with the added Conference and Workshop attracted hundreds of professional DJs.
PALM continues to invest back into the industry platform with the objective to grow the industry and the international reputation of the Indian marketplace. The PALM organisation represents a highly knowledgeable team that delivers a trade show by the industry for the industry, and a neutral and independent convention.
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.
